July 25, 2026 · updated August 31, 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.
Rock the Ryman on September 1 — John Oates hosts, with Wynonna, Sam Bush, Rome from Sublime, Devon Allman and Yola. The kind of all-star bill that only happens in this room.
Then September settles into a run of very good nights: Masego on the 2nd, The Pretty Reckless with Paris Jackson and doug. on the 3rd, Ray LaMontagne with The Weather Station across the 4th and 5th, Roger Daltrey on the 9th, Little Feat featuring Maggie Rose on the 10th, Paul Cauthen with Chaparelle and Colton Bowlin on the 11th, Juanes on the 12th, The War And Treaty on the 13th, Ben Howard on the 17th, and the Indigo Girls closing the month on September 30.
Alison Krauss & Union Station with Jerry Douglas play three straight nights, September 18 to 20. That lands squarely in AmericanaFest week, when the Ryman also hosts the Americana Honors & Awards and the whole city fills up. Book early or don’t bother.
October is the month to plan around. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit take the room for six nights — the 15th through the 17th, then back for the 22nd through the 24th. A residency at the Ryman is the closest thing Nashville has to a hometown coronation.
Around it: CAAMP on the 7th, Tom Jones on the 8th, Deana Carter playing Did I Shave My Legs for This? end to end for its 30th anniversary on the 9th, The Beach Boys on the 11th, and Ryan Bingham on the 18th.
The oddest and probably best ticket of the season is the Sho-Bud Showcase on October 27 — Slash, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives, Lloyd Green, Don Felder, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter and Marcus King, on one stage, playing guitars. There is no other room in America where that bill makes sense.
November opens with Dwight Yoakam for two nights, the 4th and 5th, then The Milk Carton Kids on the 8th. On the 9th Riding with the King: A Tribute to John Hiatt — the 30th annual Concert for Cumberland Heights — brings Keith Urban, Rosanne Cash, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Shawn Colvin, Lilly Hiatt, Robert Earl Keen, and Pat McLaughlin together, with a special performance by John Hiatt himself.
Two scheduling notes worth knowing: the Josie Music Awards (September 20) and the Ray Stevens tribute (November 9) are listed at the Opry House, not the Ryman — different building, different side of town. And dates shift constantly, so check the official calendar before you commit to anything.
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.
Check availability → · More rooms nearby: The Basement East guide