Dolly Parton Built More Than a Music Career. She Fueled a $2 Billion Tourism Engine in East Tennessee
The singer, who died Tuesday at the age of 80, was committed to investing in her home state.
Dolly Parton at Universal Amphitheatre on July 12, 1989. Photo:
Few Tennesseans have such an impact on their state as Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday at the age of 80.
Above all was her music—her unmatched lyrics and a one-of-a-kind voice that gripped listeners of every age for decades. There were her unforgettable movie performances, including Steel Magnolias and 9 to 5, 1980s films that explored themes of women’s empowerment and sisterhood. But for Tennesseans, her transformation of an East Tennessee town into a regional tourism hub and her philanthropy also stand out.
Dollywood, a theme park nestled in the Smoky
Dollywood, a theme park nestled in the Smoky Mountains in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, has become an economic engine for the region and the state. Parton created the park 40 years ago as a co-owner. Since then, it expanded to include two resorts and a water park, with plans to add more hotels, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this year. Dollywood employs thousands of local residents and draws four billion visitors each year, generating close to $2 billion annually.
“I hope they keep building on, even after I’m gone,” she toldWSJ.
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Instead of Disney characters, the park celebrates Parton’s Appalachian roots with a country-inspired aesthetic and crafting areas featuring cinnamon bread and wax hands. Her music fills the halls and lobby area of her DreamMore Resort and butterflies adorn the campus.
Tennessee families also had access to Parton’s Imagination Library, a three-decade initiative that sends free, high-quality books to children of every income level from birth to age five. While distribution began in Sevier County, where Parton grew up, it expanded statewide in 2004. The program is now international and more than 200 million books have been given.
Parton is also known for her support
Parton is also known for her support of Sevier County residents hurt by the wildfires that swept through the area in 2016. The Dollywood Foundation helped raise $12 million in donations to families affected by the fires. It has also provided scholarships to Tennessee high school students pursuing degrees, according to its website.
More recently, Parton’s impact was felt in Nashville as she debuted Dolly: A True Original Musical, based on her life and music at Belmont University’s Fisher Center. The musical is headed for Broadway next year, according toThe Tennessean, and will help spread her legacy in the years ahead.
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