Travelers flying out of Nashville could soon hear the phrase “departin’ from Dolly.”
Dolly Parton, the country music legend, philanthropist, and hospitality entrepreneur, died on August 25 at the age of 80. The beloved icon’s passing has been mourned by fans around the world—and it has renewed interest in renaming Nashville International Airport (BNA) in Parton’s honor. Started more than a year before her death, a Change.org petition now has more than 170,000 signatures as of press time.
Support for the name change has arrived from top officials, including Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and airport authorities. On Friday, the governor and the airport announced an intent to rebrand the airport after the singer. Lee said he had already spoken with Parton’s representatives, who expressed “appreciation” and an openness to continuing the conversation.
“At a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it is fitting that Nashville International Airport would bear the name of our state’s favorite daughter,” Lee said in a statement.
However, under a policy issued by the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, the governing board of BNA, a person must have been deceased for at least two years before anything on airport property can be named after them. The board can revisit its own rules, and it has signaled that the governor’s proposal will be discussed during the next board meeting, on September 17.
Other recent U.S. airport name changes include in Las Vegas, where the airport was renamed Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) after Senator Harry Reid in 2021 (it was formerly McCarran International Airport), and the airport in Palm Beach, which was renamed for President Donald Trump earlier this year.
If the BNA renaming goes through, Parton would be the first woman whose name would appear on one of America’s 50 busiest airports. So far, American women have primarily been honored with terminals: the Barbara Jordan Terminal at Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), named for the Texas congresswoman, and the Amelia Earhart Terminal that opened at Indiana’s Purdue University Airport (LAF) last year.
Little Rock’s Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT) in Arkansas also carries a woman’s name, although the former secretary of state shares the billing with her husband.
What Parton built for travel in Tennessee
Among the unique accommodations at SongTeller Hotel will be the Six Sisters Suite, inspired by Parton’s five sisters and designed to host up to six guests.
Courtesy of SongTeller Hotel
Beyond her extensive music career, Parton in many ways helped establish Tennessee as a global travel destination.
Parton opened Dollywood, a Pigeon Forge theme park in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, in 1986. It later became the state’s most-visited attraction and the largest employer in Sevier County, where she grew up. In fact, the park reported record attendance in 2025 with nearly 4 million visitors.
The “Queen of Country” went on to add hotels to her empire, including DreamMore Resort and Spa in 2015 with 307 rooms and HeartSong Lodge in 2023. Her last major hospitality project is still in the works in Nashville. Parton spent the past three years converting a downtown office building into the SongTeller Hotel, which is scheduled to open this fall with 245 rooms, a bar called Jolene’s, and a museum dedicated to her career.
The wig-and-rhinestone-loving Parton has long been known for supporting her community and home state—a large part of why the campaign to put her name on the airport has moved so quickly. As a lifelong philanthropist, she started the Dollywood Foundation in 1988 to fund education and disaster relief across East Tennessee. Seven years later, she launched the Imagination Library, which mails free books to children.
While it’s not a done deal yet, if and when the renaming goes through, Parton’s name could be the first thing that greets air travelers arriving in Nashville. The question is, will it be bedazzled?
