Inside Dolly Parton’s Nashville Home
Dolly Parton is a singer, songwriter, actor, and author who has never been shy when speaking about her life before she became famous. The Queen of Country has been like an open book when it comes to discussing her childhood and the place where she grew up. But not many people know much about where she and her husband, Carl Dean, live today.
Here’s a peek inside Parton’s estate just outside of Nashville where she went to great lengths to make sure fans can’t get onto her property.
The childhood home where Parton grew up
Parton was born on Jan. 19, 1946, in a Sevier County mountain community in rural Tennessee. The “Jolene” artist is one of 12 children born to Avie Lee and Robert Lee Parton. Her parents didn’t have much money so the large family lived in a one-room cabin with no electricity or running water.
“We didn’t have any electricity except for the lightning bugs. If fireflies were out, we’d catch them in a mason jar and put them in our bedroom,” Parton explained during an appearance on The Nate Berkus Show. “Most people have four rooms and a bath; we had one room and a path. We had the little outdoor shack outback. It was a good life, and I loved growing up in the mountains.”
There is a replica of the cabin at Parton’s Dollywood theme park.
Her estate in Brentwood, Tennessee
In 1999, Parton bought a 3,324 square-foot home in Brentwood, Tennessee, for $400,000. She and Dean still reside in that same house today.
Aerial views of the property show that there is a tennis court, a swimming pool, gazebos, and a farm on the grounds. What the inside looked like had remained a mystery for years until 2018 when Parton was a guest on Reese Witherspoon’s YouTube series Shine On. Parton spoke about what it means to be a woman and much of their chat was shot in the “9 to 5” singer’s kitchen. Behind where Witherspoon and Parton were sitting were white wooden cupboards and a brown central island with white marble countertops. Also visible were two dishwashers, a double fridge, and a double oven; all of which are stainless steel.
During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Patron began to connect with her fans while on lockdown through videos that gave glimpses of other rooms inside the house.
When she spoke following the death of her good friend Kenny Rogers, she did so from her music room. Hello! noted that the space has a black piano and is decorated with cream walls and patterned green carpet, as well as floral blinds. Another spot she’s filmed messages in is her leaving room which has a cream leather armchair, a brown sofa with burgundy and brown patterned cushions, and a small mirrored side table holding a bubble lamp and a butterfly ornament. Parton also showed one hallway in her home that is painted light yellow and has a wooden banister leading upstairs.
Parton has a ‘no fans allowed’ rule at her home
Because Parton has lived at the same place for so long its location isn’t exactly a secret, so fans do stop by from time to time and take pictures in front of her gate. That’s fine, but what the star doesn’t want is folks trying to get onto her property and she’s done a few things to make sure her “no fans allowed” rule isn’t broken.
“I scouted all over Tennessee for a piece of land with hills in front and a stream around it,” she said as recorded in the book Dolly on Dolly. “It’s got a bitty bridge, and I made sure it’s just narrow enough so no tour bus can get over it. Carl and me can walk around stark naked there and nobody’d see … It’s a quiet, homey place for me and the special people in my life.”
