Dollywood Parks & Hotels Score 11 USA Today 10Best Nominations – Vote Now!

Pigeon Forge, Tenn. – Dollywood’s theme parks and resorts have received a combined 11 nominations in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, the park announced Monday. The nominations span a range of categories, recognizing both Dollywood and Dollywood’s Splash Country, as well as the resort’s hospitality offerings.

Voting is currently open and will continue until April 20 at 11:59 p.m. ET, allowing fans to cast one vote per day in each category. Dollywood is nominated for Best Theme Park, although its roller coaster, Lightning Rod, is competing for the title of Best Roller Coaster. The park’s summer entertainment, the Gazillion Bubble Show, is also in contention for Best Theme Park Entertainment.

Dollywood’s dining options are also being recognized, with Aunt Granny’s Restaurant nominated as the Best Theme Park Restaurant. Splash Country, Dollywood’s water park, received four nominations: Best Outdoor Water Park, Best Lazy River for its Downbound Float Trip, Best Water Coaster for RiverRush, and Best Water Slide for Raging River Rapids. Mountain Waves, the park’s wave pool, is also nominated in the Best Wave Pool category.

The Dollywood resort collection is also represented in the awards. Both Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa and Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort are nominated for Best Theme Park Hotel.

Lightning Rod, a hybrid coaster manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction, opened to the public in June 2016, and is themed after 1950s hot rods. The coaster reaches speeds of 73 miles per hour and features a 165-foot drop, sending riders more than 20 stories up its lift hill, according to Dollywood’s website. The ride has undergone modifications in recent years, including the replacement of wooden track with steel I-Box track to improve reliability.

The nominations come as Dollywood prepares to open its newest attraction, Nightflight Expedition, later this year. The park recently opened for its 41st season.