Groups of Country and Western music fans heading to Nashville, Tennessee with their hearts set on exploring the historic hot spots in this amazing destination won’t want to miss a stop at this cherished Music City landmark attraction and notorious live venue boasting the “best sound in town.” Built by riverboat captain and Nashville businessman Thomas Ryman to celebrate his new-found salvation, the theatre debuted in 1892 as the Union Gospel Tabernacle; it was renamed after Ryman’s death in his honor. The Ryman Auditorium was the proud home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 until 1974, when a larger venue was built at the Opryland USA theme park; a five-foot circle was neatly removed from the old stage floor and inlaid into the center of the new one in an effort to maintain continuity with the Opry’s storied past. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 2001 and christened “Theatre of the Year” four times in a decade, the Ryman has appeared in a number of memorable movie scenes over the years and hosted countless special events, from community gatherings, political rallies, ballets and operas to popular televised music shows and dazzling theatrical productions. Legends like Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and Patsy Cline, distinguished guests like Helen Keller and President Teddy Roosevelt and world-class performers – from the Zac Brown Band to ZZ Top – have humbly taken the stage at this grand old auditorium, the indisputable “Mother Church of Country Music” and “the Birthplace of Bluegrass.”