Mark your calendars: Dolly Parton's long-awaited SongTeller Hotel and Life of Many Colors Museum will officially Sept. 29 in downtown Nashville, bringing to life one of the final major projects the country music icon worked on before her death Aug. 25 at age 80.
The hotel will get a two-week head start with a soft opening Sept. 14. Guests can check in that day, with live music following days later and Parton's family among the first to take the stage.
Parton's cousin Richie Owens will perform Sept. 16 at Parton's Live, the hotel's second-floor venue, followed by niece Jada Star, who launches a twice-weekly artist residency Sept. 17.
The singer-songwriter purchased the former office building for $75 million in November 2023 and spent years shaping
her vision for the property. She previously described the project to The Tennessean as a way to "bring Dollywood to Nashville."
Parton partnered on the hotel with Herschend, the family-owned company that operates Dollywood and had worked with the singer for 40 years. SongTeller was originally expected to open earlier in 2026 before the timeline shifted.
Get the Dolly Parton coffee table book
Inside Dolly Parton's museum
At the heart of the downtown destination is the Life of Many Colors Museum, a more than 20,000-square-foot attraction occupying the hotel's entire third floor.
Designed and curated by Parton's sister Rachel Parton George and niece Rebecca Seaver, it is billed as the largest single showcase of Parton's life and legacy.
The experience starts with a recreation of the icon's childhood cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains and traces her journey from East Tennessee through her decades-long career. Footage Parton filmed earlier this year will help tell that story alongside multimedia exhibits, personal stories and artifacts including stage costumes, awards, records, guitars, a full-size tour bus and a Hall of Fame exhibit.
Visitors can access the museum through a separate entrance at 126 Third Ave. N. The attraction also includes two retail stores with Parton merchandise and exclusive collections.
Seaver told The Tennessean earlier this year that her aunt knew what the team planned to put inside the museum and remained closely involved in the project.
"She is involved in every single piece of everything she does," Seaver said before Parton's death. "All of her businesses, all of her music, all of her work. She is highly invested in everything, no matter how big the enterprise is."
The museum has its own entrance at 126 Third Ave. N. and will also include two retail stores. Tickets go on sale Sept. 29.
Parton's businesses continue after her death
The SongTeller Hotel opening is one of several projects Parton left in motion before her death.
Parton's team said she spent her final years working with a handpicked group on a roadmap intended to guide her businesses and creative projects for decades.
Next year, that roadmap will include "DollyFest: The Celebration of a Lifetime," a star-studded festival taking place across two consecutive weekends in Nashville and London.
The event began as a celebration Parton planned for her 80th birthday. A Nashville venue had been booked and an announcement prepared, but her health forced the event to be postponed. Her estate announced Aug. 31 that it would bring Parton's vision to life in 2027, expanding it into a two-continent celebration.
"What Dolly started, we will ensure is brought to life," her longtime manager Danny Nozell said.
Specific dates, venues, performers and ticket information have not been announced.
Other projects already on the calendar include "Dolly: A True Original Musical," which is scheduled to begin Broadway previews Dec. 7 before opening Jan. 19, 2027.
Cup of Ambition Coffee, created in partnership with Community Coffee, is scheduled to launch online Sept. 29, the same day as SongTeller's grand opening. Other projects in development include unreleased music, a Dolly avatar show, biopic, docuseries and scripted series.
"Dolly worked up until the day she died," Nozell said Aug. 26. "She loved seeing her dreams come to life, and loved knowing her work brought people joy."
Bryan West is a music reporter at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dolly Parton's SongTeller Hotel, museum set to open Sept. 29
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