Parton has often spoken about how her Christian faith has shaped her life and music, telling People magazine in 2019 that "I've always felt like my music was more my ministry than a job."
My trip to Tennessee was my first visit to the "Bible Belt," where religion plays an outsize role in the region's culture and politics. I knew that Dollywood paid tribute to her Christian upbringing with attractions like gospel music performances, but I was surprised to find souvenirs such as cross necklaces, Jesus iconography, and shirts with Christian nationalist messages for sale.
"We're very much a park that represents the area of the country we're in," Dollywood public relations manager Ellen Liston told me when I asked about the role of religion in the park. "We love that we are literally sitting in the Great Smoky Mountains, and so much of the nature of that and how the people here grew up was very strong faith that God was going to see them through any hard times that may befall them. Dolly grew up here, she's a very spiritual person. You're brought up to believe you treat people the right way. You treat everybody like your neighbor, 'Love thy neighbor as thyself.' Treat people with respect and help them out when they need it. That's the faith-based part that I think you see a lot of here at Dollywood. It's part of our heritage, it's part of who we are. Everybody is welcome."