Dolly Parton’s secret two-bedroom hideaway in small town California – with adorable features

Country music legend Dolly Parton quietly owned a modest farmhouse in the quaint Danish-style town of Solvang, California for nearly a decade — a secret retreat that flew under the radar despite her larger-than-life fame.

Located in the heart of Santa Ynez Valley, the property is a far cry from the glitz and glamour of a Hollywood mansion. The home is an unadorned 1920’s-era farmhouse — a sweet little spot that current owner Cris Lapp says may have appealed to Dolly precisely because it didn’t stand out.

The humble white home is on the corner of Alisal Road and Maple Avenue, and was purchased in 2004 through Dolly Parton Enterprises, according to reports. The house was reportedly outfitted with a handful of privacy-focused features designed to keep the star out of sight, including windows that reflected the outside scenery so onlookers couldn’t peer inside.

To keep prying eyes away, Dolly installed a unique latticework corridor leading to the back door — essentially a “paparazzi-proof” tunnel so she could slip in and out of her sanctuary in peace. The primary bedroom also had seven locks that could be secured from within, creating an extra layer of security. “She paparazzi-proofed the whole house,” Lapp told SFGate.

Parton left behind several “Dolly-isms” that still define the property, according to the current owner. The space allegedly included a small “wig room” in the garage — a scaled-down version of the wig storage setup at Parton’s Tennessee compound. The long driveway also has a touching bird house replica of a chapel on the property, seemingly modeled after the one at the Dollywood theme park.

The front yard features a whimsical mini windmill and wooden tulips — decor choices that fit right in with Solvang’s famous Danish-inspired aesthetic.

The secret hideaway stayed largely unknown until years later, when property records and building permits tied the home back to Parton’s company.

In 2022, the property sold for about $1.3 million to Lapp, a developer who discovered the relics from its celebrity past, according to SFGate.

The home has become a local landmark, and dubbed “Solvang’s Dollywood” with its own dedicated Instagram page.

Today, the former Parton property is occupied by other tenants and has been converted into three long-term rental units.