Hotels near RCA Studio B

Built in 1957 and used continuously until 1977, RCA Studio B is where Chet Atkins and producer Owen Bradley helped invent the smoother, string-and-vocal-driven Nashville Sound. More than 35,000 songs were recorded in this single small room, including over 260 Elvis Presley tracks, plus hits by Dolly Parton, Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson, and the Everly Brothers. The 60-minute guided tour, sold only as an add-on to a Country Music Hall of Fame ticket, is the only way in. Guests board a shuttle at the museum, hear original session anecdotes on the way, then spend 40 minutes inside the still-working studio, standing on the exact spot where Elvis cut Are You Lonesome Tonight in a dark room in 1960. Combo tickets in 2026 are $49.95 for adults and $27.95 for kids 6 to 12. Tours run several times daily; last departure is normally 14:30. Give the whole experience 2 hours from museum lobby to return.

Pro Tip: Ask the guide to point out the piano and floor scuff mark from the Elvis 1960 sessions before the group photo. Almost nobody knows to look for it, and it makes the whole afternoon feel like a private tour.