Music legend Dolly Parton has already left a sparkly mark on tourism in more than one part of the United States. Since its opening in 1986, her amusement park Dollywood, located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, has long been a popular vacation spot and earned the title of best amusement park in the U.S. in 2025. You can also enjoy dinner and a stunt-filled livestock show at Dolly Parton’s Stampede locations in Pigeon Forge or Branson, Missouri. But as of 2025, Parton is thinking more about the journey rather than the destination.
In 2026, Parton will join forces with Tennessean Travel Stop to rebrand its flagship location in Cornersville, Tennessee, as Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop. This will be the first of multiple travel centers combining rest stop necessities with Parton’s homegrown brand of hospitality. Parton drew on her years as a touring artist to decide what kind of roadside amenities travelers would like to experience. “Whether you are driving a truck, a bus, or a car, you want a place that feels like home and recharges you for the rest of your journey,” she says on the company website. “I believe we will fill a void out there on the highways, all while bringing the heart and soul of Tennessee.”
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Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop will focus on community
A highway with a semitruck and cars next to rolling hills and trees. – Joel Carillet/Getty Images
Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop will build on what is offered at the existing rest stop operated by Tennessean Travel Stop. “The Tennessean has long been a ‘home away from home’ for truck drivers, travelers, and locals alike,” said Gregory H. Sachs, CEO of Tennessean Travel Stop. “Our roots in this community run deep — we’ve created jobs, built connection, and welcomed generations of people through our doors.” Using tourism to benefit local communities is something Dolly Parton herself clearly holds in high regard. Dollywood has brought tourism revenue and thousands of job opportunities to the towns around the Great Smoky Mountains. Parton grew up in these mountains and often references them in her music, films, and philanthropic endeavors.
Look out for the grand opening of Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville around summer 2026. The central Tennessee location will make it easy to incorporate a visit into any Volunteer State road trip. Sixty miles north of Cornersville is Nashville, and only 40 miles east is Lynchburg, where you can sip on world-famous whiskey at the Jack Daniel’s Distillery. Of course you should add Dollywood to this road trip, as it is just over four hours east of Cornersville.
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Read the original article on Explore.