FINAL_FW2607-08_DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 55
ON Brand
DO
L LY '
S TE N N ES SE A N T R
AV
E
LS
TO
P
WHO WOULD CONSIDER A GAS STATION AS
SOMETHING IMMERSIVE—or as an attraction in its own right? Next exit: Dolly’s
Tennessean Travel Stop, off Interstate
65 in Cornersville, Tennessee.
This new roadside travel stop
from IAAPA Hall of Famer Dolly
Parton goes beyond the namesake’s
Pigeon Forge theme park. From
the outset, the team designed the
property so that “Dolly’s influence
is thoughtfully woven throughout
the entire guest experience, from the
moment visitors arrive,” says Gregory
H. Sachs, partner of Dolly’s Tennessean
Travel Stop. That influence appears not as
memorabilia, but as atmosphere. Warmth, hospitality, and Tennessee charm is “...reflected in the
food, retail offerings, design details, and storytelling elements
across the property,” Sachs says. Menu items are pulled directly
from Dolly’s own cookbook.
This new era of roadside attraction opened in June and distinguishes itself through iconic visual anchors. Sachs describes to
Funworld features designed to
“create a sense of place
that feels distinctly
Tennessee.” A
custom mural and a Dolly-inspired tour bus serve
as both landmarks and storytelling devices,
inviting guests to linger, explore, and engage
rather than rush back to the highway. In
Sachs’ words, “most travel stops are
focused on getting people in and out
quickly.” Yet this one is intentionally
designed to feel welcoming, enjoyable, and worth the visit.
In Shanghai, the Nanjing Road
shopping district is lined with brand
name stores so immersive in their
design that the walk-in exploration
experience often eclipses the act of shopping itself. Pop Mart—the Beijing-born toy
brand now found worldwide and known for
its collectible blind-box figurines and characters
like Cry Babies and Labubu—houses a futuristic,
space-themed interior that feels like stepping into a sleek spacecraft. Just steps away, Choc Choco offers a chocolate-lover’s
dream: part candy shop, part
free-entry museum,
complete with towering carved chocolate
sculptures that make
a visit as experiential as it is sweet.
“
M AT T
HEW ACKE RM A
Dolly’s
influence
is thoughtfully
woven throughout
the entire guest
experience.
MICHAEL COSTELLO
N
—Gregory H. Sachs,
Dolly’s Tennessee Travel
Stop
IAAPA.org/Funworld | JULY/AUGUST 2026 | Funworld
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