Dollywood

Complaints & Reviews on USAComplaints

USAComplaints currently maintains 2 historical complaints about Dollywood, published between 2002 and 2005. No approved complaints have been published on this site during the last three years. For a current reputation snapshot, see the independent sources below.

• Employee Accused Husband of Shoplifting at Candy StorePublished Jan 15, 2005 · Historical consumer allegation
• Fired After Disputed Lateness Claims and Medical Leave PromisePublished Aug 7, 2002 · Historical consumer allegation

Independent Sources

Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.

Contacts & Payment

• Official website: https://www.dollywood.com/
• 1-800-DOLLYWOOD: guest services, tickets, passes, reservations: 1-800-365-5996
• Contact Us page and message form: https://www.dollywood.com/Contact-Us
• Season Passholder Inquiry form (needs pass and contract number): https://www.dollywood.com/tickets/season-passes/passholder-inquiries/
• Online Payment Plan card update form (per pass FAQ): https://www.dollywood.com/paymentplan
• DreamMore Resort front desk: 865-365-1900
• HeartSong Lodge front desk: 865-366-3500
• Group reservations, cancellations and group refunds: 888-428-6789
• Accessibility Liaison message line: 1-865-429-9982
• Accessibility Liaison: [email protected]
• Herschend: customer inquiries and Notice of Dispute (Terms of Use): [email protected]
• Privacy requests (state privacy rights): 844-310-0100

Locations

Dollywood tickets, season passes, rain and ride closures, parking and lodging: what Dollywood's own pages say

Dollywood's own pages, opened on October 5, 2026, set out the rules below. Some pages give different wording or prices for the same thing, so both versions are shown. This site holds two older posts about Dollywood, from 2002 and 2005, which may not reflect today's rules.

Tickets, season passes and refunds. Dollywood's Terms of Sale ("Updated as of July 25, 2022") treat a ticket, pass or season pass as a "Ticket" and say: "Tickets are non-refundable, non-transferable, and will not be exchanged." Section 6 adds: "Unless specifically designated as cancellable or refundable, we will not accept a cancellation of, or a refund for, any Items once we accept your Order. Notwithstanding, exceptions may be made under limited circumstances in Herschend's sole discretion." The seller named in those terms is "Herschend Entertainment Company, LLC d/b/a Herschend Family Entertainment or its subsidiaries". To ask for help, the Contact Us page and the Season Passholder Inquiry page both point to 1-800-DOLLYWOOD (1-800-365-5996); the passholder form asks for the pass number(s) and contract number.

Prices shown on October 5, 2026. Dollywood's Tickets page lists 2026-season one-day Pick-A-Day tickets from $94.99 and Good-Any-Day tickets from $99.99 (regular adult price, starting at), and two-day tickets from $124.99 and $129.99, with "Prices do not include tax." The Season Passes page lists the Dollywood Silver Season Pass at $169.99 + tax and the Gold Season Pass at $244.99 + tax (regular adult price, ages 10-61), plus a free Pre-K Imagination Season Pass for children born in 2021 or 2022. Its comparison table gives Silver visitation as Mar. 13, 2026 - Dec. 13, 2026 and Gold as Mar. 13, 2026 - Jan. 3, 2027, and lists free General Parking as a Gold benefit. The Passholder Hub says 2026 adult and senior Silver Passes "are not valid for admission Dec. 14, 2025 - Jan 4, 2026 and Dec. 13, 2026 - Jan. 3, 2027"; child Silver Passes have no blackout dates. The 2026 pass page lists only Silver and Gold, while the Passholder Hub and parking FAQ still mention Diamond passholders.

Online Payment Plan for season passes. Dollywood's season-pass page says the first payment "will include tax for the entire order plus the non-refundable $6.50+tax fee per pass", with the remaining payments "automatically billed every 30 days" in 10, 8, 6 or 4 payments depending on when the pass is bought (9/17/25-1/4/26, 1/5/26-3/1/26, 3/2/26-5/3/26, 5/4/26-7/6/26). The same FAQ opens by saying it covers the 2026 plan "for passes purchased from September 17, 2025, to July 5, 2026", so the page gives July 5 in its introduction and July 6 in the last installment window; confirm eligibility with Dollywood directly if you are buying near that date. Its FAQ answers "Can I cancel my Online Payment Plan before my payment period is complete?" with: "No. Once you set up your Online Payment Plan, it cannot be cancelled. Those who wish to terminate their plan agreement prior to completion of the payment period are required to pay in full for each Season Pass included under the agreement." If a payment is declined, "The charge will be attempted twice again over the following week"; if all three attempts fail, "all Season Passes on the order will be blocked from park entry until the payment is made." Card details can be updated at www.dollywood.com/paymentplan (form not opened for this page) or on 800-365-5996, option 5. The FAQ says a 2026 pass bought on the plan "will not automatically renew for 2027" and that "Season Passes are non-transferable." The renewal FAQ says passes can be ineligible for renewal pricing if "voided due to refund or Installment Billing missed payments" and that a passholder who received a refund "will need to purchase a new pass."

Rain, lightning and ride closures. Three Dollywood pages describe rain compensation differently. The Tickets page ("Weather Guarantee") says: "If you experience rain interruption that restricts rides, attractions, and your fun at Dollywood, causing your visit to be shortened, please stop by any ticket booth before you leave to receive a complimentary return ticket valid for any operating day during the rest of this season. All guests must be present to receive the return visit voucher." The Contact Us page says: "If the park experiences rain for more than one hour on the day of your visit, we will gladly give you a raincheck to return another day", to be picked up at Guest Services before leaving. For Dollywood's Splash Country the Contact Us page says rain checks are "valid until the end of the season", "will not be distributed just because it rains" and "are not available for Season Passholders", while the Splash Country FAQ says season pass holders can trade a Bring-A-Friend ticket for another visit. Both FAQs say TimeSaver passes (and TimeSaver H2O) are not rain check or refund eligible. The Terms of Sale say rides, shows and attractions "may be closed due to maintenance, special events, or weather without notice and without liability to Herschend." Dollywood's Weather Guidelines page says listed rides are suspended while lightning is within 10 miles of the park, until it is gone for at least 15 minutes, with more rides suspended for lightning within 5 miles; "Most other rides will not operate if heavy rain, hail or freezing precipitation is present"; and each ride has a closing temperature (for example Lightning Rod 34 degrees and FireChaser Express 39 degrees). The Splash Country FAQ says all attractions close when radar shows lightning within a 10-mile radius and reopen after it clears for 15 minutes.

Parking. Dollywood's parking page shows General Parking at $25 per vehicle, Preferred Parking at $55 and RV parking at $30, and says "Parking fees are nonrefundable, including Preferred Parking fees", including the initial fee for Gold and Diamond passholders. The Plan Your Visit FAQ gives $25 and $30. The Contact Us page gives "$22.78 per car or $27.33 for oversize vehicles" and Preferred Parking at $45.56. The pages do not say why the figures differ. The Terms of Sale say: "Prices posted on the Online Service or at one location may be different from prices offered by us at other locations" and "Posted prices do not include taxes or charges for shipping and handling, if applicable"; this page does not say whether either sentence accounts for the parking figures.

Accessibility. The theme-park accessibility page says guests who want the ride accessibility entrances "are required to have a Ride Accessibility Pass" and encourages visiting the Ride Accessibility Center, next to the Dollywood Emporium, on arrival. Dollywood's Accessibility Liaison form page gives a message line, 1.865.429.9982, and the email [email protected]. The same accessibility page says guests with an Accessible Parking Permit are directed to ADA Accessible Parking in Lot A/B, that this parking "is filled on a first-come, first-served basis and may reach capacity early on some operating days", that additional accessible spaces are next to Lot A/B and the Lot D tram stop, and that "Standard vehicle and RV parking fees apply, unless passholder discounts apply." It says electric convenience vehicles (ECVs) and wheelchairs can be rented online or on arrival on a first-come, first-served basis. The Contact Us page says strollers, wheelchairs and ECVs are available on the day of the visit, first come, first served, that part of the ECV fleet can be reserved online with payment in advance, and ends that passage with "Must be reserved at least 48 hours in advance."

DreamMore Resort and HeartSong Lodge. The Resort FAQ says stays at each resort have "free cancellation until 72-hours prior to the day of arrival. Cancellation within 72-hours may result in the loss of one-night deposit." Check-in is 4:00 p.m. and check-out 11:00 a.m.; there is no resort fee; guests must be at least 21; and at check-in "an authorization will be placed on your card for the full amount of your room and tax, plus a separate $100 incidental authorization", which Dollywood describes as a temporary hold. Reservations are on 1-800-DOLLYWOOD, option 2; the DreamMore front desk is 865-365-1900 and the HeartSong front desk is 865-366-3500. A separate product has different terms: the page for Dolly Suite 1986 (Dolly Parton's tour bus at DreamMore) says a "$5,000 deposit is required at the time of booking", the balance is collected 7 days before the stay, and "Cancellations must be made 14-days prior to arrival. A cancellation fee will be collected." The ordinary 72-hour rule above is the Resort FAQ's wording for DreamMore and HeartSong stays.

Splash Country payments. Dollywood's cashless page says: "Beginning May 16, Dollywood's Splash Country will accept electronic payments only" (the text does not state the year). Cash can be loaded onto a prepaid card at kiosks, and the page says "After 92 consecutive days of no transaction activity, however, a $3.95 fee will be charged each month." Dollywood's Retreats & Canopies Rental Terms & Conditions (a rental, not an admission ticket) say: "Cancellations made at least 72 hours before your reservation date will receive a full refund"; "In the event of inclement weather, rental fees are non-refundable, and rain checks are not available"; rentals not checked in by 2 p.m. "are considered forfeited and non-refundable"; and with Rental Reservation Protection a reservation "may be canceled or moved once to another available date up until 5 p.m. the day before your visit", at a protection cost that "is non-refundable".

Groups. The Group FAQ says group refunds are given "on returned, unused admission tickets or cash value meal vouchers providing that your number adjustment does not cause you to drop below 15 paid admissions/meal vouchers" and gives (888) 428-6789 to call before returning tickets or cancelling.

Tennessee ride permits and government actions (checked October 5, 2026)

Tennessee amusement-device permits. The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development's Amusement Device Unit says: "Tennessee Law requires amusement device owners and operators to hire qualified inspectors to perform annual inspections, to properly complete state forms and to submit other necessary documentation." The Unit's list of compliant companies with annual permits (page "Updated September 4, 2026") includes "THE DOLLYWOOD COMPANY", Pigeon Forge, TN, with a permit expiration date of 3/28/2027. The list does not say which attractions the permit covers. The Unit's accident article says an owner must report any accident involving "a fatality, serious physical injury, or serious incident" to the Unit "in writing within 24 hours of the accident" and arrange an inspection by a certified third-party inspector within 24 hours; operation stays ceased until that inspection is done and the Unit is notified. The Unit's number is (615) 741-1900, and its compliance page has a tip form for companies thought to operate without a valid permit. No public list of individual ride incidents was identified on the Unit pages opened on October 5, 2026.

Workplace-safety citations reported in 2025 (not a primary document). WVLT in Knoxville reported on July 18, 2025 that the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) cited Herschend Family Entertainment, described by WVLT as Dollywood's parent company, with two "serious" citations after an employee was injured on March 10 working on the Smoky Mountain River Rampage lift, with fines of $3,200 for each citation, $6,400 in total; the station reported that Dollywood did not respond to its request for a statement. This concerned an employee, not a guest, and TOSHA's own citation documents were not opened for this page (the OSHA establishment search showed a human-verification page, which was not bypassed).

Consumer-protection enforcement. In the sources checked on October 5, 2026 (web searches of FTC, state attorney general and news results for Dollywood and Herschend), no FTC, Tennessee attorney general or other consumer-protection enforcement order naming Dollywood was identified. That is a statement about what was checked, not a finding that none exists. The Tennessee Attorney General's Division of Consumer Affairs says on its File a Complaint page that it runs an informal complaint mediation program in which it sends the complaint to the business and asks for a response within 21 days; a consumer can use it if the consumer lives in Tennessee, the business is located in Tennessee or the transaction occurred in Tennessee. Complaints filed with the Division are subject to the Public Records Act.

Company background: who runs Dollywood and what changed in August 2026

Who runs it. Dollywood's park is at 2700 Dollywood Parks Blvd., Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Dollywood's timeline says the park's first year of operation was 1986. Herschend's August 25, 2026 statement says Dolly Parton's partnership with Herschend began in 1985 with the creation of Dollywood Theme Park and grew to include Dollywood's Splash Country in 2001, Dollywood's DreamMore Resort and Spa in 2015, Dollywood's HeartSong Lodge & Resort in 2023 and Dolly's Songteller Hotel in 2026. Dollywood describes itself as Dollywood Parks & Resorts, and Eugene Naughton signs as its President.

Ownership as described in court. In a 2015 opinion in Krueger v. Herschend Family Entertainment Corp. (E.D. Tenn., No. 3:14-CV-289, Doc. 51, an employment case), the court recited, citing the company's filing: "The Dollywood Company ('Dollywood') is a joint venture between DW Holding Company, LLC, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation ('Herschend') and Dolly Parton Productions, Inc." and that "Herschend, as a partial owner of Dollywood, operates and manages the Park". In 2022, The Dollywood Company, DW Holding Company, LLC, Dolly Parton Productions, Inc., Herschend Entertainment Company, LLC and Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation filed one joint answer in Jemison v. The Dollywood Company. That is the structure the companies described in 2015; this page did not confirm today's ownership percentages.

Newest events (checked October 5, 2026). The Associated Press reported on August 25, 2026 that Dolly Parton died at age 80, citing a statement from her publicist, and The Washington Post published an obituary the same day. On August 25, 2026 Dollywood published a statement that "the Dollywood family mourns the passing of our beloved Dreamer-in-Chief, Dolly Parton", said the park would be open the next day, Wednesday, "as Dolly wanted", and quoted Dollywood Parks & Resorts President Eugene Naughton. On September 2, 2026 Dollywood's media room listed an announcement of plans to create new experiences and installations honoring her. On August 25, 2026 Herschend also published a memorial statement quoting its CEO Andrew Wexler and Chairman Chris Herschend. An article in The Spokesman-Review dated September 17, 2026 reported that Herschend, "Dollywood's co-owner", "has assumed the role of overseeing and growing the venue", that Herschend "declined to say how large a stake Parton owned in the park", and that it said "considerations" had been made in advance so the park would continue as usual; that article is a news report, not a company record. Dollywood's 2026 season pages list a new indoor coaster, NightFlight Expedition, which the season-pass page marks "NOW OPEN" and the renewal page describes with "General Public Rides Begin August 19".

What binds a purchase. Purchases of tickets, passes, parking and other items fall under the Terms of Sale; use of the websites and apps falls under the Online Terms of Use (effective March 3, 2026); personal data falls under the Herschend privacy notice (effective May 1, 2026), which says in its state privacy-rights section: "We sell and/or share this personal information to third-party advertisers, marketing companies, and analytics companies." It gives a privacy request line, 844-310-0100.

Complaint record: USAComplaints posts, BBB, Trustpilot and ComplaintsBoard, reported separately

Posts on this site. USAComplaints holds 2 approved posts about Dollywood. One, from 2002, is by a former seasonal employee who says he was dismissed after a dispute over attendance and a work injury. The other, from 2005, is by a season-pass family who say an employee accused the husband of stealing candy in a shop and who asked for a refund of their 2005 passes. They are the posters' accounts, they are decades old, and Dollywood's response is not in them.

BBB, as displayed on October 5, 2026. The BBB profile for Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, TN shows an A+ rating and says the business is not BBB Accredited. It shows 31 total complaints in the last 3 years and 6 complaints closed in the last 12 months, and 1.67/5 from an average of 12 customer reviews.

Trustpilot, as displayed on October 5, 2026. The dollywood.com page is an unclaimed profile showing 3.2 from 7 reviews, with the notice that the company has no history of asking for reviews and so reviews may not be representative.

ComplaintsBoard, as displayed on October 5, 2026. The Dollywood page shows 4 reviews and 144 complaints, offers "Claim Your Business" and says "Updated on Aug 08, 2026". Post titles on its first results page include workplace treatment, a visit experience, a military-discount dispute and a rain-related complaint dated August 7, 2026; these are the posters' allegations.

The three sources count different things, are not combined, and are not a measure of how many visitors have problems.

Court records: federal dockets and what the terms say about disputes

Federal dockets. A CourtListener search of federal case names containing "Dollywood", run on October 5, 2026, returned 28 dockets, the newest filed in 2022. Three are described here as far as the dockets show. Jemison v. The Dollywood Company (E.D. Tenn., No. 3:22-cv-00226) was filed on June 30, 2022 against The Dollywood Company, DW Holding Company, LLC, Dolly Parton Productions, Inc., Herschend Entertainment Company, LLC and Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation; the defendants answered on July 27, 2022. On August 23, 2022 an agreed order dismissed Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation, Dolly Parton Productions, Inc. and Herschend Entertainment Company, LLC "without prejudice", with the action to "proceed against The Dollywood Company and DW Holding Company, LLC." Entry 36, dated July 21, 2023, is titled "STIPULATION of Dismissal case with prejudice" and is filed by DW Holding Company, LLC and The Dollywood Company. Justia's docket page lists the case as nature of suit "P.I.: Other" and cause "28 U.S.C. § 1391 Personal Injury" (its docket copy was last retrieved July 21, 2023). The docket entries do not describe the claims, the incident alleged or any settlement terms. Chatwal Hotels & Resorts LLC v. The Dollywood Company (S.D.N.Y., No. 1:14-cv-08679) is listed as a trademark case filed October 30, 2014 and terminated March 23, 2015; the entries read do not describe the dispute further. McCammon v. The Dollywood Foundation (E.D. Tenn., 2022) names a different entity.

Consumer class actions. No consumer class action against Dollywood was identified in the sources checked on October 5, 2026. Dollywood's Terms of Sale say disputes over a purchase go to individual arbitration before the American Arbitration Association in Fulton County, Georgia, with a class-action waiver, and let a purchaser choose small-claims court by written notice within 60 days of purchase. The Online Terms of Use (effective March 3, 2026) instead require a written Notice of Dispute by email, a 60-day resolution period, a jury-trial and class-action waiver and a one-year time limit, and do not mention arbitration. The two documents are different and this page does not say which controls.

Injury suits reported in the news. Local news has reported individual guest-injury lawsuits at Dollywood and Splash Country over the years; no docket other than those above was opened for this page, so none are listed.

Is Dollywood Legitimate?

Dollywood is a long-running theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee that sells tickets and passes on its own site, dollywood.com. Tennessee's Amusement Device Unit lists "THE DOLLYWOOD COMPANY" among companies with an annual permit (permit expiration 3/28/2027, page updated September 4, 2026). Its Terms of Sale name Herschend Entertainment Company, LLC d/b/a Herschend Family Entertainment as the seller, and a 2015 federal opinion describes The Dollywood Company as a joint venture of a Herschend subsidiary and Dolly Parton Productions, Inc. BBB shows an A+ rating and that Dollywood is not BBB Accredited; Trustpilot and ComplaintsBoard profiles are unclaimed.

Dollywood's Terms of Sale say "Unauthorized sales or resales of Tickets is prohibited"; Dollywood sells tickets, passes and parking on dollywood.com and takes orders on 1-800-365-5996.

Court & Public Records

Company Relationships

• Affiliated with: Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation
• Affiliated with: Dolly Parton Productions, Inc.
• Affiliated with: DW Holding Company, LLC

Frequently Asked Questions