Ryman Auditorium

The Ryman Auditorium, the Mother Church of Country Music, was built in 1892 as the Union Gospel Tabernacle by the riverboat captain Thomas Ryman and was the Grand Ole Opry's home from 1943 to 1974. Performers and visitors have reported cold drafts, footsteps and apparitions on the balconies, and legend says Ryman himself watches over the hall. One story says the opera Carmen was cut short by mishaps because the devout Ryman would not have approved. The Ryman offers Haunted History Tours and remains a working concert hall.