Dolly beats Disney again! Dollywood gets top theme park honors in U.S. and worldwide
Accolades continue to pour in for Dollywood this year, besting Disney parks, once again, in the theme park game.
The Pigeon Forge attraction was named the No. 1 theme park in the United States in Tripadvisor’s 2024 Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Awards. Disney’s Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, both in Orlando, came in at No. 2 and No. 6 respectively.
And Dollywood was ranked No. 10 on the Travelers’ Choice Top 25 Worldwide Amusement Parks list. It was the only theme park in North America to make the top 10 on the international list.
“I’m so thrilled about what our guests say about what we’re doing at Dollywood,” Dolly Parton said in a statement. “I truly wanted Dollywood to be a place where people would be excited to visit because of the warmth and hospitality of the hosts working there and because of the natural beauty God blessed us with in the Great Smoky Mountains.”
“We don’t do what we do to win awards; we do it because we want to provide the best guest experience in the country,” Dollywood President Eugene Naughton added.
Dollywood beat Disney World and Disneyland earlier this month in the 38th annual Amusement Park and Attractions Survey by the National Amusement Park Historical Association.
10 amusement parks in the U.S. by Tripadvisor
Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee)
Disney’s Magic Kingdom (Orlando, Florida)
Fun Spot America (Kissimmee, Florida)
Universal’s Islands of Adventure (Orlando)
Fun Spot America Orlando (Orlando)
Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Orlando)
Legoland California (Carlsbad, California)
Knoebels Amusement Resort (Elysburg, Pennsylvania)
Busch Gardens (Tampa, Florida)
Whale’s Tale Waterpark (Lincoln, New Hampshire)
The Tripadvisor awards were determined based on the quality and quantity of traveler reviews and ratings posted on Tripadvisor during the 12-month period from April 2023 through March 2024.
Top 10 amusement parks worldwide by Tripadvisor
Disneyland Paris (Marne-la-Vallee, France)
Siam Park (Tenerife, Spain)
Ferrari World Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
Beto Carrero World (Penha, Brazil)
Waterbom Bali (Kuta, Indonesia)
Beach Park (Aquiraz, Brazil)
Puy du Fou (Les Epesses, France)
Alton Towers Resort (Alton, United Kingdom)
Walt Disney Studios Park (Marne-la-Vallee, France)
Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee)
Other recent Dollywood awards and honors
Dollywood has been racking up theme park industry awards recently, including being named best park in the world at the Golden Ticket Awards in 2023.
That major award was followed up with top honors and accolades by the National Amusement Park Historical Association, USA TODAY 10Best Awards, and Southern Living.
Recent accolades for Dollywood include:
No. 1 Best park in the world (2023 Golden Ticket Awards)
No. 1 Best family coaster, Big Bear Mountain (2023 Golden Ticket Awards)
No. 1 Best kids’ area (2023 Golden Ticket Awards)
No. 1 Best guest experience (2023 Golden Ticket Awards)
No. 1 Best Christmas event (2023 Golden Ticket Awards)
No. 3 Best theme park restaurant, Aunt Granny's Restaurant (2024 USA TODAY 10Best Awards)
No. 5 Best theme park (2024 USA TODAY 10Best Awards)
No. 5 Best Roller coaster, Lightning Rod (2024 USA TODAY 10Best Awards)
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email [email protected]. On X, formerly known as Twitter @dturner1208.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Dollywood beats Disney as best theme park in 2024 Tripadvisor awards