Dollywood Brings Appalachian Cuisine To The Masses

On this West Virginia Morning, Dolly Parton crafted her mountain dream theme park around the idea that visitors could see and taste a little bit of what her childhood was like in rural Appalachia.

But does Dollywood give travelers an authentic mountain experience?

This morning we travel to Dollywood, in eastern Tennessee to taste some of the foods that are served there. The food is based, at least in part, on the childhood story of country music legend, Dolly Parton. But does Dollywood give travelers an authentic Appalachian experience? Reporter Betsy Shepherd went to find out for a story she originally produced for the podcast “Gravy”.

You can hear the rest of Betsy Shepherd’s story about Dollywood on a recent episode of Inside Appalachia, called “Finding Meaning And Authenticity In Hot Rods, Dollywood and Everywhere Inside Appalachia.”

And Mountain Stage returns to new broadcasts this week with our 36th anniversary show recorded this past December. Our Song of the Week comes from Kentucky’s renowned country artist Tyler Childers. Here’s his song “Nose on the Grindstone.”

Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University. Our Appalachia Health News project is made possible with support from CAMC and Marshall Health.