Dollywood offers something no other major theme park does: a regular Sunday church service presided over by an on-staff chaplain. It is open to anyone with a park ticket, offers first-come seating, and feels like stumbling into a tiny mountain church—except you’re surrounded by the smell of signature cinnamon bread and the subtle soundtrack of theme-park noises, too.
Built in 1973, before Dollywood existed, Robert F. Thomas Chapel in the park’s Craftsman’s Valley is a one-room church named after the traveling doctor and preacher who was an important member of the Sevier County community. In fact, he is the very doctor who delivered little Dolly Parton. The white, picturesque church is nestled amid the park’s towering trees and sits just adjacent to its bald eagle sanctuary. It’s a peaceful corner of the otherwise bustling property.
Every Sunday at 11:30 AM (4 PM during the Great Smoky Mountain Christmas season), inside the clapboard walls of the chapel, chaplain Joey Buck hosts an interdenominational service for anyone who wishes to attend. Chaplain Buck has been on staff with Dollywood Parks and Resorts for 16 years, and during his tenure, he’s continued the service tradition that began long before his arrival. “Every Sunday since the park has been open, we’ve had a church service in the chapel in the theme park,” he says.
The services are carefully designed by Chaplain Buck and his team to welcome Christians from all traditions. “My goal is that our guests who attend do not know my theological training,” he explains. Instead, he focuses on all people coming together in their core beliefs. The chapel averages over 200 people each Sunday, with crowds often spilling out of the building. About 60% are repeat visitors who make the service part of their Dollywood tradition, while 40% stumble upon it during their visit, curious whether the sign with service times is, in fact, “real.”…