Ryman Auditorium

The Ryman Auditorium is Nashville’s most legendary stage. Opened in 1892 as the Union Gospel Tabernacle, it earned the nickname “Mother Church of Country Music” after hosting the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974. But beyond music, the Ryman has played a starring role in Nashville’s film and television history.

In the 1910s, Ryman Auditorium hosted stock theater companies, concerts, lectures and early silent film screenings like The Tuskegee Industrial Film (1913), produced by Booker T. Washington to showcase African American education and progress. By the 1960s, the Ryman’s instantly recognizable interior made it a popular setting for filmmakers and television shows. 

The Ryman first appeared on screen in Waylon Jennings’s Nashville Rebel (1966). In 1972, a music documentary called The Nashville Sound captured real Opry performances from the Ryman’s stage during its annual birthday bash. In 1979, director John Carpenter brought the venue to life in a made-for-TV biopic about Elvis, starring Kurt Russell. 

In 1980, Coal Miner’s Daughter premiered with Sissy Spacek delivering an unforgettable portrayal of Loretta Lynn—a performance that earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress. Walk the Line (2005) followed in its footsteps, filming key scenes at the Ryman with Reese Witherspoon as June Carter. She, too, took home the Oscar for Best Actress. Fittingly, it was backstage at the Ryman where June Carter first met Johnny Cash at the Opry in 1956.

Ryman Auditorium also appears in Clint Eastwood’s Honkytonk Man (1982) and Sweet Dreams (1985), the Patsy Cline biopic starring Jessica Lange. It also served as the venue for several live concert films—Neil Young’s Heart of Gold (2006), Erasure’s On the Road to Nashville (2007), and comedian Bill Burr’s Netflix special Walk Your Way Out (2017). 

At the Ryman, ordinary people have become stars—on stage and on screen. As Loretta Lynn says in Coal Miner’s Daughter: “I ain’t a star. . . a star is something up in the night sky. People look at them and make wishes. But I’m just a girl from Butcher Holler.”

That down-to-earth spirit lives on at the Ryman, where music and storytelling take center stage. Want to learn more? You’re in luck—Nashville Sites features several tours that explore the Ryman: from hidden history to social movements and from architecture to music. Just type “Ryman Auditorium” into the search bar to discover how this landmark has shaped—and been shaped by—Nashville’s story.

Time to hop back in the car and head north on Rep. John Lewis Way to visit two historic theater sites. As you drive, listen to the next stop about the Bijou Theatre, then continue on to Germantown to see the former Peafowl Theatre. For GPS, enter: 1120 4th Ave North.

Cross James Robertson Parkway, then turn RIGHT onto Jefferson Street and LEFT onto 4th Avenue North. Look for Little Hats Market on your right. This is the former site of Peafowl Theatre. Park nearby and feel free to go inside. This delicious Italian market and sandwich shop still features the theater’s original tile floor.