Guide to Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum

If you love music and history, then you must visit the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. And you don’t even need to be a country fan to appreciate one of the largest history museums in the United States. You can also purchase tickets to tour the Hatch Show Print and the historic RCA Studio B – also part of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. And they also offer special one-hour songwriter sessions to any of these timed-entry ticket options.

A special thank you to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum for providing tickets to my husband and me. Opinions, of course, are always my own. And I highly recommend touring the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville – one of the best things to do.

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Top things to do in Nashville, Tennessee: Country Music Hall of Fame, Hatch Shop Print and RCA Studio B

Plan at least four to five hours when visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Hatch Show Print, and the historic RCA Studio B. There’s plenty of things to do and see at the main Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum including exhibits from country’s folk roots to today, live music, shopping, dining, educational programs, and more.

The Hatch Shop Print is located within the Country Music Hall of Fame and requires separate timed tickets. You’ll also need to purchase separate tickets for the RCA Studio B, which is located offsite. Shuttles to the RCA Studio B are available – you’ll meet in the lobby until it arrives.

You can tour all three venues (which I highly recommend) or pick and choose. My husband is an audiophile and he was excited to tour the RCA Studio B especially. And I have to agree that was my favorite part of our visit. However, we both enjoyed the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and the Hatch Show Print was interesting.

Here’s a guide to help plan your visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Hatch Show Print and RCA Studio B.

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Best things to see and do at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum tour – one of the largest museums in the U.S. – first opened in 1967 on Music Row in Nashville, before it moved to its current downtown location in 2001.

Country Music Hall of Fame exhibits – first floor

The first floor features a huge lobby with a café, restrooms, an information desk, the Ford Theater, and the entrance where you begin the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum tour. The lobby is also where you can pick up tickets and your audio guide. On the right (when you enter) past the information and membership desk, you’ll find Circa: The Museum Store – a fun place to shop. Next door is a small Mexican restaurant with great tacos. You can get them to go or dine inside or on the patio.  

Continue down the hallway on the first floor to meet up for your Hatch Show Print tour. We met in the small lobby area next to the stairs and outside the Hatch Show gift shop. More on that later.

Until you get an opportunity to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in person, here’s everything you need to know.

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Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum exhibits – third floor exhibits

Look for the entrance queue, which an elevator will take you up to the third floor to begin your self-guided tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Here you’ll find several exhibits as you travel through a timeline of country music artifacts, costumes, musical instruments, and fun facts. Exhibits include:

• Taylor Swift Education Center – classrooms, educational programs and family activities
• Bill Anderson: As Far as I Can See exhibit
• Martina McBride: The Power of Her Voice
• The permanent collection: Sing Me Back Home: Folk Roots to the 1960s
• Precious Jewels exhibit
• The Station Inn: Bluegrass Beacon section
• Gold Record Wall
• Restrooms

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You can either take the elevator or the staircase down to the second floor to continue your tour.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s permanent exhibit on the third floor will take you from the 19^th century through today. Here you’ll find several exhibits featuring photos, original recordings, videos (wait until you see and hear Willie Nelson sing in a suit with no facial hair – I only recognized his voice!), films, touchscreens, and informational signs.

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum exhibits – second floor exhibits

On the second floor of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum tour, you’ll find these exhibits.

• Sing Me Back Home: 1960s to the Present
• Outlaws & Armadillos – Country’s Roaring 70s
• Kasey Musgraves: All of the Colors exhibit
• Recording station
• American Currents: State of the Music
• Hall of Fame Rotunda
• Restrooms

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You can take the elevator down to the first floor. However, I highly recommend taking the stairs down the beautiful grand staircase if you are able.

Also check out their free special online exhibits.

One of the exhibits, Dylan, Cash and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City, examines music legends who contributed to Nashville’s evolution as a music capital.

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Take the Hatch Show Print tour at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn.

You must purchase separate tickets to tour the Hatch Show Print section of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. One of the oldest working letterpress print shops in the U.S., Hatch Show Print was founded in 1879. This historical venue is located on the first floor past the museum store near a staircase.

We lined up outside the glass windows of the Hatch Show Print where we were then led inside to a smaller print room. Here we learned more about the letterpress shop and its place in the music scene’s history – of all genres, including the Rolling Stones, Miranda Lambert, James Brown, and more.

You’ll also get an opportunity to check out the carved letterpress blocks, hand-print (and take home) your own letterpress poster, watch the designers and printers do their thing, and walk through the Hatch Show Print’s Haley art gallery and the Hatch Show Print store.

One of the best things to do in Nashville: Tour the historic RCA Studio B

Touring the RCA Studio B was one of the highlights of our visit to Nashville. My husband and I loved this guided tour. It was so amazing that this little nondescript building produced such mega hits and launched super stars like Country Music Hall of Famers Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, and more.

The historic RCA Studio B, built in 1957, is the birthplace of the Nashville Sound and is the city’s oldest surviving recording studio.

You can sit at Elvis Presley’s favorite piano and get your picture taken. Just don’t play the piano. And there is even an X that marked the spot where Elvis sang. You’ll also get an opportunity to hear lots of great music that was produced over the years and learn more about the historic RCA Studio B.

If you’re a music or history buff, you don’t want to miss this fascinating tour of RCA Studio B.

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Frequently Asked Questions about the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Hatch Show Print, and RCA Studio B

Here are a few frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Hatch Show Print, and the RCA Studio B.

Where is the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum located? Is the Hatch Show Print tour located in the same museum? Where is the meeting place for the RCA Studio B tour?

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and Hatch Show Print are both located at 222 Rep. John Lewis Way S. in Nashville, Tenn. The RCA Studio B tour is located offsite, however, you’ll meet in the lobby of the Country Music Hall of Fame. You’ll see signs indicating that you should meet across from the information desk on the right side of the lobby. From there, you’ll take the shuttle a short distance away. The shuttle also returns you to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Is there parking at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum?

You can find several parking lots and garages near the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Parking tip: If you are renting a car, avoid parking in lots that require your license plate number via an app or kiosk. I paid for a spot in a nearby outdoor lot. However, I wasn’t able to finish the transaction because the previous renter did not close out. When I called, they said that was common and that I would have to call back on Monday to get a refund. So it can be a bit of a hassle. I eventually parked at the Music City Center (6^th Avenue South and Demonbreun).

Where can I purchase tickets for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Hatch Show Print, and the RCA Studio B? Can I buy the tickets separately for each tour?

You can purchase tickets for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Hatch Show Print and the RCA Studio B online. Plan ahead and purchase your tickets early as you’ll received timed-entry tickets so you’ll need to coordinate with available times for Hatch Show Print and the RCA Studio B tours. Some of the tours sell out, so you’ll want to purchase our tickets in advance so that you can visit all three tours in the same day.

Choose the type of Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum experience you prefer – check the website for ticket prices and more details.

• Experience it All – combined tickets for entry to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Hatch Show Print, and the RCA Studio B
• Studio B Experience – includes entry to RCA Studio B and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (you cannot purchase a separate ticket for the Studio B Experience only)
• Hatch Experience – includes entry to Hatch Show Print and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (you cannot purchase a separate ticket for the Studio B Experience only)
• Note that you can also purchase a one-hour songwriter session to any of these ticket options.

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What are the hours for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum?

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is open every day 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. Note that your tickets to the Hatch Show Print and RCA Studio B are timed and may have limited capacity. And you’ll need to take a shuttle to RCA Studio B (in front of the museum outside – first meet in the lobby across from the information desk – you’ll see signs).

What are the social-distancing guidelines at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum?

For the latest information, please check the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum website for social-distancing guidelines.

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How long does it take to tour the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn.? Hatch Show Print? RCA Studio B?

Allow at least 90 minutes to two hours to tour the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Expect the Hatch Show Print will take about an hour. The RCA Studio B tour takes about an hour (also allow time to shuttle to and from the studio; ~10 minutes each way).

Can you take photos in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum?

Yes, you can take photos (without a flash) at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. But you may not take audio or video recordings inside most areas of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Hatch Show Print, or RCA Studio B.

Can you bring backpacks into the Country Music Hall of Fame?

Personal items are limited to 16x17x8. Leave anything larger than this size in your vehicle as there is no coat or bag check.

Does Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum have a restaurant?

Yes, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has a restaurant and a snack bar. Bajo Sexto, a Mexican fast-food restaurant (great tacos!) is located on the first floor of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum next to the museum’s store/gift shop. The Red Onion snack bar is located in the lobby on the first floor of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Note that you may not bring food or drink into the museum galleries. Bottled water is acceptable in a sealable container.

Does Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum have restrooms?

Yes, you’ll find plenty of restrooms on all three floors of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

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Does Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum have a gift shop?

Yes, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has two gift shops. Both Circa: The Museum Store (two locations across from each other) and the Hatch Show Print gift shop are located on the first floor.

Add the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Hatch Print Show, and the RCA Studio B tour to your top things to do in Nashville itinerary

I highly recommend a visit to tour the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn. It’s one of the top things to do in Nashville. Other related posts that may interest you.

• Graceland – Home of Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee
• Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee
• Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, Tennessee
• Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum in Memphis, Tennessee
• Buddy Holly Crash Site and Museum in Clear Lake, Iowa

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Pin it for later: Guide to the Country Music Hall and Fame Museum in Nashville, Tennessee

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