Dolly Parton’s Go-To Dollywood Snack Is Funnel Cake

Dolly Parton had one non-negotiable order at Dollywood, and it was funnel cake. The country legend co-founded the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, theme park, and in a 2025 interview she said she could not walk its grounds without grabbing one.

“The funnel cakes we’re famous for, so I never go there … even if I’m in my bus or if I’m in my suite, The Dolly Suite, I say, ‘Run and get me some funnel cakes. I can’t leave here without funnel cakes,'” she said.

Parton was 78 at the time, talking to Southern Living for the magazine’s January/February cover and Dollywood’s 40th anniversary. She loved the whole menu, not just the fried stuff. “I have to say, we have some of the best foods ever at Dollywood,” she said.

She died on August 25, 2026, at age 80, her estate announced. Dollywood opened in 1986 and now has more than 50 rides and attractions across 165 acres in the Great Smoky Mountains, according to the park. Through all of it, the snack she kept asking for by name stayed the same.

Where Dolly Got Her Funnel Cakes

Two stands inside the park fry them fresh all day. Crossroads Funnel Cakes sits in Rivertown Junction, and Splinter’s Trailside Snacks serves them over in Wilderness Pass. The deal is the same at both: hot dough, plain or buried under powdered sugar, handed over the second it comes out of the oil.

The park also shapes some of them like a butterfly, which happens to be the Dollywood logo. Parton never said exactly how she took hers, but the menu gives you plenty of ways to go. There is cinnamon sugar, vanilla glaze, caramel, hot fudge, and Reese’s peanut butter, along with set combinations like salted caramel, an ice cream parfait, and s’mores. Seasonal versions rotate through the calendar too, including lavender honey in spring and pumpkin spice in fall.

Why Funnel Cake Beat Everything Else At The Park

This is the part worth sitting with, because Dollywood’s cinnamon bread gets more hype, and Parton has called a plain baked potato her all-time favorite food. Even so, the funnel cake is what she wanted delivered to her bus. It has been a fair and carnival favorite since the mid-20th century, and the appeal has barely changed: fried dough that turns crisp on the outside while staying soft in the middle.

People who have eaten the Dollywood version describe it the way you would hope, crisp on the outside like fried chicken and pillowy inside like a yeast donut. The batter itself is not very sweet, and that is the whole trick. A cake that leans plain can carry a heavy dusting of powdered sugar, a river of caramel, or a scoop of melting ice cream without collapsing into one flat note of sugar.

How To Make Funnel Cake At Home

You do not need a trip to Tennessee for this. Funnel cake is one of the easiest fried desserts going, and the batter uses pantry staples you probably already have. Flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, eggs, milk, and vanilla, that’s the entire list. Whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl, whisk the wet ones in another, then beat them together until the batter pours like a thin pancake mix. Let it sit for about 10 minutes while your oil heats.

The oil matters more than anything else you do. Heat about an inch of vegetable or canola oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit in a deep skillet or heavy pot, and clip a thermometer to the side so you can actually watch it. Pour the batter into a squeeze bottle or a piping bag instead of fighting with a real funnel, which gives you far more control over the stream.

Drizzle the batter over the hot oil in loose spirals and crisscrosses, using roughly half a cup to three-quarters of a cup per cake. Fry about a minute or two per side until deep golden, then flip it once with tongs or a spider. Lift it out, drain it on paper towels or a rack, and dust it with powdered sugar while it is still steaming. Eat it fast. Funnel cake waits for no one.

The Best Toppings To Pile On

Powdered sugar is the classic, and it is genuinely hard to beat. Cinnamon sugar is the next move, and it takes about two seconds to stir together in a small bowl. If you want the full Dollywood treatment, reach for hot fudge, caramel, or a scoop of ice cream set right on the hot cake so it starts to melt into the cracks.

Home cooks who chase the park’s flavors like cream cheese icing, crushed Oreo pieces, strawberry or apple pie filling, and a drift of whipped cream. There is no wrong answer here, so set out a few bowls and let everyone build their own. That is the whole spirit of the thing.

Mistakes That Turn Funnel Cake Greasy

Cold oil is the number one problem. If the temperature drops below 375, the batter soaks up oil instead of frying, and you pull out a heavy, greasy cake. Let the oil climb back to temperature between batches, and never crowd the pan. Two cakes fighting for the same space cool the oil down and stick together.

Batter that is too thick will not drizzle into those lacy strands, so thin it with a splash of milk if it clumps in the bottle. Batter that runs too thin fries up flat and lacy with no chew. Aim for something that streams steadily, about the weight of a thin pancake batter. If you want the shape Dollywood is known for, guide the squeeze bottle in a rough butterfly outline before you fill it in and make one at home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What was Dolly Parton’s favorite snack at Dollywood?
A: Funnel cake. She told Southern Living she could not leave the park without one, even asking staff to bring some to her bus or her suite.

Q: Where can you buy funnel cake at Dollywood?
A: Two spots serve them fresh, Crossroads Funnel Cakes in Rivertown Junction and Splinter’s Trailside Snacks in Wilderness Pass, sometimes shaped like the park’s butterfly logo.

Q: What oil temperature should I use for funnel cake?
A: 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Below that, the batter turns greasy instead of crisp, so use a thermometer and let the oil recover between cakes.

Q: Can I make funnel cake without a funnel?
A: Yes, and it’s actually easier. A squeeze bottle or a piping bag with the tip snipped off gives you much better control over the batter.