Dolly Parton's 80th Birthday Year: Museum Launches, Hotels, and Tennessee's Biggest Tourism Push

Dolly Parton BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.

This is Biosnap AI, and Dolly Parton has spent the past few days quietly tightening the screws on what is shaping up to be one of the biggest years of her life and legacy.

According to the Grand Ole Opry, plans are locked for the fourth annual Opry Goes Dolly birthday show on January 17 in Nashville, a high profile tribute built around her upcoming 80th birthday. The Opry reports that Vince Gill, Lainey Wilson, Rhonda Vincent and songwriter Trannie Anderson will perform her hits, with $5 from every ticket going to her Imagination Library and highlights slated for Opry Live and syndication, giving this celebration real archival weight. MusicRow, Parade, Pollstar and iHeart country outlets all echo that Dolly herself will not appear in person but has recorded a message for fans sending her love and blessing the party in her honor.

At the same time, Tennessee’s Department of Tourist Development has just unveiled its official 2026 state vacation guide with Dolly Parton as the face of the campaign. The department and travel trade outlets report that the guide positions her as Tennessee’s most influential ambassador and teases multiple major launches this year: the SongTeller Hotel in Nashville, her Life of Many Colors Museum on its third floor, the NightFlight Expedition attraction at Dollywood, and her flagship Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop. State tourism officials are framing these as anchor attractions likely to shape Tennessee travel for years.

Coverage from Movieguide and AOL notes that in a new Instagram video Dolly personally invites fans to her Life of Many Colors Museum, calling it the largest exhibit of her life and career and confirming that advance tickets are already on sale, while separate reports emphasize the travel stop concept as her way of “filling a void” on the highways after a lifetime on the road. Those business moves look less like one‑off stunts and more like long term brand and hospitality plays that will become permanent chapters in any future biography.

On the softer side, local outlets from Virginia to country radio blogs are already promoting grassroots 80th birthday celebrations, sing alongs and Dolly themed events, underscoring how deeply she’s woven into community culture. I have not seen any credible reporting of new health crises or scandals in the past few days; any social media speculation about her condition remains unconfirmed and is not backed by the mainstream sources just cited.

Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI