WANT

ALL ABOARD!

Dolly Parton’s iconic tour bus transforms into a premium suite experience at Dollywood

BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ

For more than 15 years, Dolly Parton’s home away from home while on tour was not a private jet. Instead, Parton preferred her custom Prevost motorcoach. The outrageously outfitted bus also served as her office as Parton wrote both her Backwoods Barbie album and 9 to 5 The Musical as well as scripts for television shows and movies while on the road. Now retired, the bus has found new life as the centerpiece of the Suite 1986 Tour Bus Experience at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Guests of Suite 1986 will not only have the most interesting accommodations in Dollywood’s history, but will also get the opportunity to enjoy some special amenities. The suite features dedicated concierge service for the entire length of stay, the chance to sample one-of-a-kind food offerings created by the resort’s award-winning culinary team, and customized keepsakes to take home as souvenirs. The tour bus sleeps two guests, but each reservation also includes a room at DreamMore Resort, which can accommodate up to four additional guests. How else is this bus different? Three of the bus’ six standard bunk beds were removed and replaced with a special closet that could accommodate Parton’s hundreds of glitter- and rhinestone-studded dresses. There is also a wig cabinet featuring some of Parton’s similarly retired hairstyles. And while guests may not need the wig closet, they will appreciate the custom bathtub, full-sized refrigerator, expansive kitchen where Parton prepared home-cooked meals nearly nightly, and gorgeous electric doors that were added to the vehicle to transform it into a luxury suite on wheels. In addition to providing a unique glimpse into the icon’s life, the bus affords its guests beautiful views of the Smoky Mountains, where Parton grew up. It also provides easy access to Dollywood, the theme park she established in 1986 (hence, the bus’ new name) to provide both a source of employment for residents and a spark of joy and inspiration for the millions of visitors who are drawn to the region. In spring 2023, Dollywood – recently named the top theme park in the United States by Trip Advisor – will reveal Big Bear Mountain. Becoming the longest roller coaster at Dollywood when it debuts, Big Bear Mountain will take guests of all ages on an unforgettable expedition in search of Big Bear. Circling the park’s Wildwood Grove for nearly two minutes on 3,990 foot of track, the gigantic coaster is the first of its kind nationwide. There is a two-night minimum stay for Suite 1986, and rates start at $10,000. The profits from each stay are donated to The Dollywood Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Parton’s enterprises; and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which gifts free books to children from birth to age 5 as part of an ongoing effort to instill in everyone a passion for reading. So far, more than 2 million children have benefitted from the program. Learn more at www.dollywood.com/ Suite1986.