CORNERSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Dolly Parton announced plans to open her first-ever travel stop in Cornersville, a small town just about a half hour away from the Alabama border.
“Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop” will soon take over the the existing Tennessean Travel Stop location, a truck stop just off Interstate 65, roughly an hour south of Nashville.
“I mean, can you find, honestly, someone who doesn’t love Dolly Parton?” Tennessean Travel Stop patron Joan Harris said. “She just is such a humanitarian and does so many good things for so many people. I think it’ll be great.”
A press release for the project said it will “redefine Southern hospitality on the highway.” Locals already love the “everything you could think of” travel stop, but think her addition will be a game-changer for their community.
“I think it’s going to increase the population here a lot, and even the people who are traveling will stop in, you know,” Dan Lentz, who lives about 15 minutes from the travel center, said. “It’s like some of the other places that have been built recently near here. Cars are backed up to get in. Well, I think that’s what you’re going to find here, too.”
In a news release, Parton mentions roadside pitstops being a big part of her career on the road, and wanting to bring “the heart and soul” of Tennessee to travelers.
“When you think of Tennessee, you think Dolly Parton,” District 92 State Representative Todd Warner said. “It will definitely help the economy. Exit 22 is kind of halfway in between Huntsville and Nashville, and with Dolly coming on board here at the Tennessean Travel Center, I think people will want to stop. And you know what Dolly brings to the table when she’s around. Everybody loves Dolly.”
Although this is the first, Parton plans to announce plans for more travel centers next year.
“Exit 37 could use one too, which is where my exit is off of I-65,” Lentz said, laughing.
Information about the rebranding, including design partners, are still under wraps. However, the website dedicated to the rebranded travel stops said the flagship location’s rebranding is already moving through necessary permitting and partnership phases. The Cornersville location is anticipated to remain open throughout the rebranding process, which is expected to be completed next summer.
WKRN’s Jessica Barker contributed to this report.