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Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel in downtown Nashville, now in a soft opening, will hold its grand opening on Tuesday 29 September 2026 together with Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum on the hotel’s third floor, AFAR reports. Standard rooms start at $358 a night and museum admission starts at $32.
The opening comes after a delay announced in June, when the grand opening was pushed to fall 2026; see our earlier report on the SongTeller Hotel’s delayed opening. It has taken on added meaning after Parton’s death in August at age 80, AFAR notes, and fans planning a Nashville trip this autumn can now book both the hotel and the museum.
- Grand opening: Tuesday 29 September 2026; the hotel is in soft opening now.
- Where: a 12 story building in downtown Nashville.
- Rooms: 245 rooms and suites; standard rooms from $358 a night.
- Museum: Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum, more than 20,000 square feet, from $32.
- Music: two live music venues with restaurants, Parton’s Live and Jolene’s.
Rooms and Suites at the SongTeller Hotel
The 12 story building announces itself with a marquee and a giant patchwork patterned guitar topped by a glittering golden butterfly, flanked by six magenta awnings. Inside, fringed chandeliers hang over raspberry sofas and a rainbow patterned carpet in the lobby, in what the designers describe as a celebration of all sides of Dolly, from rhinestone glamour to Nashville grit.
The hotel is a partnership between Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment, which runs Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Its 245 rooms and suites include signature rooms with sound wave patterned carpets, record-style bedside sconces and wallpaper showing tickets from Parton’s past concerts, and Acoustic suites with guitars on the walls where guests can play records or a keyboard.
The Six Sisters Suite sleeps up to six, and the two story, 1,865 square foot SongTeller Suite has a fireplace and a marble bathroom with inlaid gold. Merrill Puckett Miller, Herschend’s chief creative officer, called the hotel “Dolly’s love letter to Nashville.”
Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum
Spanning more than 20,000 square feet across the third floor, the museum traces Parton’s early life and six decade career through stage outfits, awards, framed albums and reproductions of her tour bus and writing room, AFAR reports. It also covers her film roles, in movies such as 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias, and her philanthropy, including the Imagination Library. The museum’s official site describes it as the largest exhibit celebrating her life anywhere in the world and sells tickets online.
“Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum is the largest collection of Dolly’s life story we have ever displayed,” said Rebecca Seaver, Parton’s niece and executive director of the museum and the Dolly Parton Archives.
Parton’s Live and Jolene’s Music Venues
Parton’s Live, a lounge on the second floor, will host emerging and established artists, including Stephanie Quayle and The Voice winner Jake Hoot, with a Southern menu of biscuits, collard greens and short ribs. On the top floor overlooking the Cumberland River, Jolene’s serves shareable contemporary American small plates such as pimento cheese arancini with jalapeño jam and glazed pork belly and has a grand piano, with live music planned several nights a week; its performance calendar has not yet been released.
Hotel “SongTeller Rituals” include Parton songs played at the top of every hour, a creative writing hour in the Listening Lobby, and a Sunsets and Sequins twilight tour of the public areas and museum.
Booking Around the September 29 Opening
Expect grand opening week to draw fans, so book rooms and museum tickets early if you want to visit around 29 September. If you are staying elsewhere, the museum is open to hotel guests and non-guests alike through its own ticketing, and the flagship museum shop is open to the public.
| If you are | What to do |
|---|---|
| Planning a stay for opening week | Book early; standard rooms start at $358 a night. |
| Visiting only the museum | Buy tickets from the museum’s site; admission from $32. |
| Travelling with a group of friends | Look at the Six Sisters Suite, which sleeps up to six. |
| Wanting live music in the hotel | Check Parton’s Live listings; Jolene’s calendar is still to come. |
New Nashville stay. 245 Dolly themed rooms and suites downtown.
New museum. The largest Dolly Parton exhibit yet opens 29 September.
Busy opening week. Book rooms and museum tickets ahead.
When does Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel open?
It is in a soft opening now and holds its grand opening on 29 September 2026, together with Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum.
How much does the SongTeller Hotel cost?
Standard rooms start at $358 a night, according to AFAR.
Can I visit the Dolly museum without staying at the hotel?
Yes. Museum admission starts at $32 and tickets are sold through the museum’s own site.
