8 things at Dolly Parton's Dollywood theme park that you'd never see at Disney parks

There weren't as many photos of Parton as I expected to see at Dollywood, but there were enough to remind me of who was behind the park's success.

Disney parks celebrate their founder with a "Partners" statue depicting Walt Disney holding hands with Mickey Mouse.

Parton's "Home on Wheels" was closed during my visit, but the pink and purple tour bus adds a special touch to the park as a celebration of her illustrious music career.

Dollywood embraces the natural landscape of its location near the Great Smoky Mountains, resulting in some steep inclines when walking around the park. Disneyland and Disney World are located in less mountainous parts of the US.

Dollywood's Blacksmith and Foundry, located in Craftsman's Valley, hearkens back to a time when settlers relied on the trade for tools, horseshoes, and other everyday items.

The Frontierland section of Disney parks features railroad-themed rides and Southern saloons, but not a working blacksmith shop.

Dollywood is rooted in Parton's upbringing in rural Tennessee, including her Christian faith. Disney parks celebrate Christian holidays with cultural events like Christmas parades and Easter egg hunts, but don't hold religious services.

"We're very much a park that represents the area of the country we're in," Dollywood public relations manager Ellen Liston told me when I asked about the role of religion in the park. "We love that we are literally sitting in the Great Smoky Mountains, and so much of the nature of that and how the people here grew up was very strong faith that God was going to see them through any hard times that may befall them. Dolly grew up here, she's a very spiritual person. You're brought up to believe you treat people the right way. You treat everybody like your neighbor, 'Love thy neighbor as thyself.' Treat people with respect and help them out when they need it. That's the faith-based part that I think you see a lot of here at Dollywood. It's part of our heritage, it's part of who we are. Everybody is welcome."

Parton's musical catalogue contains gospel albums like "Precious Memories," and Southern gospel quartet The Kingdom Heirs has performed at Dollywood for 37 years.

Stage shows at Disney parks consist mostly of songs from Disney movies and Broadway shows.

My trip to Tennessee was my first visit to the "Bible Belt," where religion plays an outsize role in the region's culture and politics.

Whereas Disney parks steer clear of religious or political messaging (aside from, perhaps, the Hall of Presidents), souvenirs such as cross necklaces, Jesus iconography, and shirts with Christian messages were sold at gift shops throughout Dollywood.

Disney also has steam trains, which were used to transport sugarcane in Mexico in the 1960s, but Dollywood's coal-powered locomotives played an important part in US history.

Two trains function as The Dollywood Express today. Cinderella was built in 1938, followed by Klondike Katie in 1943. Both transported troops and lumber across Alaska during World War II before they were retired to Tennessee in 1960.