Nashville: The Ryman Hauntings, 2020 Christmas Bombing, and Tennessee Wildman | Creeps, Crimes & Cryptids

Nashville hums with more than guitars. We begin with the Creeps inside the Ryman Auditorium, a building born as a tabernacle and later crowned home of the Grand Ole Opry. Staff tell stories of balcony watchers, shifting objects, cold pockets of air, and a presence that lingers in the wood grain of a room steeped in hymnals and radio waves. We explore how the Ryman helped turn Music City into the capital of country music, tracing the sound from Celtic roots and Black string traditions to record labels and comedy stages, and ask whether heavy history alone can charge a space or if something else keeps the air buzzing after the lights go down.

The Crimes pull us into both myth and modern tragedy, from George Jones’ infamous lawn mower ride that blurred self destruction and legend, to the stark Christmas morning bombing of December 25, 2020. An RV, recorded warnings, a countdown, and a blast that shook downtown raised questions about conspiracy, illness, and grievance, revealing how quickly fear and fragmented facts become narrative. We close with the Cryptids of Tennessee folklore: the Wildman roaming Appalachian hills and the enduring legend of the Bell Witch, whose whispers and scratches still echo through American storytelling.

*******

Creeps, Crimes & Cryptids is a podcast by Ghost City Tours, exploring the strange, sinister, and unexplained history lurking beneath America’s most haunted cities. If you'd like to take a ghost tour in this episode's featured city, or to find tours in a city nearest you, visit www.ghostcitytours.com!