Dollywood will reopen 2 p.m. Friday, the park announced Tuesday.
The park has been closed because of this week’s wildfires that have devastated parts of Sevier County.
“After assessing the damage wrought by recent wildfires in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Dollywood is focusing its efforts for the next two days supporting the community,” a statement form the park reads.
“Good news and a little bit of bad news for us, ” Dollywood spokesperson Pete Owens said Tuesday morning.
Several of Dollywood’s cabins were either damaged or destroyed by the fire, but the full extent isn’t known just quite yet.
Owens said they haven’t been able to reach some of the cabins further in the county.
On Monday night, Dollywood had evacuated 19 occupied cabins and evacuated guests from 50 rooms in Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort.
The park itself wasn’t damaged by the inferno, according to Owens. Crews made a fire line along the park to protect its structures, but the attraction did suffer some wind damage.
Dollywood plans to be closed Wednesday and Thursday, but will reopen on Friday. The park said it plans to focus on community recovery in the meantime.
In addition, the Dreammore resort is fine and plans to be open Tuesday evening for guests.
The Dollywood cabins will remain closed until they finish assessments.
“I have been watching the terrible fires in the Great Smoky Mountains and I am heartbroken. I am praying for all the families affected by the fire and the firefighters who are working so hard to keep everyone safe. It is a blessing that my Dollywood theme park, the DreamMore Resort and so many businesses in Pigeon Forge have been spared,” said Dolly Parton in a statement on her Facebook page.
Also Tuesday, Al Cecere of the American Eagle Foundation said all eagles that had been kept at a facility on the Dollywood grounds have been moved to another location in Pigeon Forge. The predators spent Monday night into Tuesday in their pens at Dollywood.
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