Dolly Parton's counting down to the kickoff of this year's Flower & Food Festival at Dollywood on Friday, April 18.

“If there’s one thing I know about the Smokies, it’s that God does some of his best handiwork this time of year,” she observes. “It’s like the mountains come back to life in the spring with all of His beautiful creations blooming around us."

"Our hosts here at Dollywood put so much effort into making the park as beautiful as the natural beauty you see throughout the hills around us," she adds.

Dollywood boasts more than 1 million blooms during the festival, which also features floral sculptures designed with Montreal-based Mosaicultures International.

There's also a tasting pass you can buy to sample the new food offerings, which include a Salad of Many Colors, loaded street fries, Smoky Mountain grilled corn, a blueberry pie milkshake and a wild berry cream cheese funnel cake.

The park will also roll out two new shows during the festival: Imagination Playhouse, based on books from Dolly's Imagination Library, and Play On, a 40th anniversary retrospective of popular songs and shows throughout the park's history.

This is the sixth year of Dollywood's Flower & Food Festival, which runs through June 8.

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