Dollywood named among America’s best private companies by TIME

Pigeon Forge attraction ranks No. 49 overall and is the only theme park included on the magazine’s inaugural list.

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (SMOKIES.LIVE) — Dollywood Parks & Resorts has earned another national honor after being named one of TIME’s inaugural America’s Best Private Companies for 2026.

The Pigeon Forge-based company ranked No. 49 overall on the list of the nation’s top 500 privately held companies and was the only theme park included in the rankings.

TIME said the inaugural list recognizes companies that excel in employee satisfaction and overall societal impact. Rankings were based on employee surveys measuring workplace culture, compensation, working conditions, equality and overall job satisfaction, along with an independent evaluation of each company’s impact on society, health, knowledge and the environment.

Within the Hospitality, Travel and Leisure category, Dollywood ranked fourth among a field that included restaurant and hospitality brands such as Chick-fil-A, P.F. Chang’s, Drury Hotels and In-N-Out Burger.

“Being included among these esteemed companies on TIME’s inaugural Best Private Companies list is a truly humbling yet proud moment for us,” Dollywood Parks & Resorts President Eugene Naughton said in a statement.

“Every day, our aim is to make our guests feel like family. We deeply value their feedback and ideas, and we use those insights to guide our decisions. I believe that dedication is a big part of why we were honored with inclusion on this prestigious list.”

The recognition is the latest in a string of national honors for Dollywood. In recent months, the company was named to Newsweek’s lists of America’s Greatest Workplaces and Tennessee’s Greatest Workplaces. Earlier this year, it also earned recognition as one of the publication’s Best Workplaces for Women and Best Workplaces for Entry-Level Employees.

The park also continues to receive accolades from the tourism industry. The National Amusement Park Historical Association named Dollywood the nation’s top theme park earlier this year, while Tripadvisor has recognized the park as the No. 1 theme park in the United States three times since 2022.

According to TIME, nearly 250,000 employee surveys from companies across the United States were used in compiling the rankings, while company impact scores were calculated using data from The Upright Project, an independent organization that measures the societal and environmental impact of businesses.

The latest recognition adds to Dollywood’s growing reputation as one of the country’s most acclaimed employers and tourism destinations, further strengthening its role as one of East Tennessee’s largest attractions and employers.