The country music legend Dolly Parton’s amusement park Dollywood has quietly shut down. It will remain closed for several months after experiencing various issues.
Dollywood Closes
Dollywood will stop accepting guests starting on Monday, January 5. The theme park will stay closed for over two months before reopening again on Friday, March 13.
Dollywood tends to close in the colder months because low temperatures “can compromise safety” since “rollercoaster wheels, braking systems and hydraulic components all rely on specific temperature ranges to function properly,” according to Inside the Magic.
A total of 22 of the rides at Dollywood reportedly have “temperature cutoffs.” These cutoffs range from 39 degrees to five degrees.
Dollywood is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Tennessee. It has sadly been hit by various problems in recent weeks.
Just before Christmas, Dollywood left visitors devastated by announcing the closure of the beloved ride the Dollywood Express. It reportedly had to close for unscheduled maintenance.
“We are sorry for the inconvenience,” the park said in a statement posted to social media. “We hope you will enjoy all of Dollywood’s other award-winning rides and attractions during Smoky Mountain Christmas.”
Social Media Fires Back
Social media users were furious about the train ride’s closure. Indeed, one said that he closure was “absurdly ridiculous.”
“It’s absurdly ridiculous that on a Saturday, the train is not operating,” this outraged patron ranted. “Do what you have to do, even if it means paying people to work all night to make sure that train works, especially on the Christmas weekends.”
“How inconsiderate a lot of folks, especially senior citizens in the park,” the social media user continued. “That’s the one thing they can ride and enjoy. Not to mention the train is promoted so much on social media and billboards. Absurdly ridiculous.”
Another social media user was quick to agree.
“I was planning on bringing my son to ride the train as that is his sole reason for existing right now. We can’t go anywhere without his toy trains,” this second person stated. “Please get this fixed ASAP. We bought season passes so we could take him just for the train. Please don’t wait till the off-season to fix it. Also, please keep us updated.”
Weeks before that, Dollywood was forced to revise its hours of operation. Indeed, the park had to close early due to forecasted temperatures.
On December 14, the theme park was open from 11am to 6pm. This is significantly earlier than it normally closes. Typically, Dollywood closes between 9pm and 10pm.
Parton’s Difficult Year
This comes after Parton, who is turning 80 this month, had a difficult 2025. Her husband Carl Dean, who she was married to for 59 years, died back in March at the age of 82. Parton was then hit with various health issues that forced her to push her Las Vegas residency back nearly a year to the fall of 2026.
As she continues to grieve her beloved husband and fight for her own health, the last thing Parton needs right now is issues with Dollywood. Please join us in saying a prayer that Dollywood can get back up and running again smoothly.
God bless you, Dolly Parton!