Dollywood theme park will add new features, including a waterfall, to honor Dolly Parton

Advertisement

Advertise with us

SEVIERVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — Dolly Parton’s theme park in east Tennessee will unveil new features for fans to honor the life of the “dreamer-in-chief,” Dolly Parton, who died at the age of 80.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

SEVIERVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — Dolly Parton’s theme park in east Tennessee will unveil new features for fans to honor the life of the “dreamer-in-chief,” Dolly Parton, who died at the age of 80.

Sevierville, in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, will also be placing markers throughout the city for a self-guided walking tour of places that were important to the singer, actor and philanthropist. She grew up in rural Sevier County and transformed the theme park into the county’s largest employer and a major tourist destination.

In a press conference held Wednesday, park officials announced plans to add a new character to the park called the Dream Maker, inspired by Parton’s Imagination Library, as well as adding a waterfall and stained glass windows to a chapel inside the park to reflect her deep faith.

A memorial wall for Dolly Parton stands outside the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Camden Hall)
A memorial wall for Dolly Parton stands outside the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Camden Hall)

The park will add kiosks for visitors to share their thoughts about Parton and new additions are also coming to The Dolly Parton Experience, a multibuilding section that includes exhibits about her life and career.

Report Error Submit a Tip

More Stories

Mayoral rematch between Gillingham, Klein gets ugly on Day 1

Joyanne Pursaga 6 minute read Preview

Mayoral rematch between Gillingham, Klein gets ugly on Day 1

Joyanne Pursaga 6 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:25 PM CDT

Former city councillor and provincial cabinet minister Kevin Klein says he will soon enter the race to become Winnipeg’s next mayor — prompting an immediate war of words with incumbent Scott Gillingham.

Gillingham quickly responded to the announcement by calling Klein “toxic” and a “fixer” for Peter Nygard.

Klein said Tuesday he had decided not to enter the mayoral race weeks ago due to an unspecified health scare that required surgery. After recovering, he decided to run.

“The future of the city means a lot to me. I believe that we have so much untapped potential that I felt I should do something about it,” said Klein, noting he felt compelled to run because key city issues, such as perceptions of public safety in the downtown, have grown worse over the past four years.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 6:25 PM CDT

Naked man dies after jolt from police Taser

Scott Billeck 5 minute read Preview

Naked man dies after jolt from police Taser

Scott Billeck 5 minute read Monday, Aug. 31, 2026

A Transcona man says he was lucky to be awake early Sunday when, shortly after 4 a.m., a stranger smashed through his screen door and kicked in the front door of his home.

“It’s all I can think about, like what if I was sleeping?” said the man, whom the Free Press is not naming to protect his identity. “Being awake gave me just a couple of extra seconds to deal with him before he got his whole body in.”

He was sitting on his couch when he heard the glass shatter and saw someone trying to force his way inside.

“Glass flew in and this guy — he was a big guy — tried to climb through the screen door,” the man said. “I hopped off the couch and just remember screaming for help. Well, of course it’s four in the morning, so nobody’s going to help, right? I wasn’t thinking straight.”

Read
Monday, Aug. 31, 2026

Tweed a historic figure in Winnipeg’s women’s soccer scene

Grace Penner 7 minute read Preview

Tweed a historic figure in Winnipeg’s women’s soccer scene

Grace Penner 7 minute read 5:49 PM CDT

With Winnipeg’s Northern Super League club debuting next year, helmed by footy greats Desiree Scott and Rob Gale, the history of the beautiful game in the Keystone province has been put in the spotlight.

Or, rather, Tony’s legacy has been.

Anthony Tweed always had a love for the game. Born in Cambridge, England, it came naturally. Tweed even attended the 1966 FIFA World Cup where England beat West Germany 4-2 in extra time to claim the first and only title for the country that invented the world’s most popular sport.

“Like all Englishmen, I just loved the game,” Tweed said.

Read
5:49 PM CDT

Renewed spirit and life: Indigenous treatment centre expands with $21-M revamp

Scott Billeck 5 minute read Preview

Renewed spirit and life: Indigenous treatment centre expands with $21-M revamp

Scott Billeck 5 minute read Yesterday at 3:44 PM CDT

Don Robinson knows first-hand that many people don’t get sober by themselves.

In late June 1984, Robinson downed his last drink. His recovery began at Pritchard House in Winnipeg’s North End, a 22-bed treatment facility run by the Native Addictions Council of Manitoba.

“I didn’t get sober by myself,” said Robinson, a member of Bunibonibee Cree Nation who now works in grief and trauma counselling and traditional knowledge as an elder at Ka Ni Kanichihk Inc.

More than four decades later, Robinson was back at the council on Monday, crowded into a room at its newly renovated treatment centre at 160 Salter St. — a place he once turned to for help and where he helps others now.

Read
Yesterday at 3:44 PM CDT

Winnipeg teacher disciplined for ‘liking’ student’s post

Maggie Macintosh 5 minute read Preview

Winnipeg teacher disciplined for ‘liking’ student’s post

Maggie Macintosh 5 minute read Monday, Aug. 31, 2026

A Winnipeg teacher has been reprimanded for accidentally clicking ‘like’ on a student’s year-old social media post during a late-night scroll.

A recent investigation by Manitoba’s independent teacher commissioner found Jordan Nelson, a hockey coach in the Pembina Trails School Division, engaged in professional misconduct by viewing online profiles of students who were following a team account he was managing on behalf of his school.

“Using information associated with the school’s hockey team account to access and review a student’s social media account, without any legitimate educational or workplace purpose, was inappropriate and inconsistent with the professional boundaries expected of a teacher,” commissioner Noni Classen wrote.

A five-page report, better known as a consent resolution agreement, details agreed-upon facts about an October 2025 incident and subsequent disciplinary action.

Read
Monday, Aug. 31, 2026

Red River Polytechnic looks to expand after MITT takeover

Maggie Macintosh and Morgan Modjeski 4 minute read Preview

Red River Polytechnic looks to expand after MITT takeover

Maggie Macintosh and Morgan Modjeski 4 minute read Yesterday at 7:18 PM CDT

Red River College Polytechnic is celebrating an enrolment bump and eyeing new high school partnerships as part of its merger with a longtime competitor.

For the first time, nearly 400 students attended their first day of RRC Polytech in Winnipeg’s south end on Tuesday.

The new campus is outfitted with two school logos — a new red one and a blue design belonging to the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology.

“It feels great to be a part of history,” said Dom McLaren, an 18-year-old who is enrolled in RRC Polytech’s network and systems administration program. “I’m definitely going to enjoy my time.”

Read
Yesterday at 7:18 PM CDT