The Applause Award, the most prestigious award within the amusement and theme park industry, honors a park whose management, operations and creative accomplishments have inspired the industry with its foresight, originality and sound business development. The award is presented every other year by Liseberg amusement park located in Gothenburg, Sweden. For this 2010 award, Dollywood competed with Alton Towers in the UK and Phantasialand in Germany for the honor.

Entertainment legend and Dollywood owner Dolly Parton accepted the award for the park. “We are so honored to win this award. Our success over the last 25 years is because of the great team at Dollywood that I lovingly call my other family! All those folks back home cooking, cleaning, entertaining and landscaping – I am proud of every one of them,” Parton said. Dollywood’s Applause Award comes as the park completes a successful and eventful 25th anniversary season.

“This truly unique park shows an outstanding level of quality, especially regarding originality of theming in shows, rides, landscaping and attractions. The friendliness of staff and cleanliness of the park is extraordinary and this, combined with a dedicated leadership honoring family values, sets a tremendous example to the whole industry”, says Mats Wedin, President CEO Liseberg Group and Chairman of the Liseberg Applause Award Board of Governors.

Dollywood was one of three finalists for the honor in 2006, along with Legoland and the winning Universal’s Islands of Adventure. The family park Xetulul, located in the rainforests of Guatemala, won in 2008. Previous Applause Award winners include Epcot, Disneyland, Europa-Park, and Silver Dollar City.

This post was originally published at Smokies Guidebook, be sure to visit Smokies Guidebook for the latest news about the great Smoky Mountain area.

Dollywood Garners the Coveted Applause Award for 2010

The town in booming with talent. Enjoy skilled horsemanship, talented canines, mind-boggling magic or side cramping comedy to name but a few. If shopping is on the top of your to-do list, you will find no shortage of great bargains here in Pigeon Forge, and for those looking for that unique find, there are plenty of locally owned shops in which to find that distinctive treasure. Outdoor enthusiasts will adore the miles upon miles of protected lands found in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, while those who prefer to spend their time indoors will find a plethora of indoor activities to entertain their senses.

Be sure to visit during one of Pigeon Forge’s many events. Spring brings Dollywood’s culturally infused Festival of Nations, the colorful art of Quiltfest and the automobile lover’s Grand Rod Run. Summer gives way to playtime for all ages, Dollywood’s KidsFest and the annual Fourth of July celebration at Patriot Park is not to be missed. Fall brings a spectrum of colors and the sounds of harvest celebrations fill the air, while winter celebrates the season with Winterfest, boasting more than five million lights throughout the town.

No matter how you remember your Pigeon Forge experience, it promises to give the whole family memories to last a lifetime.

This post was originally published at Smokies Guidebook, be sure to visit Smokies Guidebook for the latest news about the great Smoky Mountain area.

Pigeon Forge

Along with the Best Shows award Dollywood also racked up a third consecutive win for Best Christmas Event.

“I’m absolutely thrilled and humbled that my Dollywood theme park was honored with so many Golden Ticket Awards,” Dolly Parton said. “The Best Shows Award is really special for me because Dollywood’s entertainment is a reflection of my Smoky Mountain roots and the music I love so much. And to know that my Smoky Mountain Christmas festival won, well, that just makes it feel like Christmas came a little early for me this year! My Dollywood family really makes me proud!”

Additionally Dollywood was a finalist in five additional awards categories:

Best Park—fifth place (tie with Holiday World and Toyko DisneySea)
Cleanest Park—third place
Friendliest Park—second place
Best Food—fourth place
Top 50 Wooden Roller Coasters in the World—Thunderhead—fifth place

The Golden Ticket Awards are an annual presentation sponsored by Amusement Today, a newspaper published for the amusement industry. Awards are determined by an international panel that are die-hard amusement parks enthusiast that are well traveled. The group was asked to pick the “Best of the Best” in 25 categories which include amusement parks, water rides, shows, friendliest staff and roller coasters. Following the tallying of the votes, the awards were presented at a ceremony held at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

The Golden Ticket Awards were started in 1998 and have been featured on the Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel.

Dollywood is a 150-acre family adventure park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Open nine months a year (late March through Jan. 1, 2011), Dollywood offers more than 40 rides and attractions; award-winning live entertainment featuring country, bluegrass, gospel and mountain music; and a dozen crafters authentic to the East Tennessee region. For more information, call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD or visit dollywood.com. Operating days and hours vary.

This post was originally published at Smokies Guidebook, be sure to visit Smokies Guidebook for the latest news about the great Smoky Mountain area.

Dollywood Receives Second Best Shows Trophy at The 2010 Golden Ticket Awards

Dolly Parton at the 2009 Media Day at Dollywood. Photo:Dollywood

Dollywood took home its first-ever trophy for Best Shows and claimed a second consecutive win for Best Christmas Event at the 2009 Golden Ticket Awards ceremony on Sept. 10, 2009, at LEGOLAND California in Carlsbad.

Dollywood was a finalist in four additional categories, taking third place honors for Friendliest Park and Cleanest Park and fourth place honors for Best Food and Best Water Ride for the Mountain Slidewinder. Dollywood’s Thunderhead, twice named the number one wooden coaster in the world, placed fifth in the rankings of Top 50 Wooden Roller Coasters in the World.

“Congratulations to all of the Golden Ticket Award winners and the finalists on their well-deserved honors,” says Gary Slade, publisher and editor-in-chief of Amusement Today. “The competition is friendly, but the voting is becoming tighter every year. It’s fun to see parks and attractions the world over vying for a Golden Ticket Award, which truly recognizes superior quality in all facets of the amusement industry.”

The Golden Ticket Awards are presented to the “best of the best” in the amusement industry and calculated from an international poll conducted by Amusement Today magazine. Surveys were sent to a database of experienced and well-traveled amusement park fans around the world–in balanced geographical regions–asking them to rate the “bests” in 25 categories such as amusement parks, roller coasters, shows, friendliest staff and water rides.

Amusement Today newspaper covers international amusement and water park news and trends and in its 13-year history is a five-time winner of various awards from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.

Dollywood is a 150-acre family adventure park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Open nine months a year (March 28, 2009-Jan. 2, 2010), Dollywood offers more than 40 rides and attractions; award-winning live entertainment featuring country, bluegrass, gospel and mountain music; and a dozen crafters authentic to the East Tennessee region. For more information, call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD or visit the Dollywood website

This post was originally published at Smokies Guidebook, be sure to visit Smokies Guidebook for the latest news about the great Smoky Mountain area.

Dollywood Receives “Best Shows” Award From The Golden Ticket

Sevierville, a gateway town to the Great Smoky Mountains located right next door to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN, is celebrating fall with six weeks of events, harvest decorations and fun things to do during Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival (Sept. 18-Oct. 31). Many Harvest Festival events celebrate the season as well as popular and mountain culture.

Events like Great Smoky Mountain Auto Fest (Sept. 24-26) highlight classic cars while Robert Tino’s Smoky Mountain Homecoming (Oct. 3-4) focuses on the craftsman heritage of these mountains.

The Dumplin Valley Bluegrass Festival (Sept. 17-19) brings out some of the brightest entertainers to be inspired by these mountains.

Nearby Dollywood is also a Harvest Festival must-see with thrill rides, mountain music, craftsmen and harvest foods like pumpkin bread and hot apple cider.

And don’t forget the shopping! Sevierville is famous for its shopping – from high end outlets to treasure filled flea markets and everything in between. Check out Sevierville for a fall Girlfriends Getaway and enjoy shopping, spas and great dining. Of course, while you’re shopping you can still enjoy the beauty of Harvest Festival, since even storefronts are filled with harvest decorations. Businesses throughout Sevierville put out giant scarecrows, overflowing pumpkin displays and colorful floral arrangements…providing plenty of opportunities for fun photos with family and friends.

For even more fun, visit the attractions in Sevierville. From discovering adventure in the great outdoors at attractions like Wahoo Zipline and NASCAR SpeedPark to shopping till you drop at Tanger Five Oaks Factory Outlet Center and even enjoying a delicious harvest meal at great restaurants like The Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant, there is something unique to see around every corner in Sevierville. To experience the events, fun and discovery of Harvest Festival in the Great Smoky Mountains, go to www.VisitSevierville.com or call 1-888-SEVIERVILLE (738-4378).

This post was originally published at Smokies Guidebook, be sure to visit Smokies Guidebook for the latest news about the great Smoky Mountain area.

The Fall is Full Activities in Sevierville