PIGEON FORGE, Tenn.–(March 23, 2026)–Dollywood Parks & Resorts has earned 11 nominations across ten categories in the latest USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice awards. All Dollywood properties are represented through the nominations.
A panel of experts and USA Today 10Best editors selected Dollywood and Dollywood’s Splash Country to receive multiple nominations, while Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa and Dollywood’s HeartSong Resort & Lodge also made the list of award nominations. Voting for the awards, which opened today, ends on Monday, April 20 at 11:59 a.m. Voting links can be found at Dollywood.com/Vote.
Dollywood Parks & Resorts has earned much praise during the last several years from USA Today readers in 10Best voting. The nominations for this season’s awards are:
- Best Theme Park – Dollywood
- Best Roller Coaster – Lightning Rod at Dollywood
- Best Theme Park Entertainment – Gazillion Bubble Show (part of Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration)
- Best Theme Park Restaurant – Aunt Granny’s Restaurant
- Best Outdoor Water Park – Dollywood’s Splash Country
- Best Lazy River – Downbound Float Trip at Dollywood’s Splash Country
- Best Water Coaster – RiverRush at Dollywood’s Splash Country
- Best Water Slide – Raging River Rapids at Dollywood’s Splash Country
- Best Wave Pool – Mountain Waves at Dollywood’s Splash Country
- Best Theme Park Hotel – Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa
- Best Theme Park Hotel – Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort
Anyone is eligible to vote and may do so once per day per device. Nominees for all categories are chosen by a panel which includes a combination of editors from USA Today, 10Best.com, relevant expert contributors and more.
For more information about Dollywood’s 2026 season, please visit Dollywood.com or download the Dollywood app.
–Dollywood2026-
About Dollywood Parks & Resorts: A highly awarded and widely recognized leader in the amusement industry, Dollywood Parks & Resorts consists of the 165-acre Dollywood theme park; the 35-acre Dollywood’s Splash Country; and two award-winning resort properties: Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa, and Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort. As unique as its namesake and owner Dolly Parton, Dollywood opened in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, on May 3, 1986, and earned the theme park industry’s highest accolade, the Applause Award, in 2010. Dollywood has earned 67 Golden Ticket Awards and 28 Brass Ring Awards for live entertainment. In 2022, 2024 and 2025, Dollywood was named by Tripadvisor as the #1 theme park in the country based on actual guest reviews. The park is located near Great Smoky Mountains National Park and has been recognized as a top U.S. theme park by USA Today on multiple occasions. Dollywood is open mid-March through early January and offers rides, attractions, shows and crafters inspired by and authentic to the East Tennessee region. Dollywood’s Splash Country, recognized by the Travel Channel and Tripadvisor as one of the country’s most beautiful water parks, operates from mid-May to mid-September. Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa as well as Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort provide guests with spectacular mountain views and family-friendly amenities next door to Dollywood theme park and Dollywood’s Splash Country. For more information, visit dollywood.com. Operating days and hours vary.
Media Contacts:
Pete Owens: Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations, (865) 428-9486, (865) 755-7972 or [email protected]
Wes Ramey: Public Relations Director, (865) 428-9484, (865) 640-3805 or [email protected]
Ellen Liston: Public Relations Manager, (865) 428-9629, (865) 919-7001 or [email protected]
Jennifer Webb: Sr. Publicist, (865) 428-9602, (865) 323-7584 or [email protected]
For B-roll, photography and more information, visit the Dollywood Media Room at http://www.dollywood.com/Media/Media-Room