Wonder if he’ll serve sangria. This morning, Nashville’s famed Ryman Hospitality Group (the same company behind the Grand Ole Opry) announced a new project: A $20 million Blake Shelton-themed honky tonk called Ole Red, located on Nashville’s famous lower Broadway.
A second outpost will open in Shelton’s hometown of Tishomingo, Oklahoma.
“Nashville and Tishomingo are both places that are important to me, and it’s great that each location is going to have its own personality inspired by one of my favorite songs,” he says. “It’s always been a dream of mine to create something like this where people know they’re going to have a good time as soon as they walk in the door, and I couldn’t be more excited.”
And with 26,000 square feet of space, there are many ways for bar-goers to have a good time. The first floor houses a stage for live band karaoke and performances by up-and-coming country artists (plus retail space); a mezzanine will overlook the stage and dance floor; a private event space with room for up to 450 people and a kitchen facility will occupy the third and fourth floors, and the fifth floor boasts a rooftop restaurant and gathering area with a panoramic views of the city.
The name Ole Red is an homage to the singer’s career-changing single “Ol’ Red,” which debuted in 2001 and launched The Voice coach into country stardom.
The bar will join a number of new celebrity-helmed (or themed) bars on Broadway: Alan Jackson opened AJ’s Good Time Bar in late 2016, and John Rich (of Big and Rich) is toiling away at the opening of his bar, Redneck Riviera.
Ole Red is slated for an early 2018 opening.
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