When Dolly Parton cut the ribbon at Dolly’s Tennessean on June 24, it signaled the start of a new chapter for the 25,000-square-foot travel stop.
The Tennessean has been a destination along Interstate 65 for decades, but a partnership with the country music legend has reimagined the look and feel of the location.
“I had always believed The Tennessean had the potential to become something bigger, and Dolly was the person I hoped to partner with to make that happen,” said Gregory H. Sachs, managing partner of Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stop, in an email. “She's spent much of her life on the road and understands travelers better than most.”
When Sachs connected with Parton, “it was one of those moments where everything just lined up,” he said, and the idea of Dolly’s Tennessean started taking form.
Sachs noted that the goal of the revamp was to “create a travel stop that feels unmistakably Dolly while staying true to what makes a great stop for travelers.”
That meant having plenty of proprietary food brands on site for customers in need of a bite, amenities for professional drivers taking a break and some Dolly-inspired touches to give the place a unique flair.
“Dolly loves a little sparkle, so we leaned into that with guitars, bedazzled touches, and design elements inspired by her life on the road,” Sachs said.
That included everything from Dolly-themed murals and photos of the singer to musical instruments decorating many of the rooms. A massive gift shop full of Dolly-themed merchandise like shirts, cups and toys, sits beneath a chandelier featuring dozens of guitars.
Her silhouette also serves as the site’s new logo, seen both on the front of the building and on welcome signs.
Food on center stage
Dolly’s features several dining options. For customers looking for a caffeine pick-me-up, the site offers Dolly’s Cup of Ambition, a new coffee brand developed in partnership with Louisiana-based roaster Community Coffee.
The coffee line, currently featuring light, medium and dark roasts, is expected to be more widely sold later this year, according to a press release.
In addition to the coffee line, Cup of Ambition is also the name of a foodservice station inside Dolly’s Tennessean that sells an array of other drinks and pastries like donuts and muffins.
For barbecue enthusiasts, DLY BBQ, another foodservice stop inside the travel center, is open all day, every day. The menu includes barbecue mainstays like pulled pork and smoked brisket, along with breakfast sandwiches, sides and more.
The site also operates a Southern-style meat-and-three full-service restaurant and offers Sweet Treats ice cream.
While DLY BBQ is open 24 hours a day, the restaurant, Sweet Treats and Cup of Ambition operate from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Dolly’s main dining area has a large screen on one wall and a bank of nearly floor to ceiling windows, letting in lots of natural light.
The dining space features dozens of rustic, wood-topped tables and a stage for live musical acts.
Right now, Dolly’s Tennessean has musicians playing on the weekends, and Sachs said the company is working on expanding that schedule to offer more acoustic and band performances.
Dolly’s also has an upstairs event space with seating, televisions and a bar.
Other features at Dolly’s
While the reimagining has changed some of the look and feel of the travel center, Dolly’s Tennessean continues to serve professional drivers. The site’s trucker lounge has plenty of seating and TVs, and the travel center offers showers and washer/dryer combos. A drawing of Parton graces one of the walls in the laundromat.
Outside, travelers with canine companions can make use of the Doggy Parton dog park, a grassy area set off with fencing featuring a silhouette of Parton walking dogs.
The space also includes several garbage cans with plastic baggies for picking up after pets.
Parton’s tour bus is also parked outside the travel center for people to visit, alongside a mural that l uses the shapes of butterflies and a guitar to showcase some of the natural beauty of Tennessee.
Customer response to Dolly’s Tennessean has so far been positive, according to Sachs.
“It's been incredibly rewarding to watch people walk through the doors for the first time and see their reactions,” he said.
The company plans to expand the concept beyond Cornersville, though not right away.
“Right now, our focus is on making the Cornersville location the very best it can be and creating an experience we're excited to bring to future communities,” said Sachs.
