A lot of people say that the Grand Ole Opry is a must-see for Nashville visitor whether you are a country music fan or not, and I agree with them. According to Wikipedia: "The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music radio program and concert broadcast live on WSM radio in Nashville, Tennessee every Friday and Saturday night, as well as Tuesdays from March through December. It is the oldest continuous radio program in the United States, having been broadcast on WSM since October 5, 1925." The show has several 30 minutes segments. The first performer in each segment acts like a host, opens and closes the show with his/her singing, and introduces other performers as his/her guests before their performance. The show we saw had the following lineup:
6:30 – 7:00 Jimmy Dickens, Jimmy C. Newman, Jeannie Seely
7:00 – 7:30 John Conlee, George Hamilton IV, Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys, Chonda Pierce
7:30 – 8:00 Lorrie Morgan, Jack Greene, Jim Ed Brown
8:00 – 8:30 Steve Wariner, Jean Shepard, Riders In The Sky, Opry Square Dancers
8:30 – 9:00 Marty Stuart, Connie Smith, Loretta Lynn
If you are a country music fan, these names must mean a lot. To me, I have to admit that I felt pretty bored at times. But I still enjoyed the experience, knowing that I have watched some country music legends performing live.
1. The Grand Ole Opry House.
2. Get your tickets early if you can. The front and center tickets only cost several dollars more but it should be a much better experience than sitting in the back, or up in the balcony where we sat.
3. Lorrie Morgan performing.
4. Loretta Lynn and Marty Stuart.
While you are at Opryland, check out the Opryland Hotel next to the Grand Ole Opry House. It is the biggest non-casino hotel in the world. It has 2,883 rooms, three atriums that are covered by more than 8 acres of glass to form vast greenhouses full of tropical plants, "river", waterfalls, bridges, pathways, ponds, and fountains.
5. Inside the Opryland Hotel.
On the other side of the Grand Ole Opry House is the Opry Mills, a giant shopping mall with movie theater and restaurants inside. We ate at the Aquarium Restaurant, a theme restaurant with a 200,000 gallon aquarium in the middle. It has sharks, stingrays, giant eel (12 feet long), and many other fish inside. The waiter told us that only occasionally the sharks would eat the other fish. Too bad we didn't get to see it. :)
6. Inside the Aquarium Restaurant.
7. Inside the Aquarium Restaurant.
(To be continued)
