The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville is honoring one of the most legendary institutions in music history with its new exhibition, Country’s Grandest Stage: The Opry at 100. The exhibit opened on September 18, 2025 and runs through March 2027, this immersive exhibit celebrates the 100-year journey of the Grand Ole Opry—the longest-running radio show in the world and a defining force in country music’s evolution.
The Opry began on November 28, 1925, when Nashville radio station WSM broadcast a performance by fiddler Uncle Jimmy Thompson. The overwhelming response inspired station program director George D. Hay to create a weekly barn dance program that would eventually become the country music institution known worldwide today.
Over the past century, the Opry has helped shape the very fabric of American music, serving as a launchpad for artists and a nightly celebration of country tradition, storytelling, and community.
Country’s Grandest Stage: The Opry at 100 showcases notable performers and defining moments from the show’s rich history. The exhibition includes historic instruments, stage wear, photographs, recordings, and rare artifacts that tell the story of how the Opry became both a cultural touchstone and Nashville’s most enduring musical export. Highlights on display include a wooden steamboat whistle used by longtime Opry announcer George D. Hay, an early Hohner Marine Band chromatic harmonica belonging to Dr. Humphrey Bate (whose Possum Hunters were among the first country acts on the show), and the traditional dulcimer played by Kitty Cora Cline, the first female solo Opry performer in 1928.
Visitors to the exhibit can also see treasured items linked to iconic artists who helped define the Opry’s decades of programming. Legendary performers such as DeFord Bailey, Johnny Cash, Bill Monroe, Minnie Pearl, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, and many others are represented through their instruments, wardrobe, and memorabilia, illustrating how the Opry has welcomed generations of stars and styles.
One of the exhibition’s most meaningful aspects is how it reflects the Opry’s resilience. The program has endured major challenges—technological shifts in media, changing cultural landscapes, a catastrophic flood in 2010 that damaged the Opry House, and the COVID-19 pandemic, during which it continued broadcasting to fans worldwide even without a live audience.
Beyond artifacts, the exhibit also captures the Opry’s role in Nashville’s rise as the center of the country music industry. As the Opry grew in influence through radio, television, and now digital platforms, artists and audiences alike gravitated to Music City, helping the genre flourish and expand globally.
Country’s Grandest Stage: The Opry at 100 offers both longtime fans and new visitors an immersive look at how a small barn dance on the radio became one of the most beloved stages in American music. Through treasured artifacts, stories of legendary performers, and the Opry’s ongoing legacy, the exhibition underscores why the show remains a cherished centerpiece of country music history and culture.
You can purchase different Country Music Hall of Fame ticket packages ranging in price from $30 to $74. Different tours include the Museum, the Hatch Show Print Tour, or the Historic RCA Studio B Tour. For country music lovers young and old, The Country Music Hall of Fame is the mecca of all there is to know about the past, present, and future of country music.