In 1928, Hay referred to the music as coming from the "Grand Ole Opry." The name stuck. The show had five homes before it finally landed at its sixth, the Ryman Auditorium. It remained there for 31 years. In 1974, the new theater was inaugurated as the main attraction of the Opryland Resort. An 8-foot circle of wood was removed from the Ryman and placed center stage at the Opry House to keep the tradition going. Finally, they had a home that could hold the staggering number of fans who wanted to be present for the weekly shows. The two-tiered seating at the Grand Ole Opry can accommodate 4,400.

We had seats in the last row of section D. Section D is excellent, since it is dead center. Since this is a live radio show, it is quite different from a normal show experience. What you have is a performer doing two or three songs, the announcer doing a break, and the Opry Square Dancers coming out and doing their routine. There is some comedy thrown in and a star or two. We saw Alison Krauss and Caroline Dawn Johnson.

Even if you are far from the stage, it isn’t hard to view everything. Four huge screens broadcast the performance, though it is a little distracting seeing the cameraman right off to the side of the performers. The acoustics here are great. This is a very enjoyable way to spend an evening. The seats look like church pews with cushions on them. You are seated on a bench, so you actually have a little more room than you normally would have.

Part of last year’s renovation was the addition of a new store. It is huge and has lots of goodies for the die-hard fan. If you want a snack, there are vendors selling popcorn, candy, and all the usual show food. Seats can run anywhere from $27 to $47. You can get them from the box office, online or on the telephone.

It was very special when we were there - Travis Adkins highlighted a future bridegroom when he proposed. The future bride said "YES".

The Grand Ole Opry is fairly close to the Fairfield Nashville Resort. If you are used to walking, you could walk. The resort is located down and across the street but about a mile from the Grand Ole Opry--almost walking distance. (But the roads are very vehicle busy.)

The resort offers van transportation at certain times for about a $3 (plus tip) round trip. (You pay the driver.) The driver was very friendly. You can also drive and park for about $10 or park in the Opry Mills Outlet Mall--but you may have to walk a distance. The resort offers tickets to the Grand Ole Opry.

During the winter months, The Grand Ole Opry is performed at the historic Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville. Here you can see great old country music legends as well as up-and-coming new stars.

The Ryman is conveniently located near The Gaylord Entertainment and Nashville Convention centers, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and a variety of restaurants and bars, some with live entertainment.

We were lucky enough to have Martina McBride on. They say no flash photography, but everyone went right up to the stage and the performers would pose for your pictures. Porter Wagner was in purple and lavender and glitter gold boots. The square dancers are amazing. Whether you like old country, new country or no country at all, the Opry is fun. You can't help but enjoy the Beverly Hillbilly's theme song being played on the banjo by Earl Scruggs and clapping along to the Osborne Brothers playing Rocky Top. Even the kids who haven't even heard of a lot of these artists were clapping and yelling. It's a must when in Nashville.

Well, the performance was televised -- yup, we saw it while prepping at Shonie’s for the Midnight Jamboree, and the finale was, you bet, my little tiny girl letting go with her unbeatable Yankee holler!

We had purchased tickets to the Saturday night opry well in advance and still had to sit in the upper balcony. The view was still very acceptable. Performers the night we attended were Pam Tillis and Billy Ray Cyrus, along with the older stars. Of course, Porter Wagonner was there hosting part of the show. The list of performers did not repeat the Friday night show, but included mostly new singers, dancers, etc. Of course, the list of performers changes from week-to-week. You can check the list at Opry.com to see who is coming in the near future.