I’d argue that a few BB fans might appreciate Dollywood.
The park is near and dear to my heart, partially because I very nearly ended up growing up there. My parents grew up poor, so it wasn’t so much that they were part of the “back to the land” movement of the 70s as it was that they retained it. They were both woodworkers and wood carvers, and while it didn’t sell well, it was good enough to attract the attention of a recruiter from Silver Dollar City. Back then, one of the attractions to the parks was that they had artisans working during the day; when you got tired of riding rides, you could watch someone build wagon wheels, or something.
Back in the late 80s, though, the original Silver Dollar City went broke. An unlikely buyer stepped up: Dolly Parton. Nowadays, there’s still a Silver Dollar City park in Branson, MO, but it just retains the old-timey theme. Dollywood, though, still has craftsmen.
I don’t have any affiliation with the themepark. I am, though, pretty amazed that a female country music artist was able to go from being a poor woman from the Appalachians, to being a pretty savvy businessperson, and managed to help our her old home turf to boot.
If that’s too corny for you, well, I’ll warn you to stay away from Pigeon Forge altogether, because the whole town’s like that. Pigeon Forge and Sevierville damn near meet Knoxville nowadays.
