Dolly Parton’s multifaceted legacy showcased at Nashville museum and hotel

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dolly Parton's multifaceted legacy was showcased at a new museum and hotel in Nashville, opening to fans on Tuesday. The 20,000-square-foot Dolly's Life of Many Colors Museum, housed inside a 240-room themed hotel called Dolly Parton's SongTeller, features exhibits that explore various aspects of the singer's life and career.

Steve Summers, Parton's longtime creative director, saw her in hundreds of outfits and designed many of them. He stated, "Every person in here has a different Dolly Parton that they are in love with." Summers guided visitors through exhibits covering Parton's Smoky Mountain roots, Dollywood, film roles, fashion, faith, family, and the Imagination Library.

Summers advised, "You’ve got to find her and find out where you fell in love with her and then follow the path from there. So I think the journey is what most people are going to enjoy the most."

The museum is adorned with glitter, rhinestones, guitars, butterflies, Dolly portraits, and pink, creating an immersive experience. Visitors can also enjoy two performance spaces, a cafe, and hotel rooms equipped with musical instruments to inspire songwriting. A highlight of the museum is Parton's original wedding dress, which was thought lost until her niece Rebecca Seaver found it about a year ago.

Summers noted the bittersweet nature of the museum's opening, as many of Parton's close associates were as surprised as everyone else that she wouldn't be there to see it. "We were as surprised as anybody that she’s not here to see it," Summers expressed. "It’s beautiful to get to see all of her work come to life, and it’s hard to know that she won’t ever have seen it." Kristin M. Hall of The Associated Press covered the story.