See inside Dolly Parton's new 'Life of Many Colors' museum in Nashville
One month after Dolly Parton's death, a new museum has opened, showcasing the extraordinary life of the late music legend.
Dolly's Life of Many Colors Museum in Nashville was a project that Parton worked on herself up until her death on Aug. 25 at age 80 following a brief battle with cancer.
"This was her ultimate dream, to put a museum in her backyard," Steve Summers, Parton's longtime creative director, told ABC News' Faith Abubey in an interview that aired Wednesday on "Good Morning America."
Summers worked on the creation of the museum alongside Parton as well as the singer's niece, Rebecca Seaver, who is now the museum's executive director, and Tom Acomb, chief creative officer and co-founder at AOA, an experience design company.
The museum, located in Parton's SongTeller Hotel in Nashville, takes visitors from Parton's childhood in rural Tennessee to her rise to the top of country music and Hollywood.
"I think Dolly saw this whole building as a love letter to her fans," Summers said. "And I think as a fan, we get to come in here and love her back, and that Dolly is in here somewhere, and you, as a guest, just have to find her."
Acomb said that when designing the museum, Parton's inspiring life story became the "foundation of the whole place."
The late singer wrote and recorded the narration that visitors hear throughout the museum, according to Acomb.
"I think the journey of her life was the non-negotiable, to provide hope," he said.
The museum showcases Parton's music accolades as well as some of her most cherished personal items and memories, including those from her nearly 60-year marriage to Carl Dean, who died one year prior, in 2025.
"One of my very favorite things is Dolly’s wedding dress," Summers said. "That dress sat in that bag for over 50 years in a trunk in one of her storage bins, and Dolly's niece Rebecca, found it."
Parton's museum is free for kids under 5, with the website stating, "Dolly believes every child deserves the gift of imagination, and the Museum is a place for their stories and dreams to grow right alongside yours."
Take a look inside the Dolly's Life of Many Colors Museum in Nashville.
