The tour bus is the rolling home of a band on the road, fitted with narrow bunks, a small lounge and a kitchenette, so that the band can sleep between cities instead of checking into a new hotel every night. For newcomers it is a budget necessity; for big names it is a private apartment on wheels.
Dolly Parton’s may be the most visited of all. The coach she used while touring heavily in the 1980s and 1990s is on display at Dollywood, her theme park in Tennessee, where small groups can peek at the bunk beds, the television with its own video recorder, the two bathrooms and her private bedroom. In 2022 the resort went further and offered overnight stays on another of her motorcoaches, long used as her writing den, under the name Suite 1986 Tour Bus Experience: two nights minimum, from 10,000 dollars, with part of the proceeds going to the Dollywood Foundation. A bunk has rarely been so exclusive.