We woke up this morning and had a continental breakfast at the hotel before heading for downtown Nashville. It’s a humid summer day, so I thought it best to get most of our walking around done before the hottest part of the day.
We toured Ryman Auditorium which was home to the Grand Ole Opry for the period from the late 1940s to 1973. We watched a quick movie and got to go stand on the Opry stage. Kind of humbling when you think of all of the acts that have come through there. The pews were the originals from the 1890s when this place was originally a church. Visions of Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl and others flow through my head (kind of like that Gretchen Wilson video).
The building stood empty and neglected after 1973 until Gaylor Entertainment purchased and refurbished it in the 1990s. The acoustics and stained glass are remarkable. Then we had a guided tour with a gentleman named Buddy. He had worked there in the 1960s and 1970s and personally knew the great ones from Minnie Pearl to Johnny Cash. He told of a Marty Robbins who worked himself to death, a proud and dedicated Minnie Pearl, a wild George Jones, and a temper-filled Johnny Cash. His tour made the visit worthwhile by itself.
Next we toured the Country Music Hall of Fame and had a couple of sodas in their beautiful lobby. We saw exhibits from the early 20th century through today. They had almost everyone in country music represented from Willie Nelson’s bandanna to Buck Owens’ guitar.
Next we toured the Hermitage just outside Nashville. This was the home of President Andrew Jackson. The gardens were beautiful and the house was extremely well preserved. They even have original wallpaper from the 1830s. It was touching to hear about the president’s love for his wife who died just before he took office as well. The only drawback was the 3/4 mile walk to and from the visitors’ center in the heat. It was also disheartening to see how the youth (and their parents) on the tour knew so little about history. Heck, they couldn’t even remember whose house they were touring and had to ask the guide!!!
We had a late lunch at Panera and we’re now getting ready to head to tonight’s show at the new Opry.