A performance at the Grand Ole Opry
The capital of Tennessee and of country music, Nashville is a 21st-century boom town, a cultural melting pot that attracts residents from across the nation and around the world. If the Ken Burns documentary Country Music sparked an appetite to learn more about the form’s roots and influences, this tour led by arts journalist Richard Selden offers the perfect way to do it: Several key locations featured in the film are part of the itinerary.
The 5-day tour follows the road to Nashville through the twin cities of Bristol, Virginia, and Bristol, Tennessee, home of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, with a stop at the Patsy Cline Historic House in Winchester, Virginia, on the return trip.
In Nashville, visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and enjoy a performance at the Grand Ole Opry from the best seats in the house. Explore beyond the music scene with a driving tour of the city’s architectural landmarks that includes the Tennessee State Capitol and Downtown Presbyterian Church, both by 19th-century architect William Strickland, and the Parthenon replica in Centennial Park. And it wouldn’t be a trip to Nashville without sampling both the traditional Southern food and contemporary cuisine for which the city is noted.
Other highlights of this one-of-a-kind visit include:
- A backstage tour of the Ryman Auditorium, dubbed the “Mother Church of Country Music.”
- Access to the Opry’s exclusive Circle Room lounge before and during the show, where you can sample bites from some of Nashville’s favorite restaurants, enjoy complimentary drinks, meet one of the evening’s performers, and receive a commemorative photo to take home.
- A driving tour along Lower Broadway, home of landmarks including the Ernest Tubb Record Shop and Tootsies Orchid Lounge, the legendary honky-tonk that’s a country music institution.
- A visit to the Johnny Cash Museum, displaying a comprehensive collection of Man in Black memorabilia.
- A group experience at Hatch Show Print, a working letterpress print shop founded in 1879 that has produced iconic posters for the Grand Old Opry, fairs, circuses, and musical acts.
- A visit to the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville, the 1928 movie palace that helped launch the career of fiddler Roy Acuff.
The group stays two nights in Nashville and one each in Bristol and Roanoke. This tour departs from Washington, D.C.
Please note: The tour includes both indoor and outdoor walking and standing, as well as extended bus rides.
Know Before You Go
- Cost includes bus transportation, lodging, all activities, admissions and fees, gratuities, and the following meals: 4 breakfast, 3 lunches, and 3 dinners.
- Update: Tour departs by bus from the Mayflower Hotel, Connecticut Ave. and DeSales St., NW, with a pick-up stop at the Hampton Inn Potomac Mills/Woodbridge at approximately 8:30 a.m.
- Single-room supplement $430 (factored into the Single Room Member and Single Room Nonmember pricing).
- Singles registering at the double-room rate are paired (on a nonsmoking basis) if possible, but must pay the single-room supplement otherwise.
- Detailed information is emailed to registrants about four weeks prior to departure.
- Participants are advised to purchase travel insurance for overnight and multi-day tours from a provider of your choice. Travel insurance provides additional coverage against unforeseen incidents that require last-minute cancellations.
General Information
- The tour departs by motorcoach from downtown Washington, DC with a designated secondary pick-up outside the city. Content delivered by the study leader on the way to the destination, after the secondary pick-up, is an integral part of the study tour experience. Meeting the group once the tour is en route is discouraged.
- Smithsonian Associates is a mask-friendly environment. Please feel free to bring and wear a mask at any time during a tour, both for your safety or the safety of others.
- As we aim to move away from single use water bottles, guests are strongly encouraged to get in the habit of bringing their own reusable water bottle on tour.
- For additional tour information:
