The radio show that made country music famous, the Grand Ole Opry aired its first broadcast in 1925 and continues to entertain music lovers to this day. Held weekly, the show involves a fast-moving, rotating cast of musicians performing onstage, with past guests including legends like Hank Williams and Patsy Cline. It moved from the Ryman Auditorium downtown to this eponymous, purpose-built theater in 1974, and while you won’t find much else in the area, a trek to the Opry is a Nashville tradition worth indulging.
large guitar outside Grand Ole Opry House building Nashville Tennessee USA
Joe Fox/age fotostock
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Take a backstage tour of the Opry
What better way to experience the Grand Ole Opry than by taking a sneak peak behind the scenes. Look out for the artist’s post boxes and the separate themed dressing rooms. You never know who you might meet either. We bumped into Lauren Alaina
The Show that Made Country Music Famous
The Grand Ole Opry is a live weekly concert and radio broadcast (the longest running in US history), dedicated to honoring country music and its history. Every once in a while, they’ll let bluegrass, folk, or gospel musicians share the stage, but really, people come here to listen to the country greats. Over the years, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Carrie Underwood, and Garth Brooks have performed here...and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The Grand Ole Opry also had its curious share of non-country performers: President Nixon, Kevin Costner, Jack Black, Kevin Bacon, and many more. It’s an institution, and its highly coveted membership remains one of country music’s crowning achievements.
