I am not the only one who loves Dolly Parton.
Dolly, the 5-foot tall East Tennessee multihyphenate bombshell who changed country music with her gift of storytellers and melodic magic, is one of the most beloved people in the world.
Dolly created a special melody for me. I spent a lot of time listening to her music on the road between Texas and Tennessee when I was a child.
I moved to Nashville the first time I heard of her, because she inspired me to study writing at the university. In college, I worked as a backstage tour guide at the Grand Ole Opry, taking guests behind the scenes of the stage and dressing rooms where Dolly performed her hits.
I was able to take my love for Dolly to a whole new level on a trip to her "Tennessee Mountain Home" of Pigeon Forge for an opportunity that's now probably the ultimate experience for any die-hard fan.
I need you to pinch me. This is my "9 to 5".
Dolly was converting the tour bus she used for the last 15 years into a hotel "suite" that could be booked for a once-in-a-lifetime stay. Dolly traveled more than 300,000 miles on the bus to write "9 to 5 The Musical" and "Backwoods Barbie."
Two guests can book a bus for two nights in Dolly's bed for a cool $10,000. A private dinner on the bus with Dolly's chef; breakfast for two each day at the resort buffet; and a bunch of goodies like Dolly's book are included in the experience.
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The fee is steep, but a good portion of the money goes to Dolly's Imagination Library, a program that gives free books to kids up to the age of 5 in a few countries. The Imagination Library gave away more than 150 million books. Dolly gave $1 million to the university to fund the vaccine.
After covering the announcement of the tour bus experience and spending the night at the Graduate Hotel in Nashville, I knew I would have to do this one day. I was invited to be one of the first to lay my head in the most expensive "suite" of them all because Dolly's team knew of my love for her.
Due to Dolly's kindness and appreciation of the comped stay, the Dollywood Foundation will be receiving a $2,500 donation from TPG.
While the 1986 Tour Bus Experience is a two-night stay, I arrived at Dream More a night early with my colleague, Colby, to get a feel for the resort, located about an hour from McGhee Tyson Airport.
I was not able to sleep that night. I was so happy. Dolly had just finished filming a movie at the park and was staying in the top floor suite. If there was an emergency, Dolly said she would have to make a midnight escape.
The fire alarm should be pulled. At 4 a.m., I was wondering. That isn't the way to get on her good side.
At 10 a.m., the big moment arrived. We were escorted to the bus by Shana.
She had an emergency and had to leave. Dolly left the resort with an emergency. A mother and her daughter were at the right place at the right time to see Dolly leave. Dolly asked the little girl what she was doing after taking a picture with her.
The child said they would go to Dollywood. I think I know her. Dolly said a joke before she floated away.
I walked from the resort to the bus without being followed by the photographers. There are a few butterflies floating in and out of the flora at the bus pad.
There was a spirit with me.
After stepping up the stairs into the Prevost bus, I noticed the worn leather of the driver's seat, a sign of the hundreds of thousands of miles this bus had covered.
The Point's Gully is named after Colby KiRKPATRICK.
"Here I am" was what came to my mind. I was certain of that.
A place that's actually lived in is what the bus was like.
There was a couch with a television in the front and a slideshow of Dolly photos in the back. Dolly and her crew would sit on a half circle bench and inlaid cup holders in the dining room table next to the other side. Maybe it's a pimento cheese sandwich.
The Point's Gully is named after Colby KiRKPATRICK.
I was told that Dolly loves to make her own food and that there is a full-size refrigerator in the bus's kitchen. Her favorite beverage was included in the fridge.
The Point's Gully is named after Colby KiRKPATRICK.
Donna Davis Carter, a close friend of Dolly, painted murals around the living and kitchen areas. Carter portrayed herself and Dolly dancing around a fire.
The Point's Gully is named after Colby KiRKPATRICK.
There was a glass case in the back corner that held a guitar, guitar strap and tambourine from the "Dolly Parton's Heartstrings" episode. I heard the strum of that shiny six-string in my heart even though I was sad the instruments were behind lock and key.
There was a small door that opened to reveal a small bathroom. I was reminded that this may be Dolly's motorized house, but it's still a bus, and so the toilets flush by holding down a little switch that takes a while to do anything.
The Point's Gully is named after Colby KiRKPATRICK.
There were three electronic pocket doors that separated the bus into four separate areas, the second of which was where three bunkbeds were stacked for her travel companions. In windowless bunks, guests could catch up on their favorite shows by flipping down an in-ceiling television or by closing colorful curtains.
The Point's Gully is named after Colby KiRKPATRICK.
The opposite wall of a tour bus is likely to have more bunks than this one. She converted the wall into a closet to hold her sequined dresses and wigs, which she wears every day of the year.
For the suite experience, the closet was transformed into another display that held dramatic jewelry, such as a pink hummingbird necklace, and an assortment of glamorous worn dresses to specific events, including the dress she wore while co hosting the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards.
The story of how Dolly wrote "I Will Always Love You" as a sad goodbye to her long time musical partner, Porter Wagoner, reminded me of when I was a tour guide at the Opry.
In country music, "may the circle be intact" It came full circle for me.
I realized I was in a sacred space when I passed through the next door, which was Dolly's private bathroom and bedroom, all of which were custom made for her.
There was a small bathroom. It's very small. Also very Dolly. There was a toilet, orange velvet curtains, a tiny sink in the corner, and toilet paper with "Suite 1986" written on it.
This small bathroom has a shower that is 2 1/2 feet deep and is just wide enough for me to sit in with my legs folded into my chest. For the sake of journalism, I took a bath in that small tub.
How many people in the world can claim to have sung in Dolly's shower?
The Point's Gully is named after Colby KiRKPATRICK.
There was a room.
I was overwhelmed with joy when I saw the room, which is filled with a variety of colors and styles, and more fringe and flowers than I have ever seen in a single room. All it did was work.
I wondered if it was a play on Dolly's real life coat of many colors, with each fabric and texture carefully selected to complement the next. There was a cabin with no running water or electricity that her parents shared with her siblings.
How far has she traveled?
I felt like Dolly had wrapped me up in her arms like her music did. It was similar to connecting with someone you know, even though you don't know them very well.
There was a glass case on the far end of the bus that contained a collection of Dolly Parton's wigs. I imagined where she was wearing them. She was asked how long it took to get her hair done.
She said she didn't know. I'm never there.
It is thought that Dolly had a separate refrigerator and microwave in her bedroom to have easy access to drinks and snacks while she was away. I packed a bag of popcorn and a download of "9 to 5" for a movie night in the hotel when I knew it was there.
Amenities for guests like Sun Coast salt scrub, lip balm and a white leather Dopp kit were included in the Vanity. There was a vinyl copy of the "Coat of Many Colors" album, towels embroidered with the Suite 1986 logo, and an ultraplush bathrobe with the same emblem as the towels.
The Point's Gully is named after Colby KiRKPATRICK.
Dolly has always been proud of her appearance despite being criticized for it.
She said it cost a lot of money to look cheap.
Dolly will always look a million dollars to me.
For the second time in my life, I was reminded that I was on a bus and not just in a hotel room. When I went to open the door after closing it, there was nothing.
I tried again and again and still didn't get anything.
Every guest on the bus has a private phone number that they can use to text.
The pocket door between the bunks and the kitchen area isn't working, so I'm stuck.
My mind said, "You're stuck in Dolly Parton's bedroom surrounded by her clothes, her wigs and the creative air she breathed to make the music you love."
I was secretly hoping they wouldn't let me go. I crashed onto the bed filled with more throw pillows than a Pottery Barn after I said I lived here now. I crawled into one of the guest bunks to check out how tight they were.
I spent my afternoon at Dollywood before going back to dinner that was included with my stay.
With a little bit of time to kill before dinner, I hung out in the front of the bus taking in all the details when a group of people came up to the gate and took photos of the bus. People were checking out the bus over the course of an hour. It was wild to know that Dolly probably experiences this zoo-like experience everywhere she goes, even though they couldn't see me.
My co-worker Colby, a fellow Dolly fanatic, was staying in a room at the resort and I was treated to one of the most magical dinners I have ever eaten.
The executive chef at Dollywood brought a grill to the bus pad to cook the dinner. Each course of the dinner was accompanied by a wine match. The table on the bus was transformed into a scene from an award winning restaurant by an ultra friendly server.
We were told before our visit that we had no restrictions. You might think the meal would be mostly country-fried classics, but that's not the case.
There was a pineapple stuffed with grilled shrimp and red-pepper skewers and a pineapple-onion salsa inside the bus.
There was a burrata salad with bacon, a juicy steak with mashed potatoes, and asparagus. You can bet your bottom dollar that we ate those as well.
The Points Guy/Tanner SAUNDERS.
There was a trio of desserts, including Dolly's own banana pudding, a praline and creme brulee. Maybe it was just the sixth glass of wine talking, but I thought of it as a sweet homage to Dolly's "Trio" album.
I ate Dolly's food at her table, even though she wasn't there.
When I was alone, I closed all the pocket doors, turned down the air conditioning on the in-room thermostat, and crawled into bed. I remembered that the decorative pillows weren't for sleeping on, and that the real pillows were on the side of the room.
I didn't think to ask if turn down service was an option, but I think another text to my concierge could have made that happen.
It was quite strange to crawl into Dolly's bed. I was alone in a celebrity's motor home that was parked off the main lot of a resort in the mountains. It was homey and comfortable, though it might have been a little tight if I had shared it with someone else.
I was alone with my thoughts and was able to drift away from the hum of the bus.
I made two trips to Dollywood after I got out of the bus. We have a handy Dollywood guide that can answer all of your questions about the park and the roller coasters that use the mountains as leverage for bigger, scarier drops.
You can skip the line for rides at the resort if you have a wristband that allows you to. A shuttle runs between the park and the resort lobby every 20 minutes. Dolly souvenirs can be found at the park. It has the entire line of Doggy Parton wigs, pink cowgirl hats, dresses and squeaky microphones for pet owners like me.
We went to Dolly's Stampede for a wild dinner show where we ate whole chickens with no hands. During the show, one side of the audience competes with the other in a series of events and, at one point, I was in the middle of it all, racing buckets of water to strangers on my team.
We had a nice time despite the level being turned all the way up.
It didn't make it to my head after 48 hours of living like Dolly.
You don't have to ground me if you read this.
The experience made me feel even closer to Dolly than before. It's clear that she has a lot of influence and prestige, but her kindness and positive energy are still present. It was fascinating to see how she built her home on wheels, thinking through every detail to make it a safe place to live.
I thought about my own life and how I never saw Dolly perform live until I moved to New York City to chase a dream of writing about travel, instead of writing songs.
The show was filled with all types of people, from my fellow Dolly-loving gays to drag queens, cowboys, kids and older people, and all the people inspired by her. She left the stage and walked up the steps of the bus to find a place to sleep.
She had a dream that the bus would pull out and go to the next show. I took the subway to get to my house.
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