Updated August 25, 2026:
Almost two months to the day since making a public appearance at the grand opening festivities of her Dolly’s Tennessean travel stop June 24, music icon Dolly Parton passed away.
Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, head of security for his aunt for a couple of decades, shared the sad news at the request of Parton, he said. Seaver’s touching message you can hear for yourself here:
“Dolly was a farmer,” Seaver said in closing, “just like her daddy. He farmed the soil. She farmed songs and happiness. … May God bless Dolly Parton, and may God bless you all.
“She will always love you.”
The original story about the grand opening in Cornersville, Tennessee, June 24, follows:
The rebranded, refreshed version of the Tennessean truck stop kicked off a grand-opening week of festivities June 24, 2026, in Cornersville at its I-65, exit 22, location.
Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop, in partnership with none other than music legend Dolly Parton herself, invited media and truckers for a day’s worth of events Wednesday.
The stop showcased the Cup of Ambition Coffee shop, offered up food samples across the full menu and from its DLY BBQ joint, and hosted performers on various stages for entertainment, including musical acts Allison Nichols, Taylor Ocano, Lovella and Songbird.
Truckers running I-65 through Middle Tennessee have probably already seen some of the changes in progress. As previously reported, the re-imagined truck stop has remained open during renovations there.
The stop features a main dining hall with a hot buffet bar, made-to-order menu, stage for live music and, throughout, a musical theme with sequined instruments dominating decorations. Plenty of Dolly Parton, too, with various images from her career.
Food on offer at the preview event for lunch was dominated by traditional Southern fare — “Good Lookin’ Cookin” recipes inspired by feedback from Parton herself and her sister, Rachel Parton George.
Truck stop owner Gregory Sachs noted he’s originally from Chicago but is now a proud Tennessean, “no pun intended,” since he purchased the original Tennessean stop “from the family that owned it for 40 years” in 2017, he said. “I had one purpose in mind: To connect with the community,” the “incredible people who live here.”
All these many years later, Sachs noted, after plenty of hard work and struggle put in, he realized a “much bigger dream and vision — to really be able to grow and expand. We wanted to create a place where everyone — truckers, travelers and locals alike — feel welcome, where they feel like this is their home.”
Most importantly, he added, he hoped to build a place where “they’re treated with great kindness and treated with great Southern hospitality.”
Who better than Dolly Parton to embody those qualities, he said.
The truckers’ lounge is well-appointed with leather recliners, numerous televisions and plugins for charging devices. Five private baths feature showers, too.
The stop brings roughly 160 paved parking spaces, according to General Manager Tara Polk, who noted the Dolly’s Tennessean brand is hopeful for expansion to new sites in the coming years. “Stay tuned” was all she could say there.
Fears of future paid truck parking at the Cornersville stop, expressed by some truckers on social media, are unfounded, it turns out.
“Rumors,” Polk said, pure and simple. Compared to the gravel lot at the old Tennessean, all the paved space is a big upgrade. Regular I-65 haulers will likely have seen a good bit of the upgrade already, since the stop reopened in 2024 after a fire closed it several years ago.
The parking lot will be closed to truckers passing through until 8 p.m. Wednesday evening, when it opens back up, with further Grand Opening festivities scheduled through the following week into July 4 and the country’s 250th birthday.
There’s a great deal of entertainment on offer in the main dining hall throughout the week for truckers who might overnight there.
Note daily performances in the images that follow here.
And yes, Dolly Parton herself was on hand to cut the ribbon on the stop, making it official.
[Related: Tennesseean Travel Stop partners in Dolly Parton for rebrand, refresh]
