Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum anchors the SoBro arts district of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, one block south of the Lower Broadway honky-tonk strip. The museum's striking angular building, designed with architectural references to piano keys and a bass clef, opened in its current form in 2001 and has expanded to a footprint of 350,000 square feet — making it one of the largest museums dedicated to a single musical genre in the world. The permanent collection spans country music from its roots in Appalachian folk, gospel, and Western swing through contemporary Nashville pop-country production. Highlights include Hank Williams's 1952 Cadillac, Patsy Cline's evening gowns, Johnny Cash's black stage costumes, and an ornate guitar installation tracing instrument design from the 1920s through modern electric models. The Rotunda of Immortals features bronze inductee plaques dating to the founding class of 1961, which included Jimmie Rodgers, Fred Rose, and Hank Williams. The museum's lower level includes an immersive listening theater and original master recording archives accessible through guided audio exhibits. A rotating schedule of temporary exhibitions examines specific artists, eras, or themes in depth. The museum also operates Studio B, the legendary RCA recording studio on Music Row where Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, and Roy Orbison recorded; combined museum-and-Studio-B tours are offered for an additional fee. Typical visit duration runs two to three hours for the permanent galleries alone. Audio guides and touchscreen kiosks supplement the physical displays throughout. The museum shop carries extensive vinyl, books, and memorabilia not widely available elsewhere in Nashville.