Dollywood's Splash Country is a water park located in

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,343 at the 2020 census. Situated north of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Pigeon Forge is a tourist destination that caters primarily t ...

, adjacent to the

Dollywood Dollywood is a theme park that is jointly owned by Herschend Family Entertainment and country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton through her entertainment company, Dolly Parton Productions. It is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Pig ...

theme park. The park's central theme rests around entertainer

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

's childhood swimming in the rivers of the

Great Smoky Mountains The Great Smoky Mountains (, ''Equa Dutsusdu Dodalv'') are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains and form part of the Blue Ridg ...

. Dollywood's Splash Country operates from May through September. Dollywood and Dollywood's Splash Country are co-owned by

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

star Dolly Parton and the

Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation Herschend is a privately owned themed-entertainment company that operates several theme parks and tourist attractions within the United States, and as of 2021, one of its aquariums in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded by Hugo, Mary, ...

History

Opened in May 2001 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Dolly's Splash Country is an addition to the Dollywood Company's theme park. The park is built into the natural terrain of a 25-acre mountainous area adjacent to the main Dollywood theme park. The park was a $20 million investment ($ in dollars) by the Dollywood Company. To decide on a name for the park, Dolly Parton held a contest to come up with the most original name. Parton received over 16,000 entries. John Torres' entry won, and he and his family were rewarded with five years' worth of seasonal passes and a

canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

that was signed by Dolly Parton. The park opened with attractions such as the Mountain Waves

wave pool A wave pool is a swimming pool in which there are artificially generated, large waves, similar to those of the ocean. Wave pools are often a major feature of water parks, both indoors and outdoors, as well as some leisure centres. History Th ...

, Raging River Rapids, the Downbound Float Trip

lazy river "(Up A) Lazy River" is a popular tune and song by Hoagy Carmichael and Sidney Arodin, published in 1930. The melody is by Arodin, arranged and with words modified by Carmichael. It is considered a jazz standard and pop standard, and has ...

, the Butterfly, Little Creek Falls, Wild River Falls, and Mountain Scream. In 2003, a $1.5 million ($ in dollars), expansion called Raintree Hollow opened featuring Soaker Springs and Mountain Twist. In 2004, Dolly's Splash Country changed its name to Dollywood's Splash Country. That same year, Dollywood's Splash Country added Big Bear Plunge and debuted the Riverside Retreats. In 2005, the park opened Bear Mountain Fire Tower, a multi-level play structure, and quick-service restaurant Brushfire Grill. In 2006, Dollywood's Splash Country added an attraction consisting of twin-speed slides called Fire Tower Falls. This attraction opened up a new path to the Mountain Waves attraction. In 2010, Dollywood's Splash Country added Slick Rock Racer, a four-lane mat slide, spanning in length. The ride starts with an initial dip to build speed allowing riders to gain additional momentum to propel them to the finish. This ride was a $1 million expansion located between Mountain Twist and Raging River Rapids. In 2013, Dollywood's Splash Country opened River Rush. River Rush uses ProSlide Technology's hydromagnetic technology to propel the rafts up hills. Dollywood's Splash Country also introduced the Timesaver H₂O pass allowing guests to reserve their place in an attraction line. Dollywood's Splash Country

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in ...

received minor updates. In 2017, a new attraction called Tailspin Racer was opened at the entrance to the park. Wild River Falls saw a major facelift, including new paint on the slides' exteriors.

Awards

* 2001 - Dollywood's Splash Country was named the World Waterpark Association's Best New Water Park in America. * 2007 - Dollywood's Splash Country was awarded the Must-See Waterpark Award at the 2009 International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Expo in Las Vegas. * 2013 - River Rush was voted the Best New Ride (Waterpark) of 2013 in ''

Amusement Today ''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspaper, which is based in Arl ...

'' Golden Ticket Awards.

References

{{Dolly Parton 2001 establishments in Tennessee Buildings and structures in Sevier County, Tennessee Dollywood Herschend Family Entertainment Tourist attractions in Sevier County, Tennessee Water parks in Tennessee Dolly Parton Pigeon Forge, Tennessee