How Disney’s Southern Competitor Is Issuing Safety Warnings That Every Theme Park Guest Should Hear

Asking visitors to consider bears at a theme park seems almost archaic. not those that are animatronic. Not the kind of amiable cartoon. Real black bears, the kind that occasionally bite hikers on peaceful trails and dig through trash cans. However, Dollywood, the Tennessee theme park that has been subtly establishing itself as Disney’s most reliable southern competitor for years, is now doing precisely that.

The announcement was made earlier this month in the kind of courteous, pragmatic manner that one might anticipate from a park bearing Dolly Parton’s name. Dollywood is working with BearWise Tennessee, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and the city of Pigeon Forge to teach tourists how to coexist with the local wildlife in the Smoky Mountains. There will be signs posted all over the property. Visitors will be reminded to keep their distance, clear their cars, and secure their food. It sounds insignificant. It isn’t.

The idea of a theme park discussing bears seems almost out of place to anyone who has driven through Pigeon Forge in the summer, past the pancake houses, the dinner theaters, and the countless billboards promoting helicopter rides. However, the mountains quickly close in if you travel a few miles in any direction. First to arrive were the bears. As this develops, it seems as though Dollywood is realizing something that its bigger rivals typically don’t have to: nature doesn’t end in the parking lot.

The timing is important. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has seen an increase in black bear incidents in recent months, which officials describe cautiously but clearly with concern. Bears pilfering supplies. Bears are coming toward hikers. A visitor was bitten while hiking the Abrams Falls Trail, which is so well-liked that the majority of frequent visitors have done so at least once. The frequency feels different, but none of this is particularly novel. For years, wildlife experts have argued that the true threat is habituation, or bears learning that humans mean food, and that this is nearly always our fault.

The way Dollywood is presenting it is intriguing. In the announcement, the park’s safety manager, Jerry King, made a statement that really resonated with me: becoming BearWise is about understanding bear behavior, not just following the rules. Although it’s a small distinction, it’s important. You are told what to do by rules. Knowing explains why. Seldom do theme parks fall into the second category. The first is preferred by them.

Perhaps this is the best thing Dollywood could do at the moment. Disney has its own warnings, which are typically related to the property itself and include things like photography, restricted areas, and ride safety. In contrast, Dollywood is expanding the frame. Pretending otherwise has repercussions because the park is part of an ecosystem.

The scope of reach here is also worth mentioning. Every year, millions of people travel through Pigeon Forge. It’s a significant change if even a small percentage of those visitors depart with a different perspective on what they should leave in their car or how close they should approach a straggling bear. BearWise has been working on this project for a very long time. It hasn’t had a stage this size before.

It remains to be seen if the campaign truly modifies behavior. When on vacation, people often turn off their minds. They provide food for wildlife. They approach too closely for a picture. The signs will be helpful, but they have never solved a problem on their own.

Even so, it’s difficult to ignore Dollywood’s subtle assurance. The park is treating its visitors as adults. It’s not as common as it seems in this industry.