Glittering Ensembles and Handwritten “Jolene” Lyrics—A Look Inside the Newly Opened Dolly Parton Museum

For someone whose wardrobe famously included thousands of glittering costumes, one of Dolly Parton’s most remarkable garments is comparatively simple: the wedding dress she wore when she married Carl Dean in 1966. For decades, Parton assumed it had been lost. Then, in 2024, while her family was gathering memorabilia for a new museum dedicated to her life, the dress turned up wrapped in a paper bag inside an old military trunk belonging to her husband.

“When the dress was discovered, Dolly was thrilled not only that she got to see it again, but that the world would get to see it,” Steve Summers, Parton’s creative director for more than 30 years, told Afar.

Now, that dress is among the personal treasures visitors can see at Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum, which officially opened October 6 in downtown Nashville. Spread across more than 20,000 square feet on the third floor of the new SongTeller Hotel, it’s the world’s largest exhibition devoted to the country music legend, tracing her journey from a childhood in Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains to a successful seven-decade career in music, television, film, and philanthropy.

The opening is especially poignant following Parton’s death on August 25 at age 80. Although she didn’t live to see the finished museum, she was closely involved in its creation: She selected details, shared memories, and filmed material for its exhibits. Her sister Rachel Parton George and niece Rebecca Seaver, who also oversees the Dolly Parton archives, helped lead its design and curation.

According to Summers, who worked closely with Parton throughout the project, her biggest concern wasn’t which costumes or awards would make it into the galleries. It was whether visitors would come away understanding what mattered most to her.

“Dolly was never really attached to things,” Summers said. Instead, he explains, she wanted people to understand her love of songwriting, performing, and, above all, her fans.

What’s inside Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum

Courtesy of Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum

The journey through Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum begins with a re-creation of the Smoky Mountains cabin where Parton grew up as the fourth of 12 children in a family with little money to spare. A radio plays a recording of her mother, Avie Lee, recounting the story behind “Coat of Many Colors,” the Parton song inspired by a patchwork jacket Lee sewed for her daughter from scraps of fabric. A replica of the coat hangs nearby, along with family keepsakes, including her mother’s Bible and her father’s boots.

Those last two objects are especially meaningful, said Summers: “I know those were items she treasured.”

From there, visitors follow Parton to Nashville, where she arrived the day after graduating from high school in 1964. There’s a re-creation of Wishy Washy, the laundromat where she met her future husband, Carl Dean, and an office modeled after OwePar, the publishing company she started with her uncle Bill Owens.

Also on display are her early RCA Records contract and a reel-to-reel tape recorder that plays snippets of Parton working through songs before they were finished. Elsewhere, visitors can see handwritten lyrics to “Jolene,” watch clips of The Porter Wagoner Show (a variety show from the 1960s and ‘70s) on a vintage television, and examine the costume she wore as Doralee Rhodes in the 1980 film 9 to 5.

Then, of course, there are the clothes. Hundreds of pieces from Parton’s wardrobe span seven decades, including the pastel-colored, bell-bottomed jumpsuits designed by Lucy Adams that became a staple of her 1970s performances. Museumgoers can see the recently restored outfit from the cover of her 1974 album Jolene and the white, pearl-beaded gown, with flowing sleeves that spread like wings when she raised her arms, that she wore to perform “He’s Alive” at the 1989 Country Music Association Awards.

Courtesy of Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum

Parton appears throughout the galleries in specially recorded videos, sharing stories about different periods of her life. Visitors can also explore a re-creation of her custom tour bus, nicknamed the Iron Butterfly, and hear her perform in a virtual concert experience created specifically for the museum.

Her philanthropic work gets space too. An interactive exhibit dedicated to the Imagination Library, the literacy program she founded in 1995, lets visitors watch Parton read aloud. The initiative, inspired by her father’s inability to read, has distributed more than 300 million free books to children around the world.

Even devoted Dolly fans may discover something new, thanks in large part to the extraordinary depth of the archives. Summers credits Parton’s longtime friend Judy Ogle with preserving everything from letters Parton received from boys in middle school to gowns she wore at awards shows.

“Because of Judy Ogle, Dolly saved everything,” Summers said.

Courtesy of Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum

And unlike a museum with a fixed collection, the exhibits are expected to evolve. While Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, already has its own Dolly Parton Experience, an interactive journey through Parton’s life, Summers says the Nashville museum claims more original artifacts, with items rotating between the two locations over time. That means repeat visitors may encounter different pieces of Parton’s personal history on future trips.

There’s also an entire Dolly Parton hotel

The museum occupies the third floor of Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel, a new 240-room property developed in partnership with Herschend, the company behind Dollywood.

The hotel carries Parton’s personality throughout its interiors, from the oversize guitar-shaped table in the lobby to the butterflies, rhinestones, and bold printed furnishings and decor. Some accommodations include musical instruments on display, while the Six Sisters Suite, inspired by Parton’s five sisters, accommodates up to six guests.

There are also two live entertainment venues. Parton’s Live, on the second floor, pairs songwriter performances with Southern-inspired food, while Jolene’s, on the top floor, takes its name from one of Parton’s best-known songs. A café and several themed public spaces complete the property.

How to visit Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum

Courtesy of Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum

The museum is located at 126 Third Avenue North, with its own entrance separate from SongTeller Hotel, a few blocks from Nashville’s Lower Broadway entertainment district. Visitors do not need to be hotel guests to enter.

The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with occasional extended hours. Most visitors should allow approximately 60 to 90 minutes to explore the self-guided galleries.

Admission starts at approximately $32, although prices vary depending on the date and ticket type. Discounted tickets are available for children ages 6 to 12, while those 5 and younger enter free with a paying adult. Tickets are timed, so booking ahead is recommended, particularly for weekends and holidays.

Tickets and current availability can be found on the museum’s official website.