Showing posts with label Dollywood Nashville Hotel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dollywood Nashville Hotel. Show all posts

Thursday, October 16, 2025

๐ŸŸก๐ŸšŒNew Grayline One-Day Bus Tour from Downtown Nashville to Dollywood and back๐ŸšŒ๐ŸŸก




Hi Everyone,
It recently came to my attention that Grey Line Bus Tours offers a Nashville-to-Dollywood-Nashville one-day trip available for around $200.  

I can't find a daily schedule of events but based off of driving Knoxville to Nashville and back for over 30 years, I can make a good guesstimate.

7am - Depart Downtown Nashville - Central Time
10-11am - Arrive at Dollywood - Eastern Time
7pm - Depart Dollywood - Eastern Time
9:30-10:15 - Arrive Downtown Nashville - Central Time

For the time zones, in my head I have to tell myself that it takes me 2 hours on the clock to get to my parents' house in Nashville from Knoxville, and it takes 4 hours on the clock to get home to Knoxville, coming from Nashville.  Over the past several years the travel time has crept upwards.

At this moment I'm looking at availability for the rest of October and it's pretty limited, so this tour seems like it is already a popular option.  I know that it can be a daunting experience for the Nashville tourists who want to visit Dollywood.  You may have to rent a car, drive over 400 miles round trip, factor in a time change, book a hotel, eat, buy park tickets, park at the park.... it's a lot to do to make it happen.  If you are coming here from overseas, then it compounds all of that work...so, this idea seems to me like it should have happened decades ago. 

This is what you'll see when you head to their website.  Click the image to make it larger.  In the bottom left, I selected one adult and one child.  The cost is $416 after 'fees' are added.  



I looked around for some first-hand experience reviews but came up short.  If anyone has an experience to share, please let me know about it in the comments section.   Apparently, the busses are outfitted with Wi-fi....so, there's that.  I kind of wonder if it stops at the Bucee's in Crossville, which kind of halfway in between the two?

Here is the website where you can book your trip, if you desire.  Begin with selecting a date and then click on the times that are available - which is 7am.  It will then take you to the ticket purchase page.  Good Luck!

Something else to note, in my blog post about the upcoming Dollywood hotel , SongTeller, off of Broadway in Nashville, I mentioned that the hotel would likely have day long excursions to the park.  I'm imagining that the Gray Line Service will become part of the SongTeller Hotel's service.  Makes a lot of sense to me for them to outsource this service to a tour bus company.

๐Ÿ”ตBlog Posts and other Helpful Trip Planning information - 

Thursday, December 7, 2023

⭐ Dolly and Dollywood to open SongTeller hotel in Nashville ⭐

๐Ÿ”นNovember 12, 2024 update at the bottom.
๐Ÿ”นMay 7 2024 update above the bottom!

December 7, 2023
Dolly and Dollywood are opening a hotel in Nashville.  Details are scarce at this time, but they have purchased an office building at 211 Commerce Street - it's at the corner of Commerce and 3rd Avenue South, just feet away from the hustle and bustle of Nashville's tourist district.  The unconfirmed plans are to convert this office space into a hotel.


Here is the office building that's been purchased.   Their neighbor is the ''batman'' building, also known as the AT&T Building.

This is really interesting news because it brings up to me all of the potential possibilities of how they will tie into creating trips to this new hotel, and with Dollywood, which is about 200 miles east of Nashville.

It's really too early for any of that speculation, but no doubt that is in their plans.  If you're not up to speed with all of Dolly's and Dollywood's business adventures, back in 2012 on Dolly's birthday, she and Gaylord Opryland Hotel had agreed to partner to open a Water & Snow Park on the other side of Briley Parkway, near the Opryland Hotel property.  Ultimately, those plans fell through for various reasons and at the time Dolly announced the cancelled plans, She said I will have something for Nashville soon!  So, 11 years later here we are.

Oh, and I nearly forgot Trinkets & Treasures.  Dolly opened up a gift boutique on 2nd Avenue called Trinkets & Treasures.  It opened in 2010, several weeks before the horrible floods that affected Nashville in unprecedented ways.  T&T was destroyed in the floods.  So, right now Dolly is 0-2 in Nashville business adventures, but let's focus on the positive.

According to this article from American Songwriter
The office building was bought up by Parton and The Dollywood Co. for a whopping $75 million. The enterprise is an effort by the “I Will Always Love You” singer to invest in the future of Nashville–a cause near and dear to her heart.


I'll keep an eye on this and report back when I hear updates.  Watch this space. 

May 7, 2024 Update

Still no official word from Dollywood regarding this project, however, some savvy internet sleuths found a trademark application from Dollywood for "Dolly Parton's Songteller Hotel''.  

Do note how Dollywood has named the on-site resorts at the park.  They are named "Dollywood's DreamMore Resort" and Dollywood's HeartSong Resort", no mention of Dolly in the name.  But this trademark is "Dolly Parton's Songteller Hotel''.  So, while I'm not positive that the trademark is for the Nashville hotel, I'm leaning towards that being true for this simple difference in names.  I do want to caution however, that Dolly and Dollywood keep info pretty tight, so I could be way off base.  Maybe they're opening a new hotel in Pensacola, Florida, where they also own property??  You just never know with them and so, this is just my feeling based on the information we have so far.

this is what was flying around, causing lots of speculation.

The investigation Begins! ๐Ÿ”Ž

I did some sleuthing of my own and found a bit more info.  In the online file attached to the 984... number above, there are three sets of goods and services that Dollywood notes in the application, that would occur at this property.  That gives an idea or two of what they're planning in Nashville - or wherever the SongTeller hotel may be.  ๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ˜‰

By the way, this is all on the internet and is publicly available information!  Check it out here, if you like.  If you're able to shed more knowledge about this trademark application process, please do in the comments!!!


  • Gift Shop
  • Resort Services
  • Hotel Accommodation
  • Restaurants - plural
  • Catering Services
  • Offering Conference Rooms and services
  • Offering Exhibition space, as a service
  • Offering Meeting facilities, as a service
  • Banquet rental services for weddings, social functions and special events.
  • Health spa services
    • mani/pedi
    • facials
    • massage
    • beauty salon services
    • hair cutting
    • nail care
    • skin care
    • makeup application
    • body and facial waxing
All of this sounds like they're planning on a nice property, not unlike what you will find at DreamMore and HeartSong resorts at Dollywood.  They're staying in their hospitality lane!

Watch this space as more information becomes known!

November 11, 2024 Update

Dollywood has confirmed that a hotel is in the works, as well as confirming the Songteller name, but not too much else beyond that.  In new news regarding the hotel, Dollywood has secured permits to begin the renovations that will transform this property into a hotel, you can read that story below if you wish.

Dolly Parton Building Nashville Hotel - Connect CRE


April 30, 2025 Update from Nashville Business Journal






According to the NBJ

 

"The 12-story hotel will include three public space levels on floors one, two and eleven, according to Metro records. The first level will offer a greeter lobby for guests, and the second level will include a hotel lobby, entertainment dining venue, kitchen and four guest rooms.

A dining and bar venue will be held on the eleventh floor as well as a supporting kitchen for the space, Metro records show."

"The project team is currently seeking approval from the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency Design Review Committee related to awnings and signage for the building.

Approval is being sought for design of the building’s main entrance on Commerce Street, as well as the back of the building which currently holds the entrance for breakfast restaurant First Watch."


Check out the SongTeller Hotel's Instagram Page - Click Here

๐ŸŸก๐ŸšŒNew Grayline One-Day Bus Tour from Downtown Nashville to Dollywood and back๐ŸšŒ๐ŸŸก

Hi Everyone, It recently came to my attention that Grey Line Bus Tours offers a Nashville-to-Dollywood-Nashville one-day trip available for ...