8 things at Dolly Parton's Dollywood theme park that you'd never see at Disney parks

Dollywood wouldn't be what it is without Dolly Parton, so the park features giant images of its star.

There weren't as many photos of Parton as I expected to see at Dollywood, but there were enough to remind me of who was behind the park's success.

Disney parks celebrate their founder with a "Partners" statue depicting Walt Disney holding hands with Mickey Mouse.

Dolly Parton's tour bus from the 1990s is parked in the Adventures in Imagination area of the park.

Parton's "Home on Wheels" was closed during my visit, but the pink and purple tour bus adds a special touch to the park as a celebration of her illustrious music career.

Nestled in the mountains of Tennessee, Dollywood has steep hills that I haven't experienced in Disney parks.

Dollywood embraces the natural landscape of its location near the Great Smoky Mountains, resulting in some steep inclines when walking around the park. Disneyland and Disney World are located in less mountainous parts of the US.

In another nod to its Tennessee mountain location, Dollywood offers guests the chance to make their own knives with the help of local blacksmiths.

Dollywood's Blacksmith and Foundry, located in Craftsman's Valley, hearkens back to a time when settlers relied on the trade for tools, horseshoes, and other everyday items.

The Frontierland section of Disney parks features railroad-themed rides and Southern saloons, but not a working blacksmith shop.

Dollywood has a chapel that holds non-denominational Christian worship services every Sunday, unlike the largely secular Disney parks.

Dollywood is rooted in Parton's upbringing in rural Tennessee, including her Christian faith. Disney parks celebrate Christian holidays with cultural events like Christmas parades and Easter egg hunts, but don't hold religious services.

"We're very much a park that represents the area of the country we're in," Dollywood public relations manager Ellen Liston told me when I asked about the role of religion in the park. "We love that we are literally sitting in the Great Smoky Mountains, and so much of the nature of that and how the people here grew up was very strong faith that God was going to see them through any hard times that may befall them. Dolly grew up here, she's a very spiritual person. You're brought up to believe you treat people the right way. You treat everybody like your neighbor, 'Love thy neighbor as thyself.' Treat people with respect and help them out when they need it. That's the faith-based part that I think you see a lot of here at Dollywood. It's part of our heritage, it's part of who we are. Everybody is welcome."

Many of the musical performances at Dollywood feature gospel music and religious imagery, as well.

Parton's musical catalogue contains gospel albums like "Precious Memories," and Southern gospel quartet The Kingdom Heirs has performed at Dollywood for 37 years. 

Stage shows at Disney parks consist mostly of songs from Disney movies and Broadway shows.

It's safe to say that these t-shirts with Christian messages I saw at Dollywood would not be sold at Disney parks.

My trip to Tennessee was my first visit to the "Bible Belt," where religion plays an outsize role in the region's culture and politics.

Whereas Disney parks steer clear of religious or political messaging (aside from, perhaps, the Hall of Presidents), souvenirs such as cross necklaces, Jesus iconography, and shirts with Christian messages were sold at gift shops throughout Dollywood.

The Dollywood Express steam trains are unique relics of World War II.

Disney also has steam trains, which were used to transport sugarcane in Mexico in the 1960s, but Dollywood's coal-powered locomotives played an important part in US history.

Two trains function as The Dollywood Express today. Cinderella was built in 1938, followed by Klondike Katie in 1943. Both transported troops and lumber across Alaska during World War II before they were retired to Tennessee in 1960.