Blog 3811 – 04.29.2026

Opryland USA

I grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee and as a child would climb up on a kitchen chair, stand on it, and sing How Far is Heaven with Grand Ole Opry star Kitty Wells singing on the radio atop our refrigerator. Kitty was my dad’s favorite singer. Saturday afternoon and evenings were special times to my mom and dad who were both life long country music fans. They grew up listening to the Grand Ole Opry broadcast on Nashville Radio station WSM, and watched The Wilburn Brothers, Flatt and Scruggs, Porter Waggoner, and The Red Foley Show on TV. I remember being quite happy when NBC moved Bonanza from Saturday nights to Sunday nights so we could see it.

As a young man I was privileged to go to the Opryland Amusement Park several times. The last time was after the park itself had closed. That was December 31, 1997. The Grand Ole Opry moved from the Downtown Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium to the Opry House at Opryland in 1974. I attended a live Grand Ole Opry show in 1998 with my mother, my brother, my wife and young son. We stayed at the Opryland Hotel near the Opry House and had a wonderful time.

Opryland USA itself is but a memory as are many of the large amusement parks that no longer exist. The times, tastes, and even country music has changed quite a bit since Hank Williams and Kitty Wells sang on the Grand Ole Opry radio broadcasts.

This morning I saw a short video about Opryland and thought I would share a few personal memories of time spent there with loved ones.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David James White