Dolly Parton Runs Theme Park, Avoids All Rides to Save Wigs and Pride
KEY POINTS
- •Dolly Parton opened Dollywood in 1961 but has never used any park rides due to motion sickness and a fear of ruining her wigs.
- •Her hit song 'I Will Always Love You' was written in 1974 about ending a professional partnership, moving on with mentor Porter Wagoner's blessing.
- •Inspired by her illiterate father, Dolly launched Dolly's Imagination Library in 1995, sending more than 120 million free books to children worldwide.
Dolly Parton, the multi-talented country superstar and businesswoman, opened Dollywood in 1961—a theme park inspired by her childhood dreams, featuring roller coasters and water rides. Yet, despite owning this amusement utopia, Dolly herself has never dared to ride any roller coaster, citing motion sickness and the peril to her extravagant wig collection. She quipped, 'I'm gonna have some handsome man mess it up, I don't want some ride doing it.' Beyond amusement anxiety, Parton's iconic song 'I Will Always Love You' was penned not out of romance but professional heartbreak with mentor Porter Wagoner in the 1970s, who tearfully greenlit her departure on condition of producing that record. Meanwhile, 'Jolene' was based partially on a bank teller flirting with her husband Carl Dean, turning a light-hearted marital joke into a country classic. Dolly’s charitable spirit shone bright through her 1995 Dolly's Imagination Library, overcoming her father’s illiteracy by mailing over 120 million free books worldwide. Her honorary godmother role to Miley Cyrus and a humiliating loss at a Dolly lookalike contest complete the portrait of a woman who’s catchy songs, eclectic instrumental skills, and refusal to ride amusement park coasters make for a singular legend.
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(1 of 3)Dolly Parton owns a theme park full of rides and refuses to ride any because she’s too scared of getting wig-hair drama. Meanwhile, her biggest hits reveal messy breakups and flirtations wrapped in sequins and sass.
Owning a theme park but avoiding every ride is basically the adult version of not reading the manual but pretending you know what’s going on.
Dolly’s biggest hits didn’t come from romance, but workplace drama and suspicious bank tellers. Everyone’s messy, even country legends.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 8/25/2026 | Author: Nasha Smith
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