Ryman Auditorium

State: Tennessee. Type: historic live-music venue in downtown Nashville, known as the "Mother Church of Country Music." Opened 1892 as the Union Gospel Tabernacle; renamed Ryman Auditorium in 1904. Home of the Grand Ole Opry from June 5, 1943 to March 15, 1974. Seating capacity: 2,362. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark since 2022. Address: 116 Rep. John Lewis Way North, Nashville, TN 37219.

The Ryman Auditorium began life as the Union Gospel Tabernacle, built in 1892 after a seven-year construction effort spearheaded by Nashville businessman Thomas Ryman as a home for revivalist preacher Samuel Porter Jones. Following Ryman's death, the building was renamed Ryman Auditorium in 1904. Designed by architect Hugh Cathcart Thompson at a cost of about $100,000, the hall's simple wooden pews and lack of a backstage area shaped Nashville's music culture, as performers waited in nearby alleys between sets. The Ryman's most famous era began June 5, 1943, when the Grand Ole Opry began broadcasting from the hall, a residency that lasted almost 31 years and earned the building its enduring nickname, the "Mother Church of Country Music." After the Opry moved to a new venue in 1974, the Ryman sat largely dormant until a renovation beginning in 1993 brought it back into regular use, reopening June 4, 1994 with its current 2,362-seat capacity. It remains an active concert venue and offers self-guided and guided daytime tours, and it was designated a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark in 2022.

The Ryman sits at 116 Rep. John Lewis Way North in downtown Nashville, within easy walking distance of the lower Broadway honky-tonk district.

Nashville has a humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and mild-to-cool winters. Since the Ryman's daytime tours and evening shows both take place indoors, weather affects only the walk to and from the venue rather than the visit itself; specific seasonal temperature figures were not gathered from the sources used for this entry.

Because both daytime tours and evening concerts happen indoors, the Ryman can be visited comfortably year-round; travelers hoping to see a specific touring artist should instead time their trip around the venue's published event calendar rather than the season.

Built in 1892 as the Union Gospel Tabernacle at a cost of roughly $100,000 (about $3.6 million in 2025 dollars), the hall was renamed Ryman Auditorium in 1904 after founder Thomas Ryman's death. The Grand Ole Opry broadcast from the Ryman from June 5, 1943 until March 15, 1974, a run of nearly 31 years during which shows regularly sold out. After the Opry relocated, the building went largely unused for almost two decades before a renovation beginning in 1993 restored it to active use; it reopened June 4, 1994 with its present 2,362-seat capacity. In 2022 it was designated a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark.

Visitors can take a self-guided daytime tour of the auditorium, which includes access to the Hatch Show Print Gallery, a souvenir photo opportunity on the Ryman stage, the Opry 100 exhibit of artifacts from artists such as Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton, and the "Soul of Nashville" theater experience. A Guided Backstage Tour adds roughly 45 minutes of guided content on top of the self-guided experience. In the evenings, the Ryman continues to operate as a working concert hall hosting a regular schedule of touring artists.

Highlights include the historic wooden-pew auditorium itself, the Ryman stage (site of countless historic country-music performances), the Hatch Show Print Gallery, and the Opry 100 exhibit of music memorabilia.

Nashville International Airport (BNA) is the main air gateway; from there a rental car, taxi or rideshare reaches downtown Nashville, where the Ryman sits within walking distance of the Broadway entertainment district. Once downtown, the venue is easily reached on foot from most nearby hotels.

As of research, daytime tours run daily from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; evening concert times vary by event and are listed on the venue's events calendar. Confirm current tour and show times on ryman.com before visiting.

As of research, self-guided daytime tours were priced at $35.80 per person (children under 5 free), while the Guided Backstage Tour added roughly $10 more per person on top of the self-guided price. Concert ticket prices vary by show and are sold through the venue's events calendar and AXS. Confirm current pricing on ryman.com before visiting.

A self-guided daytime tour typically takes about an hour; adding the guided backstage portion extends a visit to roughly 90 minutes. Attending an evening concert is a separate, multi-hour commitment depending on the show.

The Ryman sits in the heart of downtown Nashville, an area dense with hotels of all types, from major chain properties to boutique hotels, within walking distance of the venue; no specific property names were verified from the sources used for this entry.

Downtown Nashville's Broadway strip, immediately adjacent to the Ryman, is lined with restaurants, honky-tonks and bars serving Southern and casual American food; specific business names were not verified from the sources used here.

The Ryman is a short walk from the lower Broadway honky-tonk district and other downtown Nashville attractions; specific nearby landmark names beyond Broadway were not independently verified from the sources used for this entry.

Nashville International Airport (BNA) is the primary air gateway to the city. Downtown Nashville has limited rail transit; most visitors rely on rideshare, taxi or walking once downtown, given the Ryman's central, walkable location.

As with any busy downtown entertainment district, keep an eye on personal belongings on crowded Broadway sidewalks near the venue, especially at night. For any emergency, dial 911.

Comfortable shoes are useful for the self-guided tour, which covers multiple levels of the historic building. For evening shows, checking the venue's bag policy in advance is worthwhile, as concert venues commonly restrict bag size.

Booking daytime tour tickets or concert tickets online in advance is recommended, particularly for popular touring artists whose shows can sell out. Pairing a Ryman tour with a walk down Broadway is a common way to spend a downtown Nashville afternoon.

Dial 911 for any emergency. No direct general-information phone number was found on the pages fetched for this entry; visitors should use the contact page linked on ryman.com.

Ryman Auditorium - https://ryman.com

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This section is being updated and will be available shortly.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.