Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel and Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum have officially opened in downtown Nashville, bringing together 240 hotel rooms, live music venues and the most comprehensive exhibition yet devoted to Parton’s life and career.
The late Dolly Parton’s new Nashville destination, with SongTeller Hotel and Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum now welcoming visitors in downtown Music City. The opening was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony involving children who have grown up with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, connecting the new attraction to one of Parton’s longest-running commitments to children, literacy and storytelling.
The project brings several sides of Parton’s career together under one roof. The 240-room SongTeller Hotel incorporates accommodation, dining and live entertainment, while the 20,000-square-foot museum traces Parton’s journey from her childhood in the Great Smoky Mountains through country music, film, television and international fame.
For Dolly fans, the development also represents another permanent connection to Nashville, the city where her professional career took shape.
The hotel was developed in partnership with Herschend, the family-held attractions company with which Dolly Parton had a four-decade relationship through Dollywood. The new property continues that partnership in Nashville, with Parton involved throughout the development of both the hotel and museum.
That involvement went beyond lending her name to the project. According to the opening announcement, before she passed Dolly Parton reviewed details, contributed stories and memories and made creative decisions during the development, working with her team and the project’s creative partners.
Shannon Foster, General Manager of Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel, said the intention was to create an environment reflecting how Dolly Parton has connected with audiences throughout her career.
“Dolly’s greatest legacy may be the way she has made people feel, seen, welcomed, inspired and connected,” Foster said. “That is the spirit we hope guests feel the moment they walk into SongTeller.”
The hotel features SongTeller Café and two entertainment venues. Parton’s Live is built around live performances celebrating Dolly Parton’s music and performance history, while Jolene’s occupies the top floor and takes its name from one of Dolly’s most recognised songs.
The museum takes a different approach, placing Dolly Parton herself at the centre of the narrative.
The experience begins on January 19, 1946, the day Dolly was born, before moving through her childhood, early performances and emergence in country music. It follows her rise through the Grand Ole Opry and into a career encompassing music, movies, television, fashion and philanthropy.
Rather than treating those subjects as separate chapters, the museum connects the people and experiences that influenced Parton along the way, including her family, faith and upbringing in East Tennessee.
Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum was created by Dolly Parton Productions, with its design and curation led by her sister Rachel Parton George and niece Rebecca Seaver. The museum includes personal artefacts, multimedia installations and stories presented from Parton’s perspective.
Seaver, the museum’s Executive Director, described the opening as the culmination of years of work involving Dolly’s family and creative team.
“I hope everyone who visits leaves is inspired to dream, just as Dolly did,” Seaver said.
AOA worked with Dolly Parton and her team on the museum while also serving as project manager for the hotel. The studio worked directly with Dolly Parton, Rachel Parton George, Seaver and Steve Summers, Parton’s Creative Director, to translate memories and personal stories into the museum’s environments.
The result gives Nashville another permanent destination connected to Dolly Parton at a time as the world continues to mourn her passing.
The museum occupies the third floor of the hotel at 126 3rd Avenue North and has its own entrance. It also includes two retail spaces devoted to Parton merchandise and collections.
The SongTeller Hotel itself is located at 211 Commerce Street, placing the attraction in the centre of Nashville’s tourism and entertainment district.
For visitors, the significance of the opening is therefore broader than a new hotel or another music museum. SongTeller combines Dolly Parton’s catalogue, personal history, hospitality and philanthropy into one Nashville destination, while the opening ceremony’s inclusion of Imagination Library children provided a reminder of the part of Dolly’s legacy that exists beyond the stage.
Tickets for Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum are now available, while bookings for SongTeller Hotel and tickets for events at Parton’s Live and Jolene’s are also open.
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