A potato tornado? After getting my first taste of Dollywood, here are 5 foods you must try

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• Now open for its 40th season, Dollywood offers visitors a fun experience – and a delicious one, too.
• The theme park has food choices aplenty, but if you’re looking for someplace to start, here are five tasty recommendations.

As I picked up a white and blue mug plastered with butterflies, an exclusive design for Dollywood’s 40th anniversary, two women approached me as they noticed the red media pass hanging around my neck.

They, like me, were at the park for opening day and had questions about what I got to see behind the scenes. “Was Dolly there?” they asked.

I said yes and showed them the four-second video clip I took of the Queen of Country, less than two weeks after the death of her husband, Carl Dean. I told them she would be at the 4:15 p.m. parade.

“Oh honey, she is the parade,” they rebutted.

My first taste of Dollywood on March 14 was filled with sweet moments, from the conversations sparked between strangers sharing in their passion for Parton to the literal sweetness of cinnamon bread, funnel cakes − even barbecue sauce.

But I am walking away with appreciation – yes for the park’s famous cinnamon bread, but also a newfound reverence for Parton and her love for the people of East Tennessee.

The park was packed. And why wouldn’t it be? Dolly was there, and it consistently wins national theme park awards across various categories. But if that’s not enough to convince you to visit, here are some of my favorite foods from my first day at delicious Dollywood.

Oh yes, Dollywood’s famous cinnamon bread

When Parton began the day onstage at the Celebrity Theater, she took questions from the crowd. One person asked if she orders cinnamon bread with icing or apple butter.

Parton’s answer? Yes.

I have to agree. If there’s one food Dollywood is known for, it’s their cinnamon bread − a fluffy loaf baked and coated with mounds of cinnamon sugar. It’s light and fluffy, yet sweet and decadent. You can pick between a side of vanilla icing or apple butter, or both, just like Dolly.

Get in line early if you don’t want to wait an hour for this sweet treat. My only clear path to the checkout counter opened up as Dollywood visitors began lining Show Street for the parade.

Grilled corn on the cob with spicy mayonnaise

Dollywood was even more packed than a normal opening day, according to park employees. I could feel it in my feet as 30-minute lines became more than an hour long. People in line started to give up, and a lady behind me quietly sang under her breath: “Jolene, Jolene.”

I got a second wind. If Parton can make her way to Pigeon Forge to please her fans, I can wait another 10 minutes for spicy corn on the cob.

The workers in the kitchen peeled off the husk as I waited in line for corn, which I paired with a barbecue beef sandwich layered with sweet barbecue sauce, cold coleslaw and crispy onions.

The corn was drenched with a spicy mayonnaise that made the excruciatingly long wait in the sun well worth my time.

No, seriously: the potato tornado twisted dog

When I saw the red mobile pick up order sign, everything changed. I quickly downloaded the app and began ordering my next items from line.

That’s the way to do it. I finished my corn, took a few bites of the sandwich and suddenly, my potato tornado twisted dog was ready for pickup. I made my way through the park, weaving between families in the crowd, and walked to the red sign. There it was, a potato tornado twisted dog.

It’s a corn dog with a potato chip swirling around it and dusted in garlic parmesan cheese. It was delightful, especially considering I didn’t have to wait.

Funnel cake is Dolly-approved. Powdered sugar or Oreos?

Ah, yes. A theme park staple that tastes even better after hours of riding coasters − one last dessert for the day. I loved it. The family of four standing in front of me in the funnel cake line came all the way from Florida to see Dolly, and they loved it. Everyone loves it.

But, perhaps, most importantly, Dolly loves it. Apparently, it’s Parton’s favorite, and I can see why − a perfect ending to a perfect Dollywood day.

Joanna Hayes is the restaurant and retail reporter. Email: [email protected]. | Sign up for the free Eat65 newsletter

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