Luke Combs and Ryman Hospitality to replace Nashville's Wildhorse Saloon with new music venue and bar

Get ready for a "Hurricane," Nashville. Country hitmaker Luke Combs eyes next year to open a downtown concert hall and honky-tonk bar inspired by his breakout single.

The two-time reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year unveiled Thursday plans for a to-be-named entertainment space developed by Opry Entertainment Group, the company behind the Ryman Auditorium, Grand Ole Opry and multi-story Old Red bar.

Organizers hope to open the bar by mid-2024, according to Colin Reed, executive chairman of Ryman Hospitalities, parent company to Opry Entertainment Group. The 69,000-square-foot venture opens at 120 2nd Avenue N, taking the place of Wildhorse Saloon, a longtime Ryman-owned country bar and ticketed venue that opened in 1994 — years before Lower Broadway became a bustling tourism district.

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"When you think about what goes on Broadway, this is going to be very different," Reed said.

Plans for Combs' four-story bar include:

• A 250-person honky-tonk space on the first floor;

• A two-story ticketed concert hall that holds up to 1,500 showgoers;

• A third-story sports bar catering to legalized sports betting;

• Nods to Combs' fandom, including a bachelorette-themed area named after his hit song "Beautiful Crazy" and a section dedicated to his followers, the "Bootleggers";

• An additional bar for high-end bourbon drinkers;

• "The Still" and songwriter's lounge, a second-story bar nodding to Combs' backstage hangout space of the same name;

• A 9,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor rooftop named the "Eye," in reference to Combs' aforementioned debut single "Hurricane."

"[Nashville] is such a destination now," Combs told The Tennessean. "It's kinda like redneck Vegas a little bit down here, you know what I mean? This space has an opportunity to scratch more than one itch for people. It's not just a bar. It's not just a concert venue. It's not just a sports bar. With the space, it can check a lot of boxes for a lot of different people."

Combs joins Garth Brooks and Eric Church as the latest country entertainers to confirm soon-to-open bars in downtown Nashville. The growing lineup of celebrity-endorsed food and drink options on Lower Broadway includes businesses from Miranda Lambert, Justin Timberlake, Alan Jackson, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley and Jimmy Buffet, among others.

Plans for the multi-million dollar project began bubbling between Reed and Combs a few years ago, the former said.

Reed, who stepped down as Ryman CEO in late 2022, first bonded with Combs on a Mississippi duck hunting retreat six years ago — months before the singer began barnstorming country radio with an unmatched run of chart-topping hits. Now, as Combs embarks on a sold-out stadium tour spanning 16 countries, Reed hopes the singer's worldwide success attracts globetrotting visitors to the forthcoming entertainment hub.

"I'm hopeful he's gonna promote the living daylights out of this new venue and he's going to put more people on seats in airplanes ... to the city of Nashville," Reed said, "because this guy is truly international."

While most Lower Broadway watering holes rely solely on tip-fueled cover bands for entertainment, Combs' space plans to feature touring lineups and headlining locals inside a ticketed concert hall operated by the same group that produces roughly 275 shows a year at the nearby Ryman Auditorium.

Combs hopes the room caters to burgeoning country talent, of course. But he also wants the room to be a go-to destination for touring acts across genres.

"I know what I love and what my band and crew loves, and that's a state-of-the-art venue and place that takes care of you from a hospitality standpoint," Combs said. "That's how you get an act to come somewhere and come back. That's important in a business model for a place like this. I know Opry Entertainment can get that done."

And with new plans for the building, locals must prepare to say "goodbye" to Wildhorse Saloon, a Second Avenue staple known for open-floor line dancing, fried pickles and occasional ticketed concerts. Ryman leadership previously enlisted business partner Marriott to manage Wildhorse, but that contract expired, Reed said.

During its downtown tenure, the Wildhorse became a de facto meeting hall for many of Nashville's power brokers. It's where then-Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen and then-Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams sold business and civic leaders on a plan that would ultimately bring an NFL franchise to Nashville. It also holds regular Rotary Club and other meetings.

Past artists to visit the Wildhorse include Ringo Starr, Darius Rucker, Etta James and Little Big Town, among others. Under Ryman leadership, it hosted local radio broadcasts and regular tapings for now-defunct TV station The Nashville Network.

And years ago, a little-known Combs played the Wildhorse stage on multiple occasions — including a 2017 appearance at Tracy Lawrence's annual benefit concert to combat food insecurity, "Turkey Fry."

"At that time in your career, you're doing so many things that are so new to you that you can't believe are happening," Combs said. "That's one of my fondest memories of this place."

Building renovations may not begin until late 2023 or early 2024, Reed said. The Wildhorse Saloon plans to remain open during redevelopment.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Luke Combs' new Nashville venue and bar to replace Wildhorse Saloon