MCMINNVILLE – Southwest magazine gave some major props to an Upper Cumberland music venue.
The airline publication rated Bluegrass Underground on a list of top 10 “Best Places To See Live Music” in its September edition – ranking the McMinnville tourist attraction among the likes of Colorado’s Red Rocks and Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
Also receiving nods were Masonic Amphitheatre, Clifton Forge, Virginia; Ravinia Festival, Highland Park, Illinois; Granada Theater, Dallas, Texas; The Rave, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Gorge Ampitheatre, George, Washington; and Music Farm, Charleston, South Carolina.
Bluegrass Underground is an Emmy Award-winning PBS concert series held inside Cumberland Caverns – 333 feet below ground in an acoustically pristine cavern known as The Volcano Room. Headlining acts thus far this year have included (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Keller Williams and Davina & the Vagabonds; upcoming shows featuring John Anderson (Oct. 8), Flatt Lonesome w. The Way Down Wanderers (Oct. 15) and The Grascals w/ The Hog Slop Stringband (Oct. 29) have sold out.
“Only 600 people can attend each show, because that’s all the Volcano Chamber can hold,” the magazine said. “Softly lit by an antique crystal chandelier, these mountain music concerts go down in the Cumberland Caverns, 333 feet below the surface.”
Cumberland Caverns was honored earlier this year with a 2016 Ovation Award for Excellence in Tourism Promotion.
