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Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Downtown
222 5th Ave S
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 416-2001
222 5th Ave S
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 416-2001
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
26 reviews for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
For the record, I do not like country music. Much like crazy in-laws and higher tax brackets, I married into it. The wife LOVES the stuff. Apparently there are infinite ways to sing about tractors and Jesus and blue jeans and Jesus and tractors.
Go figure.
What can I say? She's a little bit country; I'm a little bit...not. But since I forced my said wife into accompanying me to Seattle's Sci-fi Museum where I "oo'ed" and "ah'ed" over Luke Skywalker's light saber and Buck Roger's Twiki exhibit, it was only fair to let the wife reminisce over her favorite Trace Adkins song (despite the fact that Trace Adkins seems only slight less charismatic than Twiki.) So with the following lines from my wedding reverberating through my head, "For better or for worse," I entered. I appended that thought: "We're even, Honey."
To my pleasant surprise, however, I enjoyed the experience somewhat. Wisely, they separated out the floors, dedicating the top floor to country's origins. Exhibits ranged from folk to Western and beyond. (To quote from The Blues Brothers, yes, they play both kinds of music here: country AND western.) It was on this floor that I remembered rockabilly's influence on country, which started to win me over. The timeline moved forward from the '60s onward as you reached the floor beneath you. This was when I reached my second conclusion. As a GenX'er, it's easy to forget that you most likely were a Kenny Rogers/Dolly Parton/Glen Campbell fan when you were a kid. But, oh in those heady times of the late 70s, early 80s, you probably were. Country sat comfortably next to disco and rock on those pop charts and while you giggled along to AC/DC's Big Balls, you also knew when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. Hell, you probably had a favorite Mandrell sister. Yes, you, you Radiohead Fanboy, I'm talking to you. Stop denying it. I was there. I remember. And here it all was, straight in my face, in 40 point font and encased in glass. These were childhood memories that I'd conveniently forgotten and my much younger wife had never known. I laughed and sung along to songs and pointed out things from my childhood to my wife. "I didn't know you were so country," she eventually told me.
"Baby," I answered, "I was country....when country wasn't cool."
Four stars.
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Meh.
I'm not a country fan. Are you? Ok, then go to the Hall of Fame and oooh and aaah over rhinestone jackets, aw-shucks origin stories, and disgustingly over-planned popstar images.
I left realizing that modern country singers are basically popstars who overdo dazzle and sing with a bad twang, and that the classic stars were much more interesting and heartfelt. Maybe this isn't true, but its definitely the idea the museum portrays.
Are you not into country but with a crowd that is? Go find a bar (there's maybe 100 within walking distance) and wait it out. Live music at all hours and good prices on decent beer, it's a great way to spend the money you set aside for an admissions fee.
If you can't get out of going, you'll find enough that's interesting to keep you busy for a good hour. The museum is well set up with a variety of exhibits to keep things fresh and in a chronological order to keep things organized. Highlights included: Elvis' shoes and car (and yes, they acknowledge Elvis was not a full-country icon), video on country music's role in television, and a brief history of the Grand Ole Opry.
I am far from a country fan but figured it was silly to try to avoid it in Nashville. Vacations aren't as enjoyable with your eyes closed and with cotton in your ears. The Country Music Hall of Fame tells the story of not only Country music but also how it relates to historic Americana. I learned how Country music influenced the women's rights movement, which was pretty cool. They also do a great job of making your visit a multi-media experience. I watched videos, stared at pictures, listened to songs, looked at outfits, and marveled at old cars. There's something here that anyone can appreciate whether it's the looming platinum and gold records plastering the walls or how Country music has left deeper footprint that I thought. Who would have thunk it?
Side note: If you're interested in taking photographs while inside the museum exhibits remember that flash isn't allowed. It's pretty dimly lit, so a tripod or monopod would be ideal for taking photographs. If you don't have one or don't want to carry it around, lean your camera on top of the glass walls to steady your camera.
Like many other reviewers, I'm not a country music fan to note, but how can you visit Nashville and not go. It's a bit expensive $60 for my wife and I to take a tour of RCA studio B and the museum, but it was worth it. Our tour guide, Ron was FANTASTIC! I highly recommend him, but he only works on weekends: this is just his part-time gig.
If you go, take the tour - it's very informative, but like I mentioned, may be good/bad based on your guide.
I honestly know nothing much about country music, but my parents & I were vacationing & there was nothing much else to do while my dad was out at work meetings. I'm always interested in touring around new places & my stepmom suggested that we go here. I just enjoyed looking around, reading up about music history, seeing Elvis' stuff lol. I didn't expect much from here anyways, but it was a nice experience. Good to learn a thing or two of what's such a huge part of Nashville.
"Country music isn't a guitar, it isn't a banjo, it isn't a melody, it isn't a lyric. It's a feeling." -- Waylon Jennings
"Country music is music with a lot of class. It's just ordinary stories told by ordinary people in an extraordinary way." -- Dolly Parton
"A good country song takes a page out of somebody's life and puts it to music." -- Conway Twitty
"Country songs are the dreams of the working man." -- Merle Haggard
These are just a sampling of some of the awesome music quotes engraved into slabs of marble outside the museum that welcome you to come explore everything country music has to offer. I loved these quotes!
This place is worth spending an afternoon here if you like country music.
If you don't, you'll still find this place to be informative and fun, and you can cover it in about 2 hours.
The building is absolutely beautiful, the exhibits are informative, the overall decor and feel of this place is very modern and the gift shop is bigger than any other museum shop I've ever seen with a fantastic selection of books on all things western/honky tonk.
Personal highlights:
* Hatch Show Print posters on the walls - made with carved-wood blacks and metal type. The graphic designer in me adored staring at this massive wall of concert posters.
*Bill Monroe memorabilia - founder of the Blue Grass Boys, for whom the entire bluegrass genre was named. Amazing to see if you adore bluegrass like I do.
* John Hartford exhibit
* Hand-written lyrics to Keith Urban's hit, "Days Go By" written by Monty Powell and Keith Urban.
* Crazy-cool cars:
Webb Pierce's Bonneville - horseshoes for gas and brake pedals, handguns mounted to the hood and silver dollars inlaid in the upholstery. Crazy!
Elvis Presley's "solid gold" Cadillac - The exterior was painted with a mixture of crushed diamonds and fish scales! Gross, no? Gold-plated TV and record player mounted in the backseat.
*Instruments:
Buck Owens' signature red, white and blue American guitar. A classic if you love guitars.
Maybelle Carter's 1928 Gibson L-5 model. She bought it when she was 19 yrs old for $275 and played it until her death.
Another bluegrass thrill - Bill Monroe's Gibson F-5 mandolin and Lester Flatt's Martin D-28.
Elvis Prseley's gold piano - a first-anniversary present from Priscilla
John Hartford's guitar, violin and banjo (used on the album Aereo-Plain).
* Boots - Hank Williams and Hank Williams Jr. had a mean collection of personalized boots.
* The museum store is HUGE with obscure books on topic like boots - nothing but cowboy boots! :)
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I love it when family or friends come to Nashville, because then I get to pretend I'm a tourist and do all the things I've always wanted to do, but thought I was too much of a local for it to be cool. One of those things was to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame. I've never been the biggest country music fan, but I know my share of Garth Brooks and Johnny Cash, so I thought it was something I could appreciate. Like any museum, there were some really cool parts, and then others not so cool. One of the most interesting exhibits to me was the Country Music and TV video that played. It was cool seeing Johnny Cash singing with Bob Dylan, or the cast of Heehaw. I also really enjoyed the Hank Williams & Family Exhibit, which informed me of the interesting yet tragic legacy of the Williams family. There's also some great stuff about Elvis.
Some of the exhibits about newer country music was pretty cheesy to me, but could be cool to a more avid fan. I tried to take in as much as I could while I was there, but I admit it might take a second visit or more. If you have a friend in town that you think would enjoy the Hall of Fame, I totally recommend going.
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The museum was good, learned alot of history about Country Music. I'm not a huge fan, but hey do doesn't love Elvis?
I bought the package with the Studio B tour, and that was really interesting! The bus took us to the Music block to Studio B where Elvis, Dolly Parton (amongst many others) recorded many of their songs. It's a different feeling when you are sitting at the same piano where Elvis used to sit at. Really nice piece of history.
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I am not really a country music fan, but a fan of music, really. I had SO much fun when I came here. There are displays of some of my favorites that I really enjoyed, like Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and of course, the King! I recommend this place to anyone!
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Better than I thought it would be!
Modern exhibits and nicely arranged. Starting with early country on the 3rd floor and as you wander down to the 1st floor it becomes more modern time country.
I would have never know The Eagles were considered country and I forget that Elvis is also considered Rockabilly!
There are a lot of listening stations of old time country music. TV screens featuring interviews with inductees. Very open but kinda short if you don't touch and see.
It was a nice surprise and pretty cool!
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This was a complete surprise for me. I really didn't expect to be so impressed with this museum, but the use of technology and exhibition design is wonderful!
Many of the displays are interactive and they have great interpetive material provided by the actual singers, songwriters and performers--not just a historian giving you their interpretation.
On Saturdays there are free concerts by local musicians to take advantage of as well.
$17 not too bad for a few hours of musical history!
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I'm not a huge country music fan, but I'd like to believe that it had nothing to do with my perception of this museum. I do know that the entry fees are steep for a museum...but they can get away with that considering there are tour buses coming here with tourists from all over the continent practically throwing their money at them. So if a local wants to go...well...you're gonna pay.
It seemed fairly small to me. The exhibit about the famous cars owned by people like Elvis was pretty interesting, but most of the exhibits seemed to just be things like guitars, clothing ensembles, and audio samples. That may be some people's bag, but it really isn't mine. I suppose I can't pin too much of the blame on the museum though...the art form is pretty new comparitively speaking, and since I like things that are really OLD, there isn't much they could really do.
The rotunda at the end with the different plaques of inductees was pretty neat.
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If the Country Music Hall of Fame can please a person who for most of her life has been dead set against hearing Country Music, it must be doing something right.
The building, for one, is phenomenal. From above, it looks like a piano. I recommend trying to get up in a skyscraper of some kind downtown and looking down on it (those glass elevators at that hotel don't work because they're on the wrong side of the building). When you enter the building, there's a giant lobby, in which you can sit and have a drink. We did have several, which may have contributed heavily to my enjoyment of the museum.
The exhibits are extremely interesting. I liked the wall with samples of old country records and the timelines of several famous country artists. As usual, I loved the gift shop. It's a great place to go for Nashville/country gifts for people out of town because the merchandise is a little classier than in the tourist shops downtown.
After having lived in Nashville for a while, I thought it was about time for a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame. It is a huge building in downtown Nashville that is usually crawling with people, mostly tourists. It is a really great museum and it has a lot of clever and interactive exhibits.
I am not the biggest country fan, so it was interesting to learn more about the history of the whole scene. But I am sure country fans will find the museum very informative and impressive. The building is littered with memorabilia from all of the greats. The tickets were a little less than twenty dollars per person, but I think it is well worth the price, as most of the exhibits are excellent.
It seemed well put together, but I'm not a country music fan, so I didn't have much interest. The singer/songwriters talking about their craft and singing some of their songs in the auditorium was cool though.
Not quite a country music fan (although I should be after 3 days in Nashville!), but have to say I enjoyed myself at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Warning- they charge $20 to get in (slightly less for students and triple A members), which I thought was quite expensive, but I guess Nashville has to make their $$$ somehow!
Many of the exhibits were pretty cool, but I didn't look at anything in too much detail because I was busy chatting away with my 2 friends and was having trouble multi tasking.
And I probably should be embarrassed to admit that we spent more time in the gift shop of the Museum than looking at the exhibits....but if you're looking for a cowboy hat or anything else country related this is the place to get it!
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This place was really interesting. They have so many interesting things to see- videos, interactive old time music displays, the hee haw corn field. Come on people, it's the hee haw corn field..you gotta go!
The gift shop rocked as well. Clean bathrooms, lines move quick, and it's close to some great places to eat.
Wonderful and informative museum, I now have a new and profound respect and understanding for country music. Personally, never an avid listener to country music, but after going to the museum and informing myself about its origin, roots, purpose...my I was truly delighted. Seems that everything about country music is a harmonic way of telling your story. From the struggles to overcoming to life to love... its great!
This was my first stop in Nashville. I didn't see the museum as I had business up the street at the Ryman, but I DID have the fried green tomato and mozzarella sandwich. Good lord! It was a heart attack on a plate, but good til the last drop. The coleslaw was mighty fine, too!
Nashville taught me many things. One of which was that I never didn't like country music, only that I never knew what it was. I attribute some of that understanding to my solo lunch in the high glass ceilings of the CMHFM.
total surprise to me that I really liked this museum given the fact that I tend to find country myoo a little annoying and know nothing about it and that it cost $17 for admission. However, I have to appreciate their efforts here. It totally succeeds as a museum, in that it's enjoyable, informative, beautiful, well-presented, and I can see this place being enjoyable to anyone visiting, from the totally unknowledgable (me) to diehards. At the very least, you have to see the ridiculousness that is Elvis' car. Country music is approached from all different angles here, from the music, to the personal lives of the stars to the instruments they played. It's a $17 well-spent.
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The Country Music Hall of Fame can seem like a hopelessly tourist-driven Nashville establishment, and at times I suppose it can be, but frankly I find it refreshing to step back in time to an era when Hank Williams, Eddy Arnold, Glen Campbell, and the Louvin Brothers represented the Nashville sound and not Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, and Carrie Underwood.
The exhibits here are phenomenal. Things that will make your head spin when you realize how close you are to them. Hank Williams boots, to Elvis' jacket, the set of "Hee Haw" to special limited exhibits like a Ray Charles exhibit (people forget 5 years of his career was spent making country records) featuring one of Ray's pianos. I nearly fainted.
The architecture and presentation of the museum is exquisite and there is a coffee shop/bistro as well if you come during lunch time or looking through Loretta Lynn's handwritten song notes makes you hungry.
whether you are a fan of country music or not, this is a must see for every nashville visitor and resident.
amazing exhibits chronicling the beginnings of country, bluegrass, rockabilly, swing, etc.
minus one star for the discontinuation of the "make your own mix cd" feature and the ticket price.
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I like it, I love it, I want some more of it...! Boy do I hate country music - or I thought I did - this place was amazing. I was so entertained by all the exhibits and actually enjoyed myself. The video clips throughout the museum will bring back so many memories for you I guarantee it. You'll be singing along having a merry ole time before you know it. This is a must see place in Nashville!
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I should start off saying that my visit was free. And with most free things..it tasted better on the lips. I went with a friend and the tour is amazing. If you are not a country music fan, it probably wouldnt be as much fun. There are still things to do though. You can walk around and look at all the memorabilia and enjoy the videos. They have a Ray Charles exhibit that is mind blowing. If you are a tourist, you should check it out. I had lived in Nash Vegas for 8 months before I finally checked it out. Im glad I did.
A little on the expensive side, but a memorable experience. I came away with a great appreciation for how all American music is at least a little bit wrapped up in the history of country music. Compelling rotating exhibits, like the one about Ray Charles and country music, or the history of R&B music in Nashville, keep it feeling contemporary. Also, my friend had a really cool wedding reception in the lobby. Finally, I left after my first visit with a patriotic lump in my throat, which in turn made me feel Republican and icky.
I'm not a country music fan at all, but the CMHOF was well worth the visit. I am at least a Johnny Cash fan so I was entertained by the exhibits on his work. There are plenty of things for all to enjoy or at least get a good laugh about. Things that I really liked were some of the costumes, especially the one belonging to Porter Wagoner, I gotta get myself some of these for Halloween. I also liked Webb Pierce's silver dollar convertible with pistols and rifles mounted all over it, horseshoes for gas and brake pedals and silver dollars all over the dash board. I actually liked Elvis Presley's solid gold Cadillac more than any of the cars in his museum at Graceland. I also got lucky with the temporary exhibit on Ray Charles which was great to see.
