Dollywood

The park existed as Silver Dollar City before Parton bought into it in 1986 and renamed it, on the stated condition that it employ local people and keep the craft element - which it has: blacksmiths, glassblowers, a working grist mill and a wagon shop operate in the park alongside the coasters, and the craftspeople are demonstrating rather than performing. The Lightning Rod, when it opened in 2016, was the fastest wooden coaster in the world. A steam train runs a five-mile loop behind coal-fired locomotives. The Christmas programme lights several million bulbs. Parton's Imagination Library, which posts free books monthly to children, is run from the same organisation and has sent out well over two hundred million.

What you actually see

• Working craft demonstrations - smithing, glass, milling, wagon-making.
• A steam train on a five-mile loop - coal-fired locomotives.
• Coasters including Lightning Rod - fastest wooden coaster at opening.
• A Christmas light programme - several million bulbs.

When to go

April to October, or November to December for lights. A full day.

Honest expectations

Summer heat and humidity in the valley are heavy. Pigeon Forge traffic on Route 441 is severe in season. Queues for the main coasters are long. It closes in January and February.

Nearby

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is south; Gatlinburg is between.