Nashville: The Ryman Auditorium

The Ryman Auditorium is another definite must-see if you're visiting Nashville. The history as the Union Gospel Tabernacle transformed into a stage that became the Grand Ole Opry — a famous radio show and platform for the origins of rise of modern-day country music (that has since moved to a larger venue literally called the Grand Ole Opry and is also worth checking out) — is a testament to the venue itself. Not to mention that the Ryman's acoustics are second only to the Mormon Tabernacle. I can vouch that they really are purely amazing.

Visiting the Ryman feels similar to visiting the historic RCA Studio B — it's like the living history of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Except it's still in use for performances today.

April and I were fortunate to get tickets to the show. They only had standing room left, but I actually preferred our spot to some of the spots in the pews. I liked being able to stand and listen to all the different performances going on.

If you have time, I'd also recommend a tour to learn more about the history, and through the tour, go on stage and backstage if possible. It's a great opry-tunity ;) 

From March 2013:

On our very last day in Nashville...we saw the Ryman Auditorium and got the opportunity to go on stage, and also backstage and see all the dressing rooms, including a room dedicated to Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash who performed there.