Smoky Mountain Sevierville Dolly Tour: Cabin Experience

Follow Dolly's story through the mountain hollers where it began

This six to eight hour guided tour from Pigeon Forge traces Dolly Parton's early life through Sevier County's backroads, visiting the cabin on Locust Ridge near her birthplace, the schools and church where she first performed, and landmarks that shaped her songwriting. The tour includes a live English-speaking guide, air-conditioned transport, a smartphone photo workshop with a free flash drive, and stops at local favorites like Preacher's Bar-B-Que, Emerts Cove Covered Bridge, the Gatlinburg Arts and Crafts Community, and Red's Ice Cream Fountain in downtown Sevierville. Lunch and ice cream are optional add-ons at checkout.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Dolly Parton sites and local highlights

• Visit Dolly's childhood home and schools
• Enjoy scenic backroads and mountain views
• Have lunch at Preacher's Bar-B-Que
• Visit Emerts Cove Covered Bridge and Cemetery
• Explore Gatlinburg Arts and Crafts Community
• Watch broom making at Ogles Brooms
• Take photos of Smoky Mountains scenery
• Stop at Dolly Statue and downtown Sevierville
• Enjoy ice cream at Red’s Ice Cream Fountain

The experience

Six to eight hours takes you through the Smoky Mountains on backroads most visitors never see. The tour centers on Locust Ridge, where the cabin stands near where Dolly Parton was born. The only tour that reaches this site. From there you move through the hollers she grew up in, stopping at the schools she attended and the church where she first sang. These are the places that fed her music, not the polished attractions downtown.

Lunch happens at Preacher's Bar-B-Que, a local spot Jimmy Fallon praised on Late Night so much he kept talking about it all week. After eating, the route takes you to Emerts Cove Covered Bridge and its cemetery, a quiet spot for photographs and reflection on the region's history. Then comes the eight-mile loop through the Gatlinburg Arts and Crafts Community, established in 1937 and the largest independent organization of artisans in the United States. At Ogles Brooms, you watch David Ogle, the last of three generations, carve handles and make each broom by hand.

The tour wraps in downtown Sevierville with a walk past the Dolly Statue and the Courthouse, ending at Red's Ice Cream Fountain, one of Dolly's favorite high school hangouts. The vehicle is air-conditioned throughout. A smartphone photo workshop runs during the tour, and you get a free flash drive of your images. The guide speaks English and leads the whole group. Minimum age is 12.

What’s included

• Air-conditioned vehicle.
• live English-speaking guide.
• smartphone photo workshop with free flash drive of your images.
• stops at Locust Ridge cabin, Dolly's schools and church, Emerts Cove Covered Bridge and Cemetery, the Gatlinburg Arts and Crafts Community, Ogles Brooms, the Dolly Statue in downtown Sevierville, and Red's Ice Cream Fountain.
• WiFi on board.

Before you book

Days and timesNext departure: 29 Apr 2027

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (12 to 95 years) · Under 12: can't be booked

GroupUp to 8

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsNo refund if you cancel.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

ConfirmationConfirmation within 48 h

Prices and times updated 8 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Photo Fast Tours

Is this one for you?Choose this tour if you want to visit the actual cabin on Locust Ridge where Dolly grew up (the only tour that reaches this site) plus her childhood schools and church in the mountain hollers that shaped her songwriting.

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Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. No refund if you cancel.

What exactly is on Locust Ridge that makes this tour different from other Dolly tours?

The cabin near Dolly Parton's birthplace sits on Locust Ridge, and this is the only tour that visits it. You see her early childhood home and the mountain landscape that surrounded her growing up, not just the public sites in town.

Is lunch included in the tour price?

Lunch at Preacher's Bar-B-Que and ice cream at Red's Ice Cream Fountain are optional. You choose whether to add them when you book. The tour stops at both places, but eating there is your choice.

What is the Gatlinburg Arts and Crafts Community, and why is it on this tour?

The Arts and Crafts Community is an eight-mile loop road outside Gatlinburg with over 100 independent artisans selling handcrafted work. The tour includes a stop at Ogles Brooms, where David Ogle hand-carves broom handles and makes each broom individually. A craft that has run through three generations of his family.

Do I need to be in good physical shape for this tour?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels. A wheelchair or electric scooter platform is available for all tours, so mobility needs can be accommodated.