Ryman Auditorium (116 5th Ave N), Nashville: Photos, Reviews & Location

Known as the "Mother Church of Country Music," this venue hosts diverse concerts & daily tours.

At a glance

#5 of 57 Tourist attractions in Nashville #3 of 22 Gift shops in Nashville

LocalGuideWorld score: 4.80

0.2 km from the center of Nashville

Rating breakdown

5 ★85%
4 ★10%
3 ★3%
2 ★1%
1 ★1%

What reviewers talk about

Share of 15 recent reviews that mention each topic.

Price & value47%
Atmosphere40%
Service & staff33%
View27%
Waiting & crowds27%
Cleanliness20%

116 5th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219, United States

ryman.com

+1 615-889-3060

Photos of Ryman Auditorium (127)

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Quick facts

What is the rating of Ryman Auditorium?: Ryman Auditorium is rated 4.8 out of 5 based on 31,697 reviews.
How does Ryman Auditorium rank in Nashville?: Ryman Auditorium is #5 of 57 Tourist attractions in Nashville by LocalGuideWorld score (rating weighted by number of reviews).
Where is Ryman Auditorium located?: 116 5th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219, United States — 0.2 km from the center of Nashville.
What do visitors mention most about Ryman Auditorium?: Most often: price & value, atmosphere, service & staff (from 15 recent reviews).
How can I contact Ryman Auditorium?: Phone: +1 615-889-3060 · Website: ryman.com

Reviews (15)

Kevin Madigan 2024 Feb 28

Self guided tour taken on February 19th, 2024. Reasonable price, beautiful theater and they included a pair of photos of us on stage taken during the tour and access to see Johnny Cash’s tour bus which is parked outside the auditorium.

Andrew Ewing 2024 Feb 26

Wonderful venue. Warm sound. Good atmosphere. This place is dripping with history. The fixtures breathe waves of textural audio waves of the kind …. Kind…. The place is magical.

Danielle Ford 2024 Jan 07

The Ryman tour is really quite amazing. I’ve been to the Ryman before, but doing the tour was really cool. My father and I got to stroll through the auditorium, reading about the history of the tabernacle and seeing different exhibits from different artists. Definitely worth the time.

Joe Watts 2023 Dec 28

I went both to the tour in the morning and Vince Gill Amy Grant Christmas show that night.
The tour was great and well worth the extra time I. The movie alone 3D made me feel like I had got my money's worth. Getting a picture is fun. Great walking around seeing the memorabilia. Amazing place. The show spoke for itself!! Not a bad seat in the place. Great experience. Friendly staff. Gift shop nice too.

Sandra Christensen 2023 Dec 22

We went to see Amy Grant and Vince Gill's Christmas Show. We were extremely pleased with the ease of getting in even though several bus loads of people were in line as well. It was great being in this historic building. We did have a column in our view but it did not diminish the entertainment or our evening at all. This was our first visit to the Ryman for a show. We had toured it many years ago. We drove in from the Lexington, Kentucky area and would definitely do this again. Vince Gill and Amy Grant were great!!

Miss Val 2023 Dec 09

I had a ticket to a show in the evening and decided to take the self-guided tour earlier in the day. I bought my ticket I site and not in advance. There was just a short wait for the tour to begin. thoroughly enjoyed this experience. They show you a short film to start on the history of the building. Then you take yourself throughout the building. They had some artist memorabilia showcased and you get a free picture of yourself at the end of the tour - free print and then $5 to purchase a digital download. The staff/volunteers were all friendly and knowledgeable. The Johnny Cash bus was on-site and that was accessible with your tour ticket.

The sound and energy during the show I saw that evening was incredible. I highly recommend taking the tour and seeing a live show here!! I’m sure I will be back! Also - I had purchased a seat that said obstructed view at the end of an aisle (section 3 - row M) and I can assure you my visibility was not that obstructed.

Laura Jaskot 2023 Oct 27

Loved the history. Took the self-guided tour and it was worth every penny. Really enjoyed being in the place where so many got their start. If you like history, or country music, or both, add this to your list of places to visit.

Susan Farley 2023 Oct 26

Fantastic venue! Acoustics are perfect! Excellent place to see your favorite artist. I saw mine:) Brandy Clark is the next Country Music legend in the making...

Mark Drook 2023 Oct 19

Fantastic shows both Friday and Saturday. I love the residency program it makes my drive more affordable when I can catch multiple shows! The staff as always was outstanding the lines for concessions and bathrooms moved well and we're not outlandish. My balcony seats were outstanding and the sound top notch. The best at any venue I've been in. The place was clean also. Nice that they have a band in the courtyard while waiting to enter. Bravo! My wait time to get in included me showing up an hour early to get a Hatch Print. I always meet music lovers so I don't mind.

lenswork4 2023 Oct 19

A historic and pleasant venue to see a show. Watched a concert here last week and it was great. This is an old time place so there are some columns that may obstruct your view. Staff are incredibly pleasant and helpful. They truly care about your experience. It was very clean in the seating areas and the bathrooms. Only reason for 4 starts instead of 5 is the concession stand is BEYOND expensive. Enjoy the show.

Shelly Justason 2023 Oct 06

The tour exceeded my expectations. So much history here with the Ryman story and the endless talent over the years. Fabulous history video to start. We also attended 2 shows during the week. Daniel Tosh Comedy and Ringo and his Allstars. Great small venue. Both were wonderful. I do recommend putting yourself on the email list for planning so you can get tickets when they go on sale. So much various talent!

Steve Dickey 2023 Sep 29

The Ryman is an icon. I loved siting in benches where so many have enjoyed a show and a stage where thousands of talented musicians have graced their presence with. For the real bits, if you are waiting for a show go over to the ASSEMBLY FOOD HALL they have public bathrooms upstairs and my advice is parking is tight as far away as feel comfortable walking, all the people that parked close were stuck in traffic that we were able to bypass by not being right across from the Ryman. Also visit the gift shop! When I come back(and I will come back) I plan on taking the tour, I hear it is really awesome.

Martin Morris 2023 Sep 11

We completed the self guided tour on a Sunday and it was an awesome experience. Right from the amazing video introduction through to the cool displays, to the auditorium itself.

You can't help but get caught up in the emotion that the multitude of stars would have felt and still no doubt feel to this day when walking through the Ryman and taking the stage.

I would happily recommend a visit to the Ryman to anyone that has an interest in music.

Kailey Parks 2023 Sep 08

The history in this building is really neat - but let's talk about the physical experience of attending a show here. Very often the folks who perform are doing so to a sold-out crowd. This church was built when humans occupied much less space than they do today. If you are 6 foot, it will be painful because there is no room for your knees. If you are even simply moderately sized, you will personally extend over the allotted space for your "seat". And even if *you* don't have long legs or happen to be a thin person, if you have the misfortune of being in a row with a couple other larger folks and your row is full, everyone will be squashed, because they are church pews and many sections don't have any type of seat divider. I know the pews are historic and we want to keep them historic, but the venue DESPERATELY needs to realign the spacing. Charge more per ticket if you have to, but I want to be able to take a full deep breath without every inch of my side body touching the stranger next to me. It's *genuinely* worse than any old, teeny tiny Broadway theater seat in NYC, and I have been in some bad ones. The positive: The acoustics in the venue are great, the bathrooms were clean and modern, the staff is kind. I appreciate that you can take in your beverages to the show, but I had people who spilled their open cup by kicking it on the floor and it dripped down into my space so my floor was covered. Nowhere to put your bag if the seats are all full and the floor is covered in red sticky liquid. ☠️

Elliot Schumacher 2023 Aug 11

The Ryman Auditorium is an essential stop for anyone visiting Nashville, even if you don't have tickets or there is no show that day, it's worth stopping at. I say this because it is located in the heart of downtown Nashville, surrounded by a vibrant and safe environment full of wonderful retail shopping and all kinds of dining.

I went to a concert this summer and got tickets for the front row of the balcony. They were the most amazing seats, and I got them for about $100 each! There was nobody to stand in front of me or block my view, and my buddy and I had the time of our lives!

With it's rich history, our band opened by saying that it was a dream of theirs to play at the Ryman, and then proceeded to put on the best live show I've ever seen from them (and I've seen them play live 11 times before). In summary, if there IS a show, GO! If not, stop by and take pictures of the statues outside before continuing on to the surrounding attractions like Printer's Alley (the main street for all the bars and pubs). I recommend staying in a hotel downtown. You can walk everywhere with ease. Everything is close and safe, and you won't have to worry about drinking and driving.