The Birthplace of Country Music Museum
I learned a lot from years of doing long distance with my partner: communication, teamwork, the best time to buy plane tickets. I also learned that the midway point between Nashville and Richmond is Bristol, a cornerstone of the Tri-Cities in the heart of southern Appalachia, where the Tennessee-Virginia border runs down the middle of State Street.
Bristol is technically two sister cities on either side of that border, both called Bristol, and for a while it was a home away from home for my partner and me. You might recognize it as the home of the Bristol Motor Speedway, or the annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion. As the birthplace of Tennessee Ernie Ford and site of the 1927 Bristol Sessions, where Ralph Peer recorded early tracks from The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers, Bristol has music in its blood.
There’s a particular story that’s often told about Appalachia: It’s foregone and forgotten, or else written off as backward. Communities like Bristol have been rejecting that story for a long time, and that’s a fight I was reminded of when we took another drive there recently — this time, together, from Nashville.
The Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Va.
Stay
The Sessions Hotel and The Bristol Hotel are luxury boutique hotels that celebrate Bristol’s music history. Airbnbs and hospitality chains like the local Hard Rock Hotel and Casino are also available. But my favorite local place to stay is in nearby Abingdon, Va., the home of Demon Copperhead novelist Barbara Kingsolver. A Tailor’s Lodging is a converted 1840s home steps from downtown, with cozy suites and a rentable tiny house on site. The hotel’s owner, Rick Humphreys, is a caring, knowledgeable host — he’ll wait up for you if you’re running late, and share personalized recommendations and fascinating local lore.
Do
On a Friday night in July, we headed downtown and found Border Bash, a free summer concert series that runs every other weekend through early August. The week we visited, it was held near the city’s historic Bristol Sign — which spans State Street and reads “A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE” in light-up letters. We danced to the Carolina Celtic punk of The Tan and Sober Gentlemen before making our way to one of my favorite spots: the Neo-Appalachian art gallery HollerHouse.
HollerHouse
HollerHouse, a co-sponsor of the recent Saucers Over Appalachia Festival, is challenging perceptions of Appalachia one cryptid at a time. We attended the opening of Over and Over and Over, a printmaking exhibit curated by East Tennessee State University art professor Sage Perrott (aka Haypeep). That title references the repetitive process of making prints — some on exhibit have as many as 17 layers of color. Also open through August is BLAZING FURY, a showcase of R-rated experimental photography from Billie Wheeler, Zac Wilson and Will Major. I’m fascinated by Wilson’s surreal Southern portraits and Wheeler’s shots of the haunted West Virginia Penitentiary. Major’s off-kilter landscapes of local fast-food chain Pal’s are part photography, part performance art, documenting a marathon visit to all 31 locations over the course of a single day.
Next door to HollerHouse are the endless stacks of Cheap Thrills Records and witchy gift shop Bristol Boo-Tique, and on Sixth Street, you’ll find local institutions Mountain Empire Comics and Boyd’s Bicycles. It’s also an easy walk from the delectable Blackbird Bakery to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. The museum is the home of artifacts belonging to Rodgers and Ford, plus a great community radio station, WBCM Radio Bristol, which broadcasts live from its permanent collection. In the rotating Special Exhibits, there’s currently a retrospective of local muralist Ellen Elmes, whose work uplifts local history and diversity — including a community project that celebrates Black history in Tazewell, Va.
Afterward, you can keep the country music history going and get lunch at Burger Bar, a diner with the eerie distinction of being the last place Hank Williams was seen alive. In tribute, most of their dishes are named after his song titles: We had the “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and “Hey Good Lookin’” burgers, which did not disappoint. We also loved the Spam musubi and spicy tofu noodles at eclectic Asian fusion spot 620 State Street, and the lemon, thyme and squash soup at Bistro on 6th.
A pint of Elderbrew's The Rat Trap
For drinks, I highly recommend Elderbrew, an esoteric microbrewery with Twin Peaks-inspired decor. They’ve partnered with HollerHouse on past events and have also created a local hub for weird, groundbreaking art, something they point out online “is often overshadowed by the legacy of country music and the roar of NASCAR engines.” Elderbrew also makes some damn fine beer. The Rat Trap, their smoked wheat saison, is the perfect light brew for a summer afternoon: crisp and refreshing, with just enough bite. Fans of other vices will enjoy the homegrown flower at Fern Ridge Distro, on the Virginia side of town. The dispensary hosts weekly “Learn to Roll” classes and occasional horror movie screenings.
On Sundays, the shops tend to quiet down, which means it’s the perfect opportunity to get outside. The Virginia Creeper Trail begins in Abingdon, and Steele Creek Park and Blue Hole Falls are popular hiking spots on the Tennessee side. On this visit, we got breakfast from smoothie shop and e-bike rental spot Blended Pedaler, then headed to the Gray Fossil Site and Hands On! Discovery Center, a science museum in Gray, Tenn., that offers Tesla coil demonstrations and a site tour of an active Pliocene Era dig site. It’d be a great spot for a family outing — and it may be the only kid-friendly attraction to also feature a “River of Bones.”
If you visit Bristol, don’t leave the area without spending an evening at Abingdon’s Barter Theatre, the state theater of Virginia and the longest-running professional Actors’ Equity theater in the U.S. We saw the premiere run of Mountain Mamas, a new play written through the local Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights. Staged at the Barter’s black box and laced with humor and grit, it’s an intimate ensemble story about labor rights, environmentalism and the coal industry, focusing on three generations of female miners. It’s another prime example of contemporary Appalachian artists staring down their own history — and moving, steadfastly, into the future.
From Gulf Shores and Ocean Springs to Bristol and Lexington, here are our recommendations for late-summer getaways
