When Dolly Parton opened her namesake theme park in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee in 1986, she envisioned a time when it would be more than a place families went on daytrips. Her hope? That Dollywood would evolve into a bona fide vacation spot where travelers had all they needed to linger and relax. Fast forward to July 27, 2015, and Dolly’s dream was realized with Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa . By opening a hotel next to her amusement park (as well as the water park she unveiled in 2001), she launched “Destination Dollywood,” which now includes a second hotel, Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge and Resort .

The original resort’s name was inspired by a speech Dolly made in 2009 to the graduating class at the University of Tennessee. In it, she urged them: “Dream m

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