Hello everyone..my turn again (Di). Hope you’re all enjoying the trip so far?

So, yesterday, oh my, the day I’ve been so looking forward to. We went to The Grand Old Opry!!! I had goosebumps just walking up to the entrance to the grounds, so you can imagine the thrill at actually going through the doors to tour the building. It’s so hard to describe!

We were taken and shown where the stars, past and present, enter the building…obviously not the same entrance as us mere mortals, throughout the whole place beautiful photos line the walls of the most famous country and western stars imaginable. Artists who have been invited to be Opry members even have a post office where they have mail boxes and when they visit they actually collect their mail from fans. You really can write to any Opry member and address it to them at The Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, Tennessee and they will get it! I’m going to be writing to Dolly Parton when I get home. We got to see the dressing rooms that are used before every show, all decorated to a different theme, and just beautiful. Only two of them have bathrooms so even the famous people have to go down the corridor to use the loo…no doubt posh loos though, I wouldn’t know as they are not for use by the public. After the dressing rooms we were taken out on the stage of The Grand Old Opry!! It was the most incredible feeling. We got to stand on the Unbroken Circle, a circle of wood that came from the original home of the Opry, The Ryman, so that all performers continue to stand in the same spot that the original Country music artists used from the very first days of Country music, to have our photo taken. We actually stood on the same spot as all those stars have done since 1943 in the Ryman and then moved to the Opry house in 1974. It was such an emotional moment!

(continues after pictures)

We had some time to sit and enjoy being in the auditorium after that, then of course, we had to look around the gift shop. 😁

As well as the tour, we also had tickets for the 7pm show which is also the live radio broadcast that goes out every week. As this is such a once in a lifetime trip, and a long time dream, we also had tickets to do the VIP Behind the Opry Curtain experience, so at 6.30pm we were backstage again. This time we got to see some of the performers in their dressing rooms chatting and getting ready for the evening show before we were led out onto the wings of the stage to witness curtain going up and the start of the show! As the first performance ended we were escorted to our seats for a truly wonderful performance by some amazing singers and musicians and, top of the bill, Little Big Town! Top that!!!A magical time that I will cherish forever. A dream come true…