Unique Gift Alert: A Silhouette From Dollywood!

Are you ever looking for just the right gift for a spouse, a parent or an in-law that isn’t just the “usual”? My daughter, who grew up going to Dollywood, was here for a visit from California this summer and pointed out a unique offering at the park.

She had noticed the silhouette cutter and wanted to get a cutting done of her 8-month-old daughter. A silhouette is defined as “the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single color, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the hole is typically presented on a light background, usually white, or none at all.”

The silhouette cutter’s booth at Dollywood is located almost directly in front of the Wings of America Theater in Craftsman’s Valley. Working alongside him is a caricature artist, who also does wonderful work and would be another good whimsical gift idea. Pastel portraits are also advertised as being available here.

The artist had a children’s board book for my granddaughter to look at to keep her occupied while he cut out her profile. She sat in my daughter’s lap while the cutter went to work. It took him less than 10 minutes to produce an adorable likeness. My daughter delightedly said, “It really does look like her!”

He then spent another 10 minutes (while we walked down to see the bald eagles in Eagle Mountain Sanctuary) pasting the black silhouette onto a piece of white paper and putting it into an oval frame, which they have for sale on-site for $13. If you don’t want the frame, the pair of silhouettes is $15.99 (they cut two silhouettes at a time with the profiles facing opposite ways). We purchased two of the framed pictures (one for me, of course!), and with my gold season pass discount, they were only $35*. That works out to only $17.50 per picture – not a bad price for a special, one-of-a-kind gift!

Next time you are in the park, stop by and check out the artistry of this silhouette cutter and you might just decide it is the perfect gift for someone… or even yourself!

Insider Tip

If you’re concerned about your child sitting still or they won’t be visiting Dollywood soon, the artists can work from a photo. BUT, it will need to be a perfect profile. Here’s what they recommend: take the picture for the purpose of the silhouette. Have the person look ahead sitting as straight as possible. Take the picture of their right side (so they are looking to the right of the photo). Position yourself at the eye level of the person—you might have to get low, especially if it’s a baby. This gives the artist the best opportunity to make it as accurate of a profile as possible!

*Pricing current for the 2019 season.