Josh Turner headlines the Grand Ole Opry

Tucked in between Nashville's biggest indoor shopping mall, and the oasis that is the Opryland Hotel, we made our way to the Grand Ole Opry, or "the show that made country music famous."

Obligatory photo op outside the Grand Ole Opry.

The Grand Ole Opry features a long list of performers at every show, and each act gets to play a couple of songs. It's a fun format and the variety is impressive: we heard everything from today's hit country by Josh Turner and the deep bass of an up-and-coming performer who accompanied country legend Billy Ray Cyrus, to old-time yodeling and acapella in harmony by the impressive Gatlin Boys.

Billy Ray Cyrus accompanies an up-and-coming star.

The show is steeped in history. The round section of off-colored wood at center stage comes from the stage in the Grand Ole Opry's original theater. When a performer stands there, she feels the combined history of all the acts that have preceeded her.

We're not sure what Uncle Sy from Duck Dynasty feels when he stands there, but he indeed made a few cameo appearances during our Opry show.

Can't visit the south without running into someone from Duck Dynasty.

The Grand Ole Opry is simultaneously broadcast online and locally over the AM airwaves. From behind his on-stage podium, a buttoned-up announcer reads modern-day companies' old-fashioned-sounding ads to the audience and the listeners at home.

There's some modern history here, too. A recent flood in Nashville closed the doors of the Grand Ole Opry for the first time, and the show was forced to relocate for a time while the damage was repaired.

That same flood inundated the neighboring shopping mall, ultimately wiping out the home of Gibson Guitar, where tourists and shoppers could previously visit to see the iconic instruments manufactured.

There's plenty of live music to be found in downtown Nashville, but none of that can match the ambiance and variety of a show at the Grand Ole Opry.