“This was the craziest experience I’ve had at Dollywood in nearly 32 years,” one person wrote on a TikTok video that showed poncho-clad crowds emerging from the park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, as torrential rain fell.
The resort, co-owned by country music superstar Dolly Parton, reopened at noon Monday after flooding drove away tourists on Sunday, but two rides that need additional cleaning will be postponed, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Dollywood said in a social media statement that one minor injury was reported due to the thunderstorm and flash flooding. Pigeon Forge fire and police personnel “guided guests to safety during the storm,” the statement said.
The flooding occurred Sunday evening as a slow-moving thunderstorm moved through the area. The National Weather Service issued a flood warning at 5:39 p.m., in effect until 10:45 p.m. Up to 4 to 5 inches of rain fell in the area, “causing multiple road closures and also mudslides and landslides,” according to the weather service.
“While the amount of rain was difficult to manage for both the park and city infrastructure, the fact that there was only one minor injury demonstrates how well organizers handled the situation and how well guests followed their instructions,” Wes Ramey, Dollywood’s director of public relations, said in a statement.
Forecasters are calling for more showers and storms Monday night into Tuesday night that could bring further flooding and damaging winds, with some areas expected to get another 3 inches or more of rain, the weather service said.
Sevier County Deputy Mayor Brian McCarter posted on his Facebook page Sunday night that parts of the county were experiencing “severe flooding.” He wrote that several roads, including one near Dollywood, were closed due to flooding and landslides.
Several people wrote on their social media accounts that they were unable to leave the car park due to flooding.
“Getting stuck in a Dollywood parking lot due to a massive flood is not on my 2024 bingo card,” one person wrote on X, along with a video of a car driving into a flooded road as the rain continues to fall.
“Dollywood is assisting guests whose vehicles were damaged by this weather event,” a statement from the park said.
The theme park is located eight miles north of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and 35 miles southeast of Knoxville, Tennessee.
Ramey said in a statement that the park will honor tickets dated Sunday for future visits and will also honor any rain tickets that are offered.
“We will evaluate our response to determine if any changes are necessary, but I am proud of the hard work of our maintenance and operations teams that enabled us to reopen within 24 hours of this unprecedented flooding,” he said.
