Wildhorse Saloon
Encyclopedia
The Wildhorse Saloon is a country/western-themed restaurant
, live music venue, and dance club
located in downtown Nashville, Tennessee
. It is owned by Gaylord Entertainment Company
. Originally opened on June 1, 1994 in a converted warehouse, the Wildhorse initially capitalized on the line dancing
craze of the early-to-mid-1990s. While it continues to enjoy success as a bar and line dance venue, it has become a successful concert venue in recent years for all genres of music. Because of its downtown location, open bar, large atrium, and permanent stage, the Wildhorse is also often used as a formal banquet hall.
The Wildhorse consists of three levels. The top two levels overlook the dance floor and stage.
when the station was also under Gaylord ownership. The room has since been converted into a small video arcade. The venue formerly hosted the Wildhorse Saloon Dance Show on The Nashville Network
in the mid-1990s. It also served as an audition site for the second season of American Idol
. More recently, it has served as home of the Idol spin-off Can You Duet
on CMT
.
in Lake Buena Vista, Florida
. It operated as a joint venture of Gaylord Entertainment and Levy Restaurants
from 1998 to 2001. Gaylord and Levy sold their interests in the building to Disney and the space is now home to the "Motion" dance club.
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
, live music venue, and dance club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
located in downtown Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. It is owned by Gaylord Entertainment Company
Gaylord Entertainment Company
The Gaylord Entertainment Company operates a number of hotel, resort, and media companies that were built by Edward Gaylord. It was previously a subsidiary of the Oklahoma City-based Oklahoma Publishing Company, which is owned by the Gaylord family and publishes the Daily Oklahoman newspaper...
. Originally opened on June 1, 1994 in a converted warehouse, the Wildhorse initially capitalized on the line dancing
Line dance
A line dance is a choreographed dance with a repeated sequence of steps in which a group of people dance in one or more lines or rows without regard for the gender of the individuals, all facing the same direction, and executing the steps at the same time. Line dancers are not in physical contact...
craze of the early-to-mid-1990s. While it continues to enjoy success as a bar and line dance venue, it has become a successful concert venue in recent years for all genres of music. Because of its downtown location, open bar, large atrium, and permanent stage, the Wildhorse is also often used as a formal banquet hall.
The Wildhorse consists of three levels. The top two levels overlook the dance floor and stage.
In media
The Wildhorse once housed a full-service radio studio, formerly used by WSM-FMWSM-FM
WSM-FM is an FM radio station in Nashville, Tennessee. The station broadcasts at 95.5 MHz and broadcasts a country music radio format, with an emphasis upon recordings released since the 1990s....
when the station was also under Gaylord ownership. The room has since been converted into a small video arcade. The venue formerly hosted the Wildhorse Saloon Dance Show on The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows...
in the mid-1990s. It also served as an audition site for the second season of American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
. More recently, it has served as home of the Idol spin-off Can You Duet
Can You Duet
Can You Duet is an American reality-competition show airing on CMT. The show is produced by FremantleMedia, the same company that produced American Idol.The show premiered on April 14, 2008 and the first season ended on June 13, 2008....
on CMT
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
.
Wildhorse Saloon at Walt Disney World
A second Wildhorse was opened at Pleasure Island at the Walt Disney World ResortWalt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...
in Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Lake Buena Vista is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is mostly known for being home to the Walt Disney World Resort. It is one of two Florida municipalities controlled by The Walt Disney Company, the other being Bay Lake....
. It operated as a joint venture of Gaylord Entertainment and Levy Restaurants
Levy Restaurants
Levy Restaurants is a restaurant company based in Chicago specializing in providing premium-quality vending and food services to major entertainment and sports venues. It is a unit of Compass Group, and was founded in 1978....
from 1998 to 2001. Gaylord and Levy sold their interests in the building to Disney and the space is now home to the "Motion" dance club.