There are times when the average theme park can become too much, especially around the holidays. There are too many people and too much movement, and sometimes you want that theme park atmosphere with fewer people and a slower pace. Credit: Video Screenshot, YouTube, Ear To Ear MagicThis is where Dolly Parton’s Dollywood comes in. Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas offers all the charm of a theme park Christmas minus the insanity that comes with heading to a traditional theme park. Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas transforms the park into a winter wonderland, complete with millions of lights, festive shows, holiday-themed food, and crafts, all set to the sounds of Southern gospel and bluegrass music. Guests enjoy spectacular light displays in different themed lands, live performances like “Appalachia Christmas” fireworks, and holiday treats, plus regular rides and shopping. It’s a nostalgic, family-focused event blending traditional Christmas spirit with unique Appalachian charm.Credit: DollywoodBut hidden in Dollywood is another special treat for those who are looking. It’s a quiet oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of a theme park, offering a moment of peace during the holiday season and throughout the year. The Robert F. Thomas Chapel opened in 1973, 13 years before Dollywood opened. The chapel is named after Robert Thomas, a traveling doctor and preacher, who was an essential part of the community in Eastern Tennessee. He also happened to be the doctor who delivered Dolly Parton. Credit: DollywoodEvery Sunday throughout the year, chaplain Joey Buck delivers an interfaith service to any guests who walk into the chapel at 11:30. The service expands during Dollywood’s Great Smoky Mountain Christmas to every afternoon at 4 p.m. There is no Christmas service held at Dollywood, as the park is closed on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.Chaplain Buck welcomes all to the 30-minute service, which includes prayer, scripture, and hymns. He has been leading services at Dollywood for the past 16 years. Credit: Dollywood“Every Sunday since the park has been open, we’ve had a church service in the chapel in the theme park,” Chaplain Buck told Southern Living. “My goal is that our guests who attend do not know my theological training. We invite those who are actually attending the service to be a part of and create the choir, so every week, a new choir comes together, and they have no idea what songs they’re singing until they get there.”The choir is led by Ms. Cricket Russell, who, for the past 30 years, has given up her lunch break to sing for guests in the chapel. When asked if Dolly Parton has ever attended services at the chapel, Buck said with a wink and a smile that “Dolly Parton has been in that church building.”Credit: Kristopher Harris, FlickrThe next time you’re at Dollywood, stop by the chapel for a moment of quiet and reflection, and you may just get the chance to see Dolly Parton. Even if you don’t see her, you’ll get to experience something that no other theme park offers its guests. Have you ever been to the chapel at Dollywood? Let us know in the comments. The post This Holiday Season, Dollywood Offers Guests an Opportunity That Cannot Be Found at Any Other Major Theme Park in America appeared first on Inside the Magic.