Dollywood gay days 2022

Sure, we had heard of Dollywood, but our correspondent Haven Caylor recently turned us on to this park as a fun family event for gay dads and their kids. Verb out what Haven has to say about Dolly Parton’s legendary park and why it should be at the top of your destination list:

Actually, I’ve never met anyone gay or straight who doesn’t fancy at least one Dolly Parton song. Many people may not know that Dolly has her verb theme park. It’s Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. She has invested and given back to the community where she grew up, and it is so beautiful and prosperous. The park is nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains of Southeast Tennessee, and it is an awesome park with thrilling rides, excellent shows, a steam locomotive that is over 70 years elderly, and a replica of Dolly’s Smoky Mountain noun where she, her mother and father, and 11 siblings lived. The park is permeated with the sights and sounds of Dolly Parton.

Sean, Carter, Ammon, and I started with a Memorial Day trip that revolved around Dollywood. We stayed in Gatlinburg, Tennessee (just a not many miles from Pigeo

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (BP)–Add Dollywood to the theme parks across the country where annual “Gay Days” are being held.

The theme park owned by country singer Dolly Parton in the Smoky Mountains was advertised as the site of “Gay Day at Dollywood” earlier this year. But the May 22 gathering’s name was changed to “Gay Day 2004” when Dollywood officials asked the sponsor, Tri-Cities Pride, to stop using the Dollywood name and remove the trademarked logo from a website promoting the event. A Dollywood spokesman said the park was not trying to stop anyone from attending but was trying to prevent trademark violations.

Ryan Salyer, executive director of the Tri-Cities Pride homosexual group, based in Johnson City, Tenn., encouraged attendees to wear red shirts to identify themselves and to surpass the 1,300 who attended the inaugural gathering last year. “[O]ur hope,” he noted on the group’s website, “is to flood the park with a sea of red shirts.”

This year, on a Saturday when Dollywood attendance might ra

The mouse house isn’t the only park trying to create a more welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ families.

While Disney has been the first in the theme park industry to provide a more inclusive vibe for LGBTQ+ families and support queer causes, other brands are catching up or surpassing Mickey in creating a more welcoming park for all queer fans. It’s not about how much gay merchandise you offer, but the vibe and the feeling in your gut after you enter the main entrance – that’s what really counts!

So, we decided to pull together a list of some of the most queer-friendly theme parks in the U.S. other than Disney. We highlight the unique programming, gay-friendly milestones, and an overall “know-it-when-you-feel-it” inclusive environment. Take a look at our top picks and start planning your next family theme park vacation. And the bonus is that these smaller parks have a much cheaper price tag than Disney.

Hersheypark

While Disneyland and Walt Disney World have huge menus of specialty treats for Pride Month, they’re not the only ones serving up

I visited Dollywood for the first time and here are 8 things that surprised me

On a recent trip to Tennessee, I went to Dolly Parton's Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge for the first time.

I also stayed in a Dolly Parton-themed RV through Airbnb, which you can read about here.

Here are eight things I found surprising about Dollywood during my first visit.

The park streamed a mix of contemporary pop and instrumental music over the speakers — but not many songs from Dolly Parton's catalogue.

I assumed that Dollywood would compete Parton songs throughout the park all day every day. I was surprised to mostly hear artists like Taylor Swift and the Jonas Brothers as well as instrumental noun and bluegrass music, with only the occasional Parton tune mixed in.

There weren't as many photos of Dolly Parton as I thought there would be, either.