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The Atlas Obscura Podcast

Dolly Parton’s Dreambox (Classic)

The Atlas Obscura Podcast

SiriusXM Podcasts & Atlas Obscura

Society & Culture, Places & Travel

4.61.6K Ratings

🗓️ 30 May 2025

⏱️ 15 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We will always love Dolly Parton, who’s installed a “dreambox” time capsule at her amusement park. In it, there’s a secret song that no one will hear until the legendary artist turns 100. LEARN MORE about Dolly’s songwriting prowess in Unlikely Angel, a book by Hamilton College professor Lydia Hammesley.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

In the smoky mountain town of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, there is an amusement park.

0:09.3

In many ways, it's like any other amusement park you could visit.

0:12.8

It's got roller coasters, it's got water rides, it's got a food court where you can stuff yourself with as much cinnamon bread as you can handle.

0:21.0

But there's something about this amusement park that makes it really different.

0:25.8

The more you know about Dolly, the more you realize everything in the park is about Dolly.

0:32.0

Dolly.

0:32.8

As in Dolly Parton, the larger-than-life country music star.

0:37.4

This is no ordinary amusement park. This is Dolly Parton, the larger-than-life country music star. This is no ordinary amusement park.

0:39.9

This is Dollywood.

0:42.5

She has a museum there with memorabilia, letters, costumes from many, many, many of her movies,

0:51.5

a lot of the gowns that she's worn for award shows or concert performances.

0:57.3

You can check out one of Dolly's tour buses.

1:00.0

And you could go in and take a look around and see the little bathtub and where she kept her wigs

1:05.3

and the bedroom where she slept and everything.

1:08.8

You can even wander around her childhood home.

1:12.1

Well, a replica of it anyway.

1:14.4

I noticed also there's a calendar on the wall from January of 1946

1:19.3

with January 19th circled, which is, of course, Dolly's birthday.

1:25.0

At Dollywood, Dolly Parton's life is on full display.

1:29.0

That is, until you get to one unassuming little artifact, tucked away on the wider ground

1:35.4

of the Dollywood Park.

1:37.3

Behind a glass display case, inside a little wooden box, is something that will be locked away until Dolly's 100th birthday in

...

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