Dollywood wins USA TODAY 10Best for theme park, roller coaster, hotels, waterpark

East Tennesseans know we have some of the best theme parks, rides and restaurants. And the rest of the country knows it, too. Several Pigeon Forge attractions received recognition in the 2024 USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards in the theme park and water park categories.

Dollywood and Soaky Mountain received seven top 10 spots in five categories, with Dollywood getting most of those spots.

Unfortunately, none of our winners landed at No. 1. A Dollywood property did get close to the top spot, though.

Check out the East Tennessee theme park winners in the 2024 USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards:

Best Theme Park Hotel

Dollywood’s two hotels both nabbed spots on the 10Best list. The relaxing DreamMore Resort and Spa  (No. 2) was beaten by The Hotel Hershey in Pennsylvania. Dollywood’s mountain getaway resort HeartSong Lodge, which opened in 2024, was ranked No. 3.

  1. The Hotel Hershey (Hershey, Pennsylvania)

  2. Dollywood's DreamMore Resort & Spa (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee)

  3. Dollywood's HeartSong Lodge & Resort (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee)

  4. Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (Orlando, Florida)

  5. Hotel Breakers at Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio)

  6. Disney's Wilderness Lodge (Orlando, Florida)

  7. Disney's Polynesian Village Resort (Orlando, Florida)

  8. Disney's Beach Club Resort (Orlando, Florida)

  9. Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando (Orlando, Florida)

  10. Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort (Orlando, Florida)

Best Theme Park Restaurant

Aunt Granny’s (No. 3) in Dollywood has repeatedly been named one of the top 10 best theme park restaurants in the country. The restaurant serves family-style comfort food such as fried chicken and macaroni and cheese.

  1. The Alamo at Knoebels (Elysburg, Pennsylvania)

  2. The Chocolatier at Hersheypark (Hershey, Pennsylvania)

  3. Aunt Granny's Restaurant at Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee)

  4. Yak & Yeti at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park (Orlando, Florida)

  5. Grain & Grill at Kings Dominion (Doswell, Virginia)

  6. Das Festhaus at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Williamsburg, Virginia)

  7. 7. Satu'li Canteen at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park (Orlando, Florida)

  8. Zambia Smokehouse at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (Tampa, Florida)

  9. Trapper's Smokehouse at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Williamsburg, Virginia)

  10. Le Cellier Steakhouse at EPCOT (Orlando, Florida

Best Theme Park

Dollywood won best park in the world last year at the Oscars for amusement parks. It didn’t get the 10Best 2024 crown, coming in fifth on that list, but maybe the park’s extended 39th season will have it in the running for 2025.

  1. Silver Dollar City (Branson, Missouri)

  2. Knoebels (Elysburg, Pennsylvania)

  3. SeaWorld Orlando (Orlando, Florida)

  4. Hersheypark (Hershey, Pennsylvania)

  5. Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee)

  6. LEGOLAND California (Carlsbad, California)

  7. Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Williamsburg, Virginia)

  8. Kennywood (West Mifflin, Pennsylvania)

  9. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (Tampa, Florida)

  10. Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio)

Best Roller Coaster

Dollywood’s Lightning Rod (No. 5) sends riders more than 20 stories up its lift hill before racing down a 165-foot drop at 73 miles per hour. More people can now enjoy the popular ride thanks to a recent upgrade to a high-speed chain system.

  1. Phoenix at Knoebels (Elysburg, Pennsylvania)

  2. Mako at SeaWorld Orlando (Orlando, Florida)

  3. Phantom's Revenge at Kennywood (West Mifflin, Pennsylvania)

  4. Wildcat's Revenge at Hersheypark (Hershey, Pennsylvania)

  5. Lightning Rod at Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee)

  6. Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (Santa Cruz, California)

  7. The Voyage at Holiday World (Santa Claus, Indiana)

  8. Fury 325 at Carowinds (Charlotte, North Carolina)

  9. Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (Tampa, Florida)

  10. Pantheon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Williamsburg, Virginia)

Best Outdoor Waterpark

Soaky Mountain makes its sole 10Best appearance at No. 8, even beating out Dollywood’s Splash Country (No. 10). Soaky Mountain has several adventure thrill rides likes Black Bear Rapids Adventure, Coyote Springs pool and the Edge Dueling Watercoaster.

  1. Splashway Waterpark (Sheridan, Texas)

  2. Aquatica Orlando (Orlando, Florida)

  3. Cowabunga Bay Water Park (Henderson, Nevada)

  4. Island H2O Water Park (Kissimmee, Florida)

  5. Lost Island Waterpark (Waterloo, Iowa)

  6. Splashin' Safari (Santa Claus, Indiana)

  7. Water World (Federal Heights, Colorado)

  8. Soaky Mountain Waterpark (Sevierville, Tennessee)

  9. Schlitterbahn Waterpark & Resort - New Braunfels (New Braunfels, Texas)

  10. Dollywood's Splash Country (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee)

The USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards are voted on by the public. A panel of industry experts nominate their favorite points of interest and attractions across a wide range of categories every week, and then 10Best editors vet these nominations and select a final set of nominees to be presented for a public vote.

The USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards highlight the best in travel, food and drink, and lifestyle.

Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email [email protected]. On X, formerly known as Twitter @dturner1208.

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Dollywood's Lightning Rod roller coaster was named to the USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards.
Dollywood's Lightning Rod roller coaster was named to the USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Dollywood, Soaky Mountain win USA TODAY 10Best theme park awards