As spring returns, vacation planning becomes top of mind. For many in southwest Virginia, that means heading to Dollywood. According to the latest numbers from Dollywood, visitors from Southwest Virginia rank as Dollywood’s 10th highest population of guests.
10 News was there for opening weekend to get a look at the crowds, new attractions and the safety measures put in place to keep guests safe during the 2021 season. VIP season ticket-holder guests were invited to the park Friday. The park is now open to the general public. Crowds of people poured into the park, excited to get outside and back to a life that resembles some sort of normalcy.
When it’s not music you hear in the background at the park, it’s the sounds of excited crowds, fan-favorite rides and laughter from family members watching from afar. For many, it’s a nice change of pace. Lisa Settle of Smith Mountain Lake went to the park with her niece, Olivia Freeland.
“I just haven’t been able to do anything all year, so it’s nice to see people and interact. Just to eat outside, it’s just been great,” Settle said. “It’s just that freedom.”
A freedom Eddie Garlick and his son Ethan of Roanoke were excited to finally be able to enjoy.
“We’ve had a season pass, hadn’t been able to use it because of corona, so we thought we would get out here and take advantage of it,” Garlick said.
While the park reopening is a welcome sense of normalcy and relaxation, safety is still a top priority. In addition to temperature checks at the gate, masks are required in the park. Socially distanced mask-free zones are available for when guests may need a break. In addition to sanitation stations throughout the park, rides are cleaned and sanitized after each use.
“The trollies were nice because they had us social distanced on them, so it was nice to have us separated,” Freeland said.
It didn’t take long to find guests there from Southwest Virginia. The roughly four-hour drive seemed to entice visitors from the Roanoke region even during the pandemic.
Dollywood spokeswoman Ellen Liston said park attendance from Southwest Virginia is up, even in the middle of a pandemic.
“Last year, literally attendance increased from the Roanoke Market about 5% in terms of actual numbers,” Liston said. “When you think of the fact that we actually closed for three months, you really see what kind of an impact that had.”
She said they expect to see even more southwest Virginians traveling to the Smoky Mountains as the year goes on.