A Visit to the Amazing Ryman Auditorium

Known as "The Mother Church of Country Music," the Ryman Auditorium began its life, if not as a church, as a tabernacle. The dream of Southern Evangelist Rev. Samuel Jones and the reformed riverboat captain Thomas Green Ryman, the auditorium has a career that spans over a hundred years of Nashville history. This unique partnership began when the Rev. Jones brought his tent to town to preach a mission. All the saloons were closed down, and with nothing to do, Captain Ryman and his cronies went down to heckle the reverend. 

The wily reverend preached about the love of a mother, and his message found fertile ground in Captain Ryman, much to his and everyone else’s surprise. The Captain promised Rev. Jones that he would never have to preach in a tent again and then began raising the money to build his tabernacle. Seven years later, in 1897, the tabernacle was completed, and on the Reverend’s insistence, became the Ryman Auditorium.

You will notice that the exterior looks more like a church than an auditorium, with its red brick and colored windows. Begin your tour by sitting down (in a church pew) and listening to an 8-minute video narrated by Trisha Yearwood. It gives you the background of the Ryman and its place in the history of country music.

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After the video, you can walk around the auditorium and look at all the displays of memorabilia related to the Ryman. The collection includes costumes, records, and trivia from Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Tex Ritter, and many others. If you have always dreamed of being on the stage, this is your chance. You can walk right up there, belt out a tune and even get your picture taken doing it. If you are really lucky, you will walk in on someone very good rehearsing. 

After its time as a revival tabernacle, the Ryman became home to the Grand Ole Opry for many years. This auditorium said to have acoustics second only to the Mormon Tabernacle, has seen the greats of country music come through its doors over the years. For a while between the 1970s, when the Opry moved to its new home, and 1993, the future of the Ryman was unsure. In 1993, Gaylord Entertainment made a commitment to restore this historic landmark. 

Today, the Ryman Auditorium has a full schedule of entertainment planned. You can see everything from contemporary music to jazz and classics here. You can either get a ticket for a self-guided tour or a ticket for an event and get to hear the acoustics for yourself. 

Seeing a performance here should be part of any visit to Nashville. I have been lucky enough to see three performances here and even got to tour backstage.