Dollywood launches educational Glow Life program for students

Dollywood, located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is launching a new educational initiative called ‘Glow Life’ for the 2026–27 school year. In partnership with Smokies Life and Discover Life in America, the program is a classroom contest designed to teach fifth-grade students about bioluminescence and biofluorescence within Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Targeting classrooms in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, the project aims to explore the science of organisms that produce or transform light, such as mushrooms and salamanders. Five winning classrooms will be awarded a trip to Dollywood in spring 2027 to experience the park’s new attraction, NightFlight Expedition.

Dollywood remains a central economic driver for Pigeon Forge, maintaining a symbiotic relationship with the city by attracting millions of annual visitors and supporting local infrastructure and employment.