July 25, 2026 · music · venues · guides
The Ryman Auditorium is the one Nashville landmark that lives up to every word written about it. Built as a tabernacle in 1892, home of the Grand Ole Opry for thirty years, and still the best-sounding room in the city. Musicians talk about playing it the way actors talk about Broadway.
It’s across the river from us, not down the street. But it’s a five-minute drive, and a Ryman night is worth planning a trip around.
Vince Gill’s residency runs multiple nights across late July and early August. A Hall of Famer playing an extended run in the room he’s most associated with, which is about as Nashville as an evening gets.
Metric, Broken Social Scene and Stars bring the All The Feelings Tour on August 4 — a Canadian indie triple bill that would fill an arena elsewhere and is playing 2,300 seats here.
Chance the Rapper on August 30, which is exactly the kind of booking that shows the Ryman isn’t a country museum.
Masego on September 2, and The Pretty Reckless with Paris Jackson on September 3.
Ray LaMontagne with The Weather Station on September 4 and 5 — two nights, and the Ryman’s acoustics were built for that voice.
Roger Daltrey with Leslie Mendelson on September 9.
Note that September is also AmericanaFest week, when the Ryman hosts the Americana Honors & Awards and the whole city fills up.
Dates shift and shows get added constantly, so check the official calendar before you commit.
Don’t drive downtown. Ryman parking is expensive and the lots empty slowly. Leave your car in our lot and take a rideshare; it’s about five minutes each way and cheaper than parking.
Eat on this side first. Downtown restaurants near the Ryman are priced for tourists and booked for conventions. Have dinner at Lockeland Table or Butcher & Bee on the east side, then head over.
Come back for the nightcap. After the show, Broadway is a crush. Attaboy is next door, literally adjacent to the building, and it’s a better drink than anything you’ll find downtown.
Take the tour if you have a spare morning. The Ryman runs daytime tours, and the backstage history is genuinely worth it even if you’re seeing a show that night.
The best Nashville trips use downtown for the landmark moments and the east side for everything else — where you eat, where you drink, where you sleep. The Ryman is the landmark worth crossing the river for. Then you come home to a quiet street, a full kitchen, and a parking spot you never had to think about.
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