Jun 26, 2026
Dolly Parton has spent a lot of time on the road, so as Buc-ee’s mega convenience store/gas stations continue to expand across the country, the music and philanthropic superstar has decided to launch her own chain of travel stops. The first opened on June 24 and was an event that prompted a rare public appearance by the singer.
Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop is now open for business in Cornersville, Tenn, about an hour south of Nashville. The location has everything you’d expect to find at a mega convenience stop: a general store, gas pumps, a dog park, a café, as well as a few extras like a full-service restaurant, a lounge and an event space. The Stop also has an area for truckers, including a lounge with laundry facilities and showers.
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Don’t expect carton rodents on the walls and signage, though. Dolly has left her signature touches all over the restaurant, which is filled with pictures of the singer, drawings (and murals) of butterflies and guitars and musical notes.
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Parton surprises fans at the grand opening
Parton wasn’t scheduled to be at the grand opening. The 80-year old singer has been dealing with health issues that have led to her canceling a Las Vegas residency. Parton has not detailed the health troubles, but recently said she had responded well to treatment after her immune and digestive systems “got all out of whack” in recent years.
In that same announcement, she acknowledged that the medicines she is taking make her “a little bit swimmy headed, as my grandma used to say.”
Despite that, she made a brief surprise appearance at the opening.
“I’m sure some of you wondered why I wanted a truck stop,” she told fans. “Well, I couldn’t leave it to beavers.”
The line got a laugh, of course, but Parton said she didn’t view her venue to be in competition with anyone. She added that travel stop developer Gregory Sachs, who partnered with her on the project, suggested they go into business together. “I said, ‘I think that’s a great idea, because I’ve spent my whole life traveling down the road.’”
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While Parton herself was only around for a moment, visitors to the travel stop can tour a replica of her tour bus for photographic moments. And on Friday July 3, the facility will host a July 4 celebration with fireworks and live music.
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Why travelers go out of their way for a travel stop
Parton is a global superstar, so that alone should be enough to draw people to the Tennesseean Travel Stop, but the World Cup has also generated a tremendous amount of interest among international visitors in mega convenience stores.
In Texas, officials in Fort Worth have organized daily shuttles to ferry visitors to and from the local Buc-ee’s. Buses depart every 30 minutes from downtown Fort Worth. An all-day pass, which also lets visitors access the full public transportation network, costs $10 or $20, depending on the destination.
“We were told it was an American institution, and that you couldn’t leave Dallas or Texas without coming here,” Canadian Ryan Reynolds told The Dallas Morning News.
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Chris Morris is a veteran journalist with more than 35 years of experience at many of the internet's biggest news outlets. In addition to his activities as a writer, reporter and editor, Chris is also a frequent panel moderator and speaker at major conferences, including CES and South by Southwest.
