7 hidden details you may have missed at Dolly Parton's Dollywood theme park
Talia Lakritz
- Dolly Parton's Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is full of hidden details.
- Many of the store names reference people or places from Parton's childhood.
Red's Drive-In is named after Red's Café, the restaurant where 6-year-old Dolly Parton ate her first hamburger.
The retro diner is located in the Jukebox Junction section of the park.
The Robert F. Thomas Chapel is named for the doctor who delivered Parton.
Amid the roller coasters and restaurants, Dollywood has a chapel that holds non-denominational Christian worship services every Sunday. The building is named for Robert F. Thomas, a minister and doctor who served Sevier County, Tennessee, for over 50 years.
Themed signs all over the park pay tribute to Dollywood employees who have worked there for at least 30 years.
There are over 35 signs around Dollywood honoring longtime employees. For example, the above sign for Jack's wire service recognizes the dedication of a maintenance worker named Jack Anthony who started in 1982 (hence "Only operates above 82 degrees") and whose wife is named Barb (as alluded to by "Barb wire.")
A decorative storefront for Cas Walker's Super Market memorializes Orton Caswell "Cas" Walker, who hosted a radio show that helped launch Parton's career.
Walker did in fact own a chain of grocery stores in East Tennessee, and hosted a radio show called the "Farm and Home Hour" to promote his business. When Parton was 10 years old, she told Walker that she wanted to work for him and ended up booking her first performance.
The recording of Parton's appearance on Walker's show is available on her official website.
Parton is known as "Aunt Granny" to her nieces and nephews, which is where Aunt Granny's restaurant gets its name.
Aunt Granny's is located in the Rivertown Junction section of the park, and serves a wide-ranging menu including fried chicken, fried fish, a taco bar, and sweet tea.
The Pines Theater, recreated at Dollywood, was an actual theater in Sevierville where Parton played her first paid gig.
The real Pines Theater closed in 1957, but is currently being remodeled into an entertainment venue, according to ABC affiliate WATE. The Dollywood version of The Pines Theater, located in Jukebox Junction, can hold 1,000 audience members and hosts musical performances.
Granny Ogle's Ham and Beans restaurant in Craftsman's Valley is named after Judy Ogle, Parton's closest friend of more than six decades.
"Our parents knew each other, we grew up together, we were like sisters, became best friends," Parton told The Sun in 2019. "She was very quiet, I was very outgoing. So we made perfect friends. We went all through school together."
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