Season 8 of
The Bachelorette made its way to the Smoky Mountains where Bachelorette Emily Maynard took one of the remaining 16 men, Arie, somewhere she grew up visiting: Dollywood. Since Emily is from Charlotte, NC, and most of the filming is taking place in Charlotte, they were only a short flight away from the theme park and Pigeon Forge, TN. While on their visit the two played carnival games and won prizes for Emily's daughter, Ricki. They also rode some of the rides including the new Wild Eagle roller coaster. Then they visited the old theater on the premises where Dolly walked out and surprised the couple on stage! Emily, like most other southern girls worships Dolly Parton and was blown away by her surprise! "Surprised? At Dollywood?" Dolly asked Emily. Dolly asked Emily to sit down for "girl chat" and shared wisdom about her 45-year marriage.
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We're so glad that Emily loves Dollywood and got to share her love for
Dolly and her theme park on last night's episode of
The Bachelorette! Be sure to come back to
Pigeon Forge, Emily. You're always welcome!