East Tennessee Flash Floods Have Major Impact on Dollywood Park

Flash floods over the weekend in east Tennessee left guests at Dollywood amusement park in a tough spot over the weekend.

The Dolly Parton Experience's Songteller exhibit spanning Dolly Parton's life and career at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge on Friday, May 24, 2024. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA

Torrential downpours from thunderstorms in east Tennessee led to some troublesome weather over the weekend. Flash flooding occurred, which had a major impact on the Dollywood amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

That led to some problems for guests who were in the park. But, a lot of credit should go to the Pigeon Forge police and fire departments who were able to get guests to safety despite the brutal conditions.

On Sunday afternoon, only one injury was reported and it was a minor one according to a statement shared by park officials, per AP News. Anyone whose vehicle was impacted by the flash flooding was being helped by the amusement part as well.

The potential for poor weather is something that some visitors actually look to take advantage of. JeMiale McKinney of Knoxville, Tennessee is a seasonal pass holder along with his wife and two daughters.

McKinney noted bad weather usually means other visitors will leave. Once the weather clears out of the area, there are shorter lines and waits to get on rides. Alas, that wasn’t how things unfolded on Sunday.

It didn't even take 10 minutes of heavy rainfall for the entrance to Dollywood was blocked. Water was thigh-high in some areas. 

“We got trapped in the parking lot faster than we thought,” McKinney said. They were stuck there for two hours until a crew broke down a fence so people could get out.

“I was surprised about how calm people were,” he said.

The entrance of Dollywood was closed by Sunday night after a road collapse shut down McCarter Hollow Road. There was over five inches of rain in the area according to an email from Wes Ramey, a spokesperson for Dollywood shared by the AP.

“While the volume of rain was difficult for both the park’s and the city’s infrastructure to manage, the fact we have only one minor injury illustrates how well our hosts handled the situation and how well our guests followed their directions,” Ramey said.

Further evaluations will be had to see if changes need to be made to how the park can respond to weather. Dollywood was opening at noon on Monday, with Splash Country opening at its regular time because it was not impacted by the flash flooding.