Many nights out of the year, in the heart of the Cumberland Mountains of southeastern Tennessee, live music lovers gather for subterranean shows within a cave system more than 27 miles long. Some nights, they are treated to an acoustic performance by country songwriter Travis Tritt, or to the smooth harmonies of the Oak Ridge Boys. Other nights, bluegrass takes center stage when Ricky Skaggs headlines, or The SteelDrivers perform a set. The uneven ground and remote location of The Caverns doesn’t make for a typical live-music venue. But its atypical setting is exactly what makes it so popular.
“There are famously over 10,000 caves throughout the state of Tennessee—but only one of them is home to ‘The Greatest Show Under Earth,’” notes Luke Fater from travel site Atlas Obscura.
