A must visit for any country music lover – this is the country’s longest running radio broadcast, dating from 1925 with the first show broadcasted on Nashville station WSM – now a 50,000 watt radio station that still broadcasts the Friday and Saturday Opry shows and plays country music full time (including being able to listen live via the Internet). Sirius XM Radio Channel 59 (Willie’s Place) also broadcasts these shows on the weekends. Remarkably these shows have continued uninterrupted – through wars, even a major flood om 2010 in which the water went right up to the stage and a viral outbreak in 2020.
The Grand Ole Opry has had a number of homes since its beginning including prior to its current home, the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville just off of Broadway, a major entertainment district. The Grand Ole Opry moved to its current home in 1974 – about a 20 minute drive from downtown Nashville with no traffic. Not only is the Opry located here but numerous shops, restaurants, an aquarium and the huge Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. As a result of all this commercial development a number of huge parking lots surround the various complexes.
One doesn’t just come to the Grand Ole Opry to just see the outside – an integral part of any visit here are their tours. They are relaxed and offer an informative look into the behind the scenes, history and stories of this iconic destination. They start with a short inspiration video and continue to the backstage area, pass by the Opry’s tiny post office, visits a number of the dressing rooms and culminate with a onstage visit including an opportunity to ‘stand in the spotlight’ and have your photo taken from the 6-foot diameter rounded wooden part of the stage that was taken from the Ryman Auditorium.
This history of the venue is remarkable – Johnny Cash first met June Carter here, the Bluegrass genre was revealed to a larger audience on its stage, Richard Nixon and Roy Acuff were on stage the second night it opened in its current location and the number of prominent performers over the years is lengthy – even Elvis performed here for one night. The Grand Ole celebrated its 100th year anniversary in 2025. For more information and to purchase tour tickets, visit: www.opry.com
Leave a Reply