Dolly Parton Abandons Dollywood Following Theme Park Shut Down, Opens New Business Instead

It looks like Dolly Parton is once again veering away from her duty as Dreamer-in-Chief at Dollywood, and setting her sights on yet another new business venture.

While many celebrities stay busy creating their own brands with various products, it is hard to imagine another star who has stayed as busy as Dolly Parton after the country star confirmed her retirement (well, from touring).

Parton once mentioned that she believes not having children allowed her to achieve everything she has in her career. Despite this, she has been married to her husband, Carl Dean, for nearly 60 years, and he remains the only reason she would ever consider stepping away from her work.

She revealed, “I would only retire if I was ill or if my husband was ill and needed me. That’d be the only thing that would make me pull back.” While she has been married to Dean for decades, he has famously stayed out of the spotlight and only supported Parton from afar. Dean is currently fighting Alzheimer’s, which is why Dolly took a step back from touring.

“I don’t tour anymore. I’ve got so many business things I’m doing. And my husband and I are getting older…and I kind of need to be with him.”

Parton added that performers have to “be committed to that [touring]. And I did that all my life.”

More recently, Parton has found a way around the whole “tour retirement” declaration.

Although she has retired from touring, the country music icon still wants to offer fans the chance to experience her music live. To that end, she is launching a new “multimedia symphonic storytelling experience,” set to begin in 2025.

On Tuesday, May 21, Parton and her team unveiled “Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony,” with its inaugural performance scheduled for March 20, 2025, featuring the Nashville Symphony.

According to Variety, this new venture will present “Dolly’s songs and the stories behind them through an innovative multimedia symphonic experience, combining live visuals of Dolly with a musical journey through her songs, life, and narratives.”

That is not all Parton has been up to.

She has released a wine collection called Dolly Wines, a new home kitchen collection with Dollar General, a new cookbook called “Good Lookin’ Cookin'”, a partnership with Krispy Kreme, she is launching a Pirates Voyage Dinner Show in Florida, and that is just within the past few months.

She is also a 50% co-owner of Dollywood, located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

While The Dolly Parton Experience recently opened, and the theme park has been winning accolade after accolade when it comes to polls and visitor responses ranking the theme park higher than Disney on multiple occasions, the park has also had to deal with theft, multiple unexpected closures, and flooding this year.

The most recent closure came last month, on July 17, just moments after the park opened, leaving thousands of guests disappointed and wanting refunds.

While Dollywood typically only offers “rain checks” which is the opportunity to revisit the park during the season again for free when something goes wrong that warrants a shutdown, the park did offer full refunds to those who needed or preferred that route in this case as it was not a weather-related closure, but a technical one.

It appears that Parton, while attending the theme park during the big events like her new “attraction” opening, based on her life, she stays away when the smaller day to day issues occur so that she has enough time to participate in other ventures.

Now, another business opportunity has snagged Dolly from Dollywood yet again.

Dolly Parton is diving into the world of beauty with her new brand launch.

The 78-year-old country star is introducing her makeup line, “Dolly Beauty,” which will feature her Heaven’s Kiss lipstick collection. Each lipstick will be named after one of her hit songs.

Parton gave a glimpse of the brand on Tuesday via Instagram, posting a photo of herself in a makeup chair, holding a tube of lipstick.

“I feel glamorous on the inside, so I want to look like it on the outside… something is coming @dollybeauty,” Parton captioned the post.

 

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In an interview with WWD, the “Rockin’ Years” singer shared that the collection will be inclusive, with lipsticks available in a “Coat of Many Colors” range.

“I like to name my products after songs,” Parton told WWD. “It’s important to offer a variety of colors so that everyone who wears makeup can enjoy them.”

Parton also revealed that her passion for beauty inspired her to create “Dolly Beauty.”

“I’ve always said I never leave a rhinestone unturned,” she explained. “I’ve wanted to be pretty my whole life, like most girls, especially country girls with a dream of glamor. I started making my own little makeup creations as a kid, and I’ve been known for wearing makeup—sometimes a bit too much—for years.”

Before launching her makeup line, Parton released a fragrance line, “Scent From Above,” in 2021. She told WWD that the perfume line was just the beginning.

“I’ve always wanted my own wig line,” Parton said. “But I’ve always loved makeup, and after launching the fragrance, makeup seemed like the next logical step. In the future, we’ll explore other beauty products, including possibly hair care. Every day brings new dreams.”

“Dolly Beauty” is set to launch on August 22 and will be available through the brand’s website.

While Dolly Parton’s name may be on the grassroots-inspired theme park, it is impossible for Parton to give her undivided attention to running that business while dealing with her personal life, as well as her ever-growing resume of alternate businesses.

The global beauty industry was valued at over $617.2 billion in 2023, according to EUROMONITOR INTERNATIONAL, a market research company. This is a 9% annual growth rate, and the industry is projected to reach $670.8 billion in 2024.

On the other hand, the global amusement park market was valued at $56.32 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach $91.31 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 6.2%.

So, Parton certainly has more to gain by tackling beauty head-on.

Do you plan on purchasing something from Dolly Parton’s new beauty line?