At the hotel brunch on our first morning, my dad overheard another guest come up to one of the staff members and thank him profusely for recommending a tour, saying it was the best tour he had ever been on. Intrigued, my dad went over to ask for more information. The staff member happily repeated his recommendation for the Historic RCA Studio B Tour, agreeing that it is the best tour in Nashville.
We immediately got to work researching the tour over breakfast and found out that it is an add-on to the ticket for the Country Music Hall of Fame. We had been hemming and hawing about visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame since five out of six of us do not follow country music but it seemed like one of the top things to do in Nashville. But the allure of this tour (and the fact that it can only be purchased in conjunction with museum entrance) sold us on it.
We already had plans for the current day so we walked over to the museum and purchased tickets for the next day. (We tried purchasing online first but found the process a little confusing because it made you select a time for the tour and also a time to enter the museum. Not knowing how long the tour would last, we weren’t sure when to buy the museum entrance for.) Tickets for the “Studio B Experience” are $49.95 for adults and $39.95 for youth (6-12). The ticket includes entrance to the hall of fame and a one hour tour of Studio B. (For what it is worth, we were told that the time on the ticket for museum entry didn’t really matter and we could come at any point during the day.)
We had a 10:30 tour and were told to arrive 15 minutes early. After checking in and waiting for a few minutes, we were loaded onto a bus to take us the 10 minute drive from the Hall of Fame to Studio B on Music Row.
Our tour guide was an older woman with a quiet voice and a calm demeanor… and a wealth of knowledge beyond my expectations. She started the tour on the bus drive over and from start to finish, she shared fascinating facts, regaled us with interesting stories and just generally entertained us.
The tour started in the lobby of the studio, where the walls were decorated with a timeline of important moments in the history of Studio B, as well as a celebration of the hits of one of its most famous musicians, Elvis Presley. We then walked through a sound room where we saw some of the old equipment and watched a brief video before heading into the recording studio itself.
Studio B has a storied history, with numerous music legends recording some of their biggest hits there. From Elvis to Dolly Parton to Willie Nelson, so many stars had been in the room we were now standing in. The focal point of the room is a Steinway piano, purportedly Elvis’ favorite piano to play. We all got a chance to sit at the piano (but not play it!) and take a picture. It was amazing to be sitting at an instrument that Elvis himself had played!
But even more amazing was when we all sat in the chairs around the outside of the room and the tour guide turned off the lights and played a recording of one of Elvis’ sessions from that very room. With the lights out and the volume up, you could almost feel his presence in the studio. To know that he was standing mere feet from where we were, recording that song, gave me chills.
We heard lots of tales of different legends’ experiences at the studio, but my favorite was a story about Dolly Parton. Dolly was running late for her first recording session at the studio and the self-proclaimed bad driver sped into the parking lot in her brand new car… and didn’t stop until she hit the wall of the brand new building. She likes to say now that she had her first “smash hit” at Studio B.
I really enjoyed this tour and think it would be really interesting to anyone who is a fan of music of any type. The history of the studio is fascinating and the chance to stand in the same room where dozens of legends recorded their biggest hits is a really unique opportunity. Take the advice of the helpful employee of the Drury Plaza Hotel and book this tour!
