Here's Why Dollywood Was Forced To Close An Hour After Opening
Dollywood may not be the country's oldest amusement park, nor as popular and well-known as Disney or Six Flags, but if you're a Dolly Parton fan, it is a must-visit. For those in the know, even if you're not the biggest Parton fan, Dollywood is still a fantastic, fun, and family-friendly theme park and a much-loved Tennessee vacation destination. But for visitors on July 17, 2024, they had their Dollywood vacation plans put on an abrupt hold: The whole park got shut down after a massive water main break, just about an hour after the park opened for the day.
It means this happened lol pic.twitter.com/RcoFdnhBoT
— SarahGracie (@thesarahgracie) July 17, 2024
"We have never had a large break like this in my 24-year history with the park," Pete Owens, Dollywood spokesperson, explained to Knox News. There's no word on what caused the problem (as of publication time), but after shutting down the park, crews got to work to repair the damage.
In what must have come as a huge relief to both park guests and staff, in the early hours of July 18, 2024, the park was officially confirmed via X, formerly known as Twitter, as ready to open up again. All guests who were impacted by the closure can get refunds, or they can use their July 17 tickets, including for parking, lockers, and TimeSaver passes, on a future visit. If that applies to you, call 1-800-Dollywood for more information.
The online response to the Dollywood closure showcased a range of emotions
Negative responses online to the unexpected Dollywood closure ranged from the angry to the disappointed. "My Dolly obsessed daughter is heartbroken! Today is her birthday and Dollywood has been her birthday wish for 3 years!," one person posted. "We finally made the trip happen. We were in the park for about 30 minutes before having to leave." We sure hope they're able to get a redo!
However, there were those who seemed to take the news in stride and joked about it. "Everything is now a water slide," one person wrote. Someone else posted a picture of the water starting to pool at Dollywood and wrote, "memories of the water main break will last a lifetime however." Others had recommendations of what to do nearby as they waited for the park to reopen. "Go into Gatlinburg tonight and get a steak at The Peddlar," [sic] one person wrote.
Concerns over the shutdown brought up recent memories of a similar closure on May 8, 2024, which caused the internet to speculate that Dollywood was closing for good. Fortunately, that couldn't be further from the truth. So if you're road tripping along the Blue Ridge Parkway and you want to see what all the fuss is about, plan a side trip from Gatlinburg up to Dollywood to ride the rides, enjoy the food, and maybe even see Dolly herself.