The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amassed one of the world's most extensive musical collections.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is the world's largest repository of country music artifacts. Early in the 1960s, as the Country Music Association's (CMA) campaign to publicize country music was accelerating, CMA leaders determined that a new organization was needed to operate a country music museum and related activities beyond CMA's scope as a simply a trade organization. Toward this end, the nonprofit Country Music Foundation (CMF) was chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964 to collect, preserve, and publicize information and artifacts relating to the history of country music. Through CMF, industry leaders raised money with the effort of CMA Executive Director Jo Walker-Meador to build the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which opened on April 1, 1967. The original building was a barn-shaped structure located at the head of Music Row, erected on the site of a small Nashville city park. This hall of fame was modeled after the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. At this point, artifacts began to be displayed and a small library was begun in a loft above one of the museum's galleries.
Monday | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Tuesday | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Wednesday | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Thursday | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Friday | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Saturday | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Sunday | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
William Yearout | Mar 1, 2018
Great experience! A little bit of every genre, not just modern pop country or the well-known oldies. Very interactive and worth going to. I left with an appreciation for the genre and a whole litany of new musicians to check out!
Vanessa Vance | Dec 29, 2017
If you love music, especially country music, this place is awesome. There were so many neat things to see whether it was outfits, cars, or the highlighted exhibits. You learn a lot too while you go through. I really enjoyed my time here. I did the Studio B combo with this. It was worth every penny. There is so much to see here, you can spend a whole afternoon there so make sure you have time, and take your time. You don't want to miss out on any of the super cool stuff.
Daniel Eads | Jan 28, 2018
I hardly listen to country music at all and have been to the museum twice and enjoyed both times. The museum mostly focuses on older country music and it's musical roots. It also has a large exhibit on how Nashville become such a big music town for other genres besides country. The museum also has several spotlight musicians that go indepth into the artist's personal and public life. I would also highly recommend Nashville natives to go if they haven't been because local residence get in for $5 each.
Steven Eldridge | Mar 3, 2018
This is a wonderful place to go. It has lots of vintage country music history and blends the era's together extremely well. A place well worth visiting if you are into country music and want to know the history of the artists in the hall of fame.
Kelsey Jacobi | Dec 23, 2017
I really enjoyed our Studio B tour (being an Elvis fan, it was pretty cool to stand in the studio where he recorded many of his greatest hits). The museum was awesome as well, a must-see for all country music fans. If you don't like country music or history however, this isn't the place for you. I also wouldn't recommend it as a "family" outing with the kids, but that's just my opinion. It took us a little over 2 hours at least to go through the whole thing, and we didn't even read/see all of what they had. Worth the price for sure. You get your money's worth
Randy Alan Shaffer | May 1, 2018
This place holds all of the country music. The self guided tour itself takes at least two hours to do. We used the audio guide and enjoyed the additional detail it provided. The museum is always changing the exhibits which we love since we come back from time to time. BE SURE to do the RCA Studio B tour. This has to be the coolest place you can visit in Nashville, and it's only offered through the Hall of Fame.
William Christopher Spreadbury | Apr 26, 2018
I had never heard of country music and stumbled on this place by mistake. What a pleasant treat. The exhibits are so cool and exciting! I had a great time here and left with an appreciation for a music genre that I never even knew existed! I was brought up in a home where we only listened to Ska, death metal, and Indonesian Punk. So glad to have discovered country music and its rich history. It is definitely a genre that should concentrate more on promoting itself.
David Win | Mar 10, 2018
An excellent visitor attraction which contains almost too much to take in at one visit. Don't get me wrong, we loved it, but there was almost a sense of relief to come to the end. Clearly a huge amount of thought and effort has gone into the displays and services and the creative use of technology in different interpretations was superb. Some of the displays simply blew our minds, and we'll always think of the place positively when we remember it. Be sure to add on the optional Studio B tour which is worth every penny!
Jack Loken | Apr 4, 2018
Great history of country music. I was impressed by what is in the museum and also by what is not. The Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan exhibit was closed, but we were able to see the timeline history of Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. There is something for everyone no matter which era of country music is your favorite. The interactive tour bus was very popular with the younger audience. The best part is definitely saved for last. I got chills walking into the rotunda.
Craig Cutler | Mar 21, 2018
We went on a Saturday so it was very very crowded. This was an immediate turn off. We purchased the package that came with the audio tour and the RCA Studio B Tour. The audio tour was very boring. Most of this museum was about the really old country stars that did not interest us. We are young and are really only interested in the stars we've heard of. This whole museum was just a lot of reading and looking at clothes. I'm so glad we chose to go to the RCA Studio B because it was 10 times better. It was awesome. You got to listen to a lot of old music that was recorded there. It was a lot more interactive than the museum. I wish we would've skipped the museum and only went to the RCA Studio B.
Erica Byers Pelton | May 29, 2018
Both my husband and I grew up on traditional country music and this was a great stop for us. There is information on so many artists with great pictures and many videos also! They have some of the clothing items that artists have worn and facts about their career. It took us about an hour to go through the whole museum. It covers the traditional music artists of the past and those who have made it big recently.
Alex B. | Jun 2, 2018
If you are a country music lover then this is a must place to see museum. From the first generation of country music singers to the most current the exhibits have everything that you want to see. The singers albums, cars, clothes, boots everything is there to see. Great background story on most top singers lives. Very interactive and fun place to visit.
Justin Anderson | Jun 5, 2018
There is lots of great history here they even die hard country fans will be amazed at. The staff are friendly and it is very clean. I would suggest 2 hours if you really want to read deeply into some of the country artist's stories or listen to lots of great old music. Definitely a place to stop while in Nashville.
Matt Latsha | Jul 2, 2018
If you're a fan of country music, this ought to be considered a Mecca. From the earliest days of the sound clear up to the modern day. From early country stars like Hank Williams, The Carter Family, and Jimmie Rodgers, to starts of the 1960s and '70s, like Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, through the 1990s hits like Alan Jackson and Garth Brooks, all the way up to today. The exhibits take up two floors, with much of the rotating material on the third floor. As there was much crossover in the 1960s, you'll find quite a bit about early rocks stars, especially Elvis, which crossed over a lot. An important start for anyone wanting to learn about country in Nashville, the Country Music Hall of Fame is a cool jaunt.
Kim Dickerson | Jun 23, 2018
We purchased the audio tour based on other reviewers and I'm so glad we did. I appreciated the added information and when one exhibit had a lot of people in front of it, we could stand to the side and still learn about it. We also purchased the Studio B tour based on other's reviews and, like them, we are so glad we did. It's an hour tour in the studio where so much history has been recorded. It's a guided tour with a short bus ride over and back. Definitely icing on the cake for the day. Highly recommend.
Egyptian Prince John Loyd Newberry | Jul 2, 2018
late review, but definitely important for my entertaining position as a major actor in the entertainment industry and opportunities. This is in regards to probably 2010-2011? As part of my autobiography. Just now my memory sparked my purpose passion and magic. The event was Near this location. I attended a charity event auction and party but I was an auctioneer assistant after I had acted my way into this opportunity my enchanting presence mesmerizing the college students. I made myself as one of the college students because they wanted me to with them they all were admiring me and I even had control of the vouchers for the auction. At some point there was some bad deception being brought forth with some of the people attending in regards to my ability to entertain these college students that were admiring me. In Tennessee Nashville. Situation quickly escalated and let's just say it didn't turn out well because of the deception manipulation and tricks that you in the entertainment industry were doing. Me myself I'm about passion purpose and magic.
Kim Carruthers | Jun 18, 2018
A great must-see for anyone who appreciates country music and/or music in general! This place really pays homage to the history of country music. The onsite Taylor Swift Education Center offered interactive activities for the kids and not to mention, the in-and-out privilege allowed us to explore everything at our own pace. Also, I highly recommend the Hatch Show Print tour on the side, if you are a fan of unique prints/art!
Cody Brumfield | Aug 12, 2018
I’m a huge music fan, though being from New Orleans, my knowledge/taste tends to be more brass, blues, soul, funk, hip hop, etc. Being from the south, though, I’ve always had a lot of exposure to country music (especially outlaw country). I really enjoyed the museum (especially the cars) and the chronological layout really helped me place all the country acts I’ve liked over the years in proper narrative context. If you’re a fan of music (or just rhinestones and characters), the museum is a lot of fun and explains the history and importance of each act, from early blues to modern pop acts. I imagine a huge country fan would appreciate some of the exhibits more than me but even as a casual fan, it’s a great museum.
Brand Inlow | Jul 17, 2018
This is a very nice facility with a vast array of country music history and memorabilia. We visited on a July Friday afternoon and it was nice respite to very hot weather. Cost is high, $25 or more per head, but it is a good return on your entertainment dollar. I personally enjoyed checking out all the vintage acoustic instruments on display. Three floors of amazing displays and information on all the great country stars. A must see if you are visiting Nashville.
Nikki McGuire | Jul 21, 2018
Love love love!! My husband is a huge fan of old country so this activity catered to him. But we ALL enjoyed it. We used an access pass we got at the visitor center and selected this as one of our 4 places. Definitely glad we did! So much to see...I think we sort of rushed through but we thoroughly enjoyed it!
Gregory Easton | Aug 6, 2018
We had a great time. Lots of information from multiple decades of country music. I enjoyed several cars and motorcycles on display. I quick walk through you will need about 1 hour. We spent about 3 hours and captured the majority of the displays. Definitely worth seeing if in Nashville. Parking was slightly difficult to find and had to drive around block once.
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