10/17/2025
This is a GREAT interview with Dollywood’s park president Eugene Naughton.
Yes, there are some nuggets about the future of the park and the resorts on property, but the thing that has stuck out to me the most from this and the times I have spoken with Eugene (and pretty much everyone on staff at Dollywood), is how open and accessible they are. They’re always comfortable to talk about their future plans and things they’ve thought about adding, while still holding some surprises for the right time. There’s not a lot of “corporate speak.” It always feels comfortable and real.
I’ve also noticed this same thing at their sister park Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO. These are major theme parks that attract millions of visitors every year, employ hundreds of people and make millions of dollars. Yet from a communications standpoint, they still feel small and family run, in a good way.
One more thing - I love it when people at parks are willing and able to discuss their competition in a favorable way. Eugene makes multiple references to trips to Disney World and the Disney Cruise Line, and how he was paying attention to how they do things. Dollywood is considered by many to be one of the best theme parks in the country at the moment, yet they’re still learning from others on how to improve things.
Anyhow, I thought this was great and very interesting to listen to!
🎢✨ Exclusive Interview: Eugene Naughton – President of Dollywood Parks & Resorts ✨🎢In this exclusive sit-down interview, I had the incredible opportunity t...
