Sunday, December 27, 2009

Concerts bring Cumberland Caverns publicity, cash flow



A tie-in with bluegrass music has breathed new life into one of Tennessee's oldest private tourist attractions, helping pull Cumberland Caverns — about 90 miles southeast of Nashville — through a recession that has taken its toll on many less-fortunate roadside attractions.

In July 2008, the caverns near McMinnville became the venue for the Bluegrass Underground, a continuing series of live Saturday afternoon concerts by established and up-and-coming artists in a giant natural concert hall 333 feet under the Earth's surface.

The brainchild of Nashville marketing executive Todd Mayo, the Bluegrass Underground not only attracts a capacity crowd of 300-plus visitors to its monthly concerts, but also provides the programming for a weekly hourlong broadcast on WSM radio leading into the regular Saturday night Grand Ole Opry performance.

Read on.

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