If you’re looking for a reason to head to the Smokies this spring, let it be this: Dollywood is bursting with more than a million flowers, Dolly Parton-themed street food and meals (yes, there’s a Salad of Many Colors), plus a new throwback show celebrating 40 years of park magic.
The Flower & Food Festival runs April 18 through June 8 and will fill the park with bright blooms, live music and the kind of atmosphere that makes you want to slow down, grab a funnel cake, and stay a little longer.
Now in its sixth year, it’s one of Dollywood’s most-loved seasons, and once you’re there, it’s easy to see why.
This sculpted peacock knows it’s photogenic. Its tail may not fan, but it still struts like it owns Showstreet.
See the Smokies in full bloom
Expect to see larger-than-life floral displays around every turn. Blooms take the shape of a mallard duck mid-waddle, a family of black bears playing in the flowers, and Dolly’s mama sewing the unforgettable Coat of Many Colors by hand. New this year will be two bright pink butterflies fluttering inside the Dolly Parton Experience, created with a design team out of Montreal.
“If there’s one thing I know about the Smokies,” Dolly said in the press release, “it’s that God does some of His best handiwork this time of year.” Spring in these mountains—especially after surviving the winter after Hurricane Helene—truly feels like the world waking back up.
Blueberry Pie Milkshake at Dollywood’s Flower & Food Festival
Come hungry
This year’s tasting pass is $42.99 (or $39.99 for gold and diamond passholders) and gets you five samples from festival food booths around the park. On the menu is a blueberry pie milkshake, wild berry cream cheese funnel cake, a salad inspired by “Coat of Many Colors,” loaded street fries, grilled corn and more.The food alone is worth the trip, but it tastes even better with mountain air and live music in the background.
This cabin recreates Dolly’s childhood home, right down to the porch and the quilts on the bed. You’ll feel the nostalgia before you even read the sign.
Don’t miss the new shows
Dollywood is rolling out a fresh entertainment lineup to mark its 40th anniversary season. The Imagination Playhouse returns April 19 with shows based on Dolly’s Imagination Library. It’s now a permanent part of the park’s seasonal schedule, running through September.
On May 3, “Play On” debuts, a retrospective stage show filled with songs and scenes from past Dollywood favorites. That same date marks the anniversary of the park’s original opening in 1986.
Other musical guests this spring include opera singer Lauren Jelencovich, folk-Americana group The Wilder Flower, and Appalachian-jazz vocalist Robinella.
Umbrella Sky is one of the most colorful photo ops at Dollywood. Stroll under a rainbow of floating umbrellas with butterflies blooming all around.
Picture-perfect moments
You’ll want your camera charged for this one: Umbrella Sky is back, casting its candy-colored shade over Showstreet, and there are plenty of other photo-friendly spots to stumble into, such as the Butterfly Carpet or the brand-new Palace Theater festival sign. Keep an eye out for a roving painter, too, capturing scenes from the day in real time.
If you’re staying at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort or the new HeartSong Lodge, the magic doesn’t end when the park closes. Expect spring-inspired spa treatments, crafty activities, and seasonal bites that keep the festival feeling going long after sunset.
If you’re heading to East Tennessee, it’s worth crossing the mountain into Western North Carolina to visit Asheville’s River Arts District, one of the most dynamic working-artist neighborhoods in the country.
Add this side trip to your itinerary
If you’re heading to East Tennessee this spring, it’s worth crossing the mountain into Western North Carolina to visit Asheville’s River Arts District. With more than 700 working artists, open studios, and hands-on classes, it’s one of the most dynamic places in the country to buy art directly from the people who make it.
Last year’s Hurricane Helene hit the district hard. About 350 artists were displaced from their studios, and many are still recovering. Some have moved into temporary spaces in the Upper RAD or are showing work downtown at the RAD Outpost on North Lexington. Every purchase, visit, and conversation helps rebuild not just studios, but livelihoods.
The Upper River Arts District is open and welcoming. You can explore working studios along Depot Street, Clingman Avenue, Artful Way, and Roberts Street. And thanks to the RAD Hotel and Pine Gate Renewables, the downtown outpost is hosting dozens of displaced artists too.
Plan your visit around one of several upcoming events:
Check details, hours, and artist listings at riverartsdistrict.com.
The Dollywood Express rumbles past the working gristmill, where the cinnamon bread smell might actually stop you in your tracks.
More reasons to visit Dollywood this year
After the Flower & Food Festival wraps in June, Dollywood keeps going strong with a summer drone and fireworks show (June 14 to Aug. 3), the fall Harvest Festival with thousands of carved pumpkins (Sept. 12 to Oct. 27), and Smoky Mountain Christmas, which lights up the park with six million lights starting in November.
But if you’re craving fresh blooms, good food, and a Smoky Mountain spring that feels straight out of a Dolly song, the Flower & Food Festival is your moment.
Tickets and details at dollywood.com (and to plan your Asheville side trip, visit riverartsdistrict.com!).