For more than three decades, visitors to Dollywood in Tennessee had the opportunity to see one of America’s most recognizable birds up close while learning about wildlife conservation. Now, that chapter has come to an end.
Dollywood and the American Eagle Foundation announced on August 21, 2026, that the bald eagles previously housed at the park’s Eagle Mountain Sanctuary will not return. Instead, the birds will make their permanent home at the American Eagle Foundation’s 50-acre educational and conservation campus in Kodak, Tennessee.
The decision marks the end of a 35-year era at Dollywood, but officials say the partnership between the theme park and the American Eagle Foundation is continuing in a new form.
A 35-Year Partnership Comes to an End
Eagle Mountain Sanctuary first opened at Dollywood in 1991, beginning a long-running partnership between Dollywood and the American Eagle Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation and protection of bald eagles and other birds of prey.
According to Dollywood, the sanctuary became a major part of the park’s educational mission. It gave generations of visitors the chance to learn about bald eagles, their behavior, their injuries, and the importance of protecting wildlife.
Dollywood says the sanctuary was a 1.5-million-cubic-foot natural outdoor aviary when it opened. The American Eagle Foundation describes it as one of the largest presentations of non-releasable bald eagles in the United States.
The partnership also included the nearby Wings of America theater and Birds of Prey educational presentations, allowing visitors to see eagles, hawks, falcons, owls and other raptors.
Over the years, the sanctuary became much more than another attraction at the theme park. For many guests, seeing a bald eagle there was part of the Dollywood experience.
Why Are the Eagles Leaving Dollywood?
The permanent move follows a severe storm that damaged Eagle Mountain Sanctuary earlier this year.
On April 19, 2026, an overnight storm caused a large tree near the aviary to fall, damaging the structure and compromising the enclosure. The incident forced officials to take immediate action to protect the birds.
At least 26 bald eagles were safely relocated to American Eagle Foundation facilities in Kodak. However, three eagles escaped after the aviary was compromised.
Those birds were identified as Wesley, Caesar and Rockland. Search teams worked to locate them, and officials said the birds had previous injuries that limited their ability to fly long distances.
The storm initially appeared to be a temporary setback, with the possibility that the sanctuary could eventually reopen.
Instead, several months later, Dollywood and the American Eagle Foundation announced that the eagles would remain permanently at the Kodak campus.
The Eagles Already Have a New Home
The birds are not simply being moved to another temporary facility.
The American Eagle Foundation’s 50-acre campus in Kodak, Tennessee, will now serve as the permanent home for the non-releasable bald eagles that were previously housed at Dollywood.
The foundation said the move gives it an opportunity to bring more of its eagle care, conservation and educational work together in one location.
The Kodak campus has already been caring for the Dollywood eagles since the storm damaged the sanctuary, making the transition to a permanent arrangement more straightforward.
Most importantly, the eagles involved are birds that cannot safely survive in the wild because of permanent physical injuries or disabilities.
The American Eagle Foundation explains that the birds housed at Eagle Mountain Sanctuary were permanently disabled and therefore unable to live independently in the wild. Staff provided them with food, fresh water and regular health monitoring.
So while visitors will no longer see these particular eagles at Dollywood, the move is intended to provide them with continued long-term care.
What Happened to the Three Eagles That Escaped?
The April storm also created an especially worrying situation when three bald eagles escaped from the damaged sanctuary.
Wesley, Caesar and Rockland were reported missing after the storm. The American Eagle Foundation launched efforts to locate the birds and said there were multiple verified sightings in the area.
The birds had significant previous injuries, meaning they were not strong fliers and were believed to be staying relatively close to the area.
At least one of the three, Caesar, was eventually recovered, according to subsequent reporting. The other birds became the subject of an extended search effort.
The incident highlighted just how vulnerable rescued wildlife can be when an enclosure is damaged by severe weather.
These Eagles Were Never Going Back Into the Wild
One important detail sometimes lost in headlines about the closure is that Eagle Mountain Sanctuary was not simply a place where healthy wild eagles were kept for visitors to see.
The sanctuary primarily housed non-releasable bald eagles.
These birds had injuries or disabilities that prevented them from surviving independently in nature. Some had damaged wings, missing portions of limbs or other permanent conditions.
The purpose of the sanctuary was therefore both educational and protective: the birds could live in a safe environment while visitors learned about the species and the challenges faced by injured wildlife.
The American Eagle Foundation says its work extends beyond caring for permanently disabled birds. The organization has also been involved in rehabilitation and conservation efforts involving bald eagles and other birds of prey.
The End of Eagle Mountain Sanctuary Does Not Mean the End of Eagles at Dollywood
Although the sanctuary is no longer returning, Dollywood is not ending its relationship with the American Eagle Foundation.
This is an important distinction.
Visitors will continue to encounter bald eagles and other birds of prey at Dollywood through the foundation’s Birds of Prey educational program at the Wings of America Theater.
The program provides guests with an opportunity to see raptors while learning about their behavior, conservation and role in the natural world.
In other words, the physical Eagle Mountain Sanctuary is ending, but wildlife education remains part of the Dollywood experience.
Dollywood President Eugene Naughton said the park is proud of what its 35-year partnership with the American Eagle Foundation accomplished and that the organizations intend to continue working together.
A Legacy That Goes Back to 1991
The history of Eagle Mountain Sanctuary is closely connected to the history of Dollywood itself.
In April 1991, Dolly Parton, American Eagle Foundation founder Al Cecere and entertainer Bob Hope participated in the sanctuary’s grand opening ceremony. A bald eagle was released into the habitat as part of the opening celebration.
For 35 years, the sanctuary introduced millions of visitors to America’s national bird.
The American Eagle Foundation says its conservation work has also helped result in the release of more than 400 bald eagles into the wild over the years.
That makes the closure more complicated than simply the disappearance of a theme-park attraction. Eagle Mountain Sanctuary represented decades of wildlife education and conservation work.
What Visitors Can Expect Now
People visiting Dollywood should not expect to see the former Eagle Mountain Sanctuary operating as it did before the April storm.
The bald eagles previously housed there have been given a permanent home at the American Eagle Foundation’s Kodak campus.
However, visitors can still experience the foundation’s Birds of Prey program at Dollywood.
The continuing program means guests can still learn about bald eagles and other raptors, even though the permanent eagle collection has moved away from the park.
For longtime Dollywood visitors, however, the change will undoubtedly feel significant.
For 35 years, Eagle Mountain Sanctuary was a familiar part of the park’s landscape and gave guests a rare opportunity to see bald eagles that could not otherwise survive in the wild.
A Sad Ending, But Also a New Beginning
The permanent closure of Eagle Mountain Sanctuary is understandably emotional for people who remember visiting it over the years.
But the American Eagle Foundation and Dollywood have emphasized that the story is not simply about an attraction disappearing.
The birds are being cared for at a dedicated conservation campus, where the foundation can bring together its eagle care, rehabilitation, education and conservation efforts.
Meanwhile, Dollywood will continue its relationship with the foundation and its educational work involving birds of prey.
The result is the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
After 35 years, the eagles of Eagle Mountain Sanctuary are no longer part of the daily Dollywood landscape. But their role in educating generations of visitors about America’s national bird—and the importance of protecting wildlife—will remain part of the legacy they leave behind.
For fans who remember walking past the sanctuary, watching the eagles soar or simply stopping to admire these remarkable birds, the change may be bittersweet.
The sanctuary may be gone, but the mission behind it continues.
And for the eagles themselves, the most important part of the story is that they have a permanent place where they can continue to receive the care they need.