We’ve Gone Country!

Kid Review of  Opry City Stage  by Waverly W. and Matthew R, 9 years old
The Mom here! I’ve always wanted a place in the country, a place that feels far away but is still close to home, where I could temporarily escape my city life and let my inner Country Girl put up her cowboy boots for a bit.  Ugh, but then I’d have to drive and deal with all that weekend traffic…and mow the lawn…and deal with frozen pipes in the winter….never mind.  I’ve also always wanted to go to Nashville to experience the Grand Ole Opry and to try out some authentic southern comfort food. Now, city girls like me can have a country home away from home, AND their trip to Nashville, just steps from a subway stop, right in the heart of New York City.
Opry City Stage has everything you need to “go country.”  Except the frozen pipes.  We took two Kid Reporters to experience a bit of Nashville country life, complete with dancing lessons one “Two Step Tuesday.”  The verdict? Unanimous.  We’ve gone country!Waverly here! I have listened to many country music songs on the radio driving with my dad to see my grandparents in Michigan, but if you asked me about The Grand Ole Opry, or asked me to dance to a country music song, I would have looked at you like you were crazy.  That has all changed now with one SUPER FUN visit to Opry City Stage.    Right from the second we walked in – no, even before we walked in, with the music playing out in the street and a haystack to sit on – I could tell this was going to be one amazing night! As soon as we walked in, I felt like we were far away from the city.  Johnny Cash was right there to greet us!Walking up the stairs, we saw lots of cool pictures of people mom told me are famous in the Country Music World.  I could hear music coming from up there and I was really excited to see what it was like.  The first thing I saw was a stage that was set up for a band with people getting dancing lessons on a dance floor in front of the stage.  Then I noticed tables where people were eating right next to the dance floor.  I looked down and saw that you could follow guitar pics from your table to the dance floor and I knew this was going to be one of the best nights ever in Kids’ News History!

Walking up the stairs, we saw lots of cool pictures of people mom told me are famous in the Country Music World.  I could hear music coming from up there and I was really excited to see what it was like.  The first thing I saw was a stage that was set up for a band with people getting dancing lessons on a dance floor in front of the stage.  Then I noticed tables where people were eating right next to the dance floor, and I also saw cool jackets and costumes that were worn by famous country music stars.  They were so interesting to look at, and very fancy!  I looked down and saw that you could follow guitar pics from your table to the dance floor and I knew this was going to be one of the best nights ever in Kids’ News History!
We got to our table and took a quick look at the menu but wanted to get on that dance floor to the Two-Step Lessons asap! There were so many yummy looking options – we could not decide! Literally every appetizer looked delicious and so did the “Headliners” –  so we told our moms to order for us and followed those guitar pics over to Carolina, the dance teacher.  She was really nice and even though we were a little shy at first, in about 10 minutes we were Two-Stepping across the room, having the time of our lives! She taught us and all the other people there all about how to dance the Two Step and Western Swing.  She moved around and helped all of us quickly learn by teaching us to move “slow…slow…quickquick slow!” Our moms were watching from the table with huge smiles on their faces and I saw my mom singing along to a song about how all her exes were from Texas.  Then it was time to test out our moves to a live band! I think you will agree, we were awesome, especially for city kids who literally learned how to do this like 5 minutes ago!

All that dancin’ sure made us hungry and we were ready to take a break and try out the appetizers our moms picked.  They picked some really “country” ones that we had never tried before.  We had Fried Green Tomatoes that were really crispy and crunchy with a delicious sauce drizzled on top, and something called “Edgehill Poutine” that was so so so good! (Thanks to our awesome server Nita for recommending it!!) It was made of tater tots and gooey cheese with smoked sausage.  YUM.  We had a very hard time saving our appetites for dinner, which came soon after!  We got “The Two Step” for the table plus a burger to share. It was a feast and we could have probably fed Nita, too, if she wasn’t busy taking care of her other tables!We loved eating all that delicious food like Ribs, Brisket “Burnt Ends” and Pulled Pork, plus stuff that I usually don’t like very much but I ended up LOVING, like Cheddar Sausage, which had a crispy outside and melted cheese inside and also the Cole Slaw and pretty pink pickled onions that added a good crunch to the meal.  The burger was also awesome and the fries were perfect!! (Mom here – it was SO hard to choose what to eat so we settled on a Family Style plate with something for everyone – but they had other options like Memphis Meatloaf, Shrimp & Grits, Salads….next time!!)
Matthew here!   The brick walls and signs, the costumes on the wall, and even the decorative menu with cool colors and stars made me feel like I was in Nashville, Tennessee! I had a lot of fun learning to dance and learning about the Grand Ole Opry.  I love dancing and now I know how to dance the Two-Step!  We kept taking bites of our food and then running back to the dance floor.  We even added our own special dance moves to the Two Step to make our own unique dance up.  Even when dessert came, we did not stop dancing! The singer in the band (John McEuen) said, “Everyone get down on the dance floor” and after I took a bite of each dessert, I said to Wave’s mom, “He told us to get on the dance floor….so we have to go!” I loved coming here and had lots of fun with Waverly and also with my mom.  This place gives parents a fun way to bond with their children.The Mom here again – yep, those two little Two-Steppers took off and left us alone with those desserts after being forced to sit still for one quick picture with these beautiful treats.  Then we were alone with those delicious desserts.  We were, after all, there to review the place, and with the kids too busy dancing, what could we do but take a couple of bites of the gooey, cinnamon-y, melty ice-cream-y Monkey Bread (Nita said we had to try it, and were couldn’t insult her, could we? That would be rude!).  Matthew and Wave also wanted to try the Apple Pie and I told myself I’d only have a tiny taste, but those kids kept dancing, and that pie was hands down the BEST apple pie I’ve ever tasted, and the fresh whipped cream so perfect….only out of love for the children did I save them each a bite, grudgingly.  They came back from the dance floor for a few seconds because they obviously saw that this mom was about to polish off two entire desserts, with only a little help from Matthew’s mom.  They both agreed that both desserts were fantastic and I had to promise Wave that we’d come back soon and I would try a little harder to save her more dessert when we did.
Waverly here! I forgive you, Mom, but next time, we order 2 Monkey Breads and 2 pieces of Apple Pie!  I don’t know what I liked best about Opry City Stage – learning to dance or eating all the yummy food! Lucky for me and anyone who goes there, you don’t have to choose! Where else can kids (and parents) dance while having dinner? Nowhere that I know about!
I give  Opry City Stage   the highest rating I’ve ever given any place in the history of Kids’ News NYC —-drumroll please—-TEN Red Balloons out of five!!  (Or should I say Ten Cowboy Boots out of five?? Hmmm…..). We can’t wait to come back – see y’all on the dance floor at Opry City Stage!The Mom here, one last time! The kids could not stop raving about Opry City Stage – they danced down the steps and out onto the sidewalk and practically all the way home.  Waverly fell asleep talking about dancing, woke up talking about how she dreamed about being a Two Step Champion (I dreamed about Monkey Bread and Apple Pie), danced to school, and has asked me to go back around a hundred times since we left.   I can’t say enough good things about it – from the music to the dancing to the awesome Southern Hospitality and food (There’s even breakfast!! They open at 8 am! Banana Cream Waffles!!!).
We even had “good neighbors” sitting at the tables around us! When we were getting up to leave, people who had been dancing along with the kids came up to us and were so friendly and nice, telling us how nice it was to see kids (and their parents – don’t think we sat there the whole time!) out there on the dance floor.  And I can’t forget John, who spotted my hat on the floor and made sure I didn’t leave without it!
Yes, we’ve gone country, and y’all should, too! Go with the kids, or without them so you don’t have to share dessert! Their drink menu has even more choices than their food menu, but that’s a whole other review…. 🙂
Opry City Stage
Facebook:  Opry City Stage
Instagram: Opry City Stage