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.”
The 30-minute service is intentionally brief but complete, and there are always three components: prayer, scripture, and hymns. Chaplain Buck’s approach to scripture is deliberately minimal, and he lets that day’s reading provide the progression of service; passages to naturally suggest whether the congregation should pray, sing, or reflect. As a result, no two Sundays are alike.
One of the most beloved elements is guest participation in the choir. “We invite those who are actually attending the service to be a part of and create the choir, so every week, a new choir comes together, and they have no idea what songs they’re singing until they get there,” he explains. The patchwork choir is directed by Ms. Cricket Russell, a longtime Dollywood performer. For more than 30 years, Russell has volunteered her lunch hour to sing at the chapel. She is accompanied by a park pianist, making each service feel both spontaneous and sacred.
For park-goers, whether you’re a regular attendee or a first-timer, the Robert F. Thomas Chapel offers something rare in the theme park world: a moment to pause and connect with something even bigger than the next roller coaster. As for whether Dolly herself has ever attended one of Chaplain Joey’s Sunday services? He says with a laugh and a wink, “Dolly has been in that church building.”
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