Walking Bristol, Walking Two States

“Keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side, keep on the sunny side of life.”—From the eponymous song, recorded by the Carter Family in 1927 in Bristol.

We are in Bristol, the city that straddles the Tennessee/Virginia state line and that has been made famous by a cartoon gecko standing in the middle of its main street. But, more importantly, Bristol is also the congressionally designated “Birthplace of Country Music” and we are on the self-guided walking tour of more than a dozen downtown sites that highlight the birth and growth of a music genre. I’m explaining to Laurie that in my earlier life I was the host of the Down Home Music Show on West Virginia Public Radio and the Carter Family’s “Keep on the Sunny Side” was the program’s opening theme song.

A mural on State Street commemorates the 1927 recording sessions of the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, the Stoneman Family and others that Johnny Cash called “the single most important event in the history of country music.”

Except for this and a couple of other murals, the downtown’s buildings and storefronts look much like they did in the early 20th century and it’s easy to imagine yourself being there when this music was becoming more and more popular. There’s the 1931 Paramount Theater (still in operation) that saw performances by Grand Old Opry stars Cowboy Copas, Ernest Tubb and Tennessee Ernie Ford. Although not as commercially successful as the first recordings, a second set of sessions took place in 1928 in a building just off State Street.

Two blocks farther along, a plaque marks the site of the Taylor-Christian Hat Company’s warehouse where the original sessions unfolded on the building’s third floor. Across the street is where WCYB radio hosted notables such as the Stanley Brothers and Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs in the mid-1900s.

The Birthplace of Country Music Museum (a Smithsonian affiliate) ties it all together, from those original recordings to the country music of today. Laurie and I spent hours here (it’s 24,000 square feet on two floors so it is easy to social distance) and still felt like we missed much that is offered. And, to anyone who is an aficionado of traditional music, getting to see one of Bill Monroe’s mandolins or a guitar signed by Jimmie Rodgers is akin to a baseball fan being able to look at the ball Babe Ruth hit for his 60th home run.

The final tour site is most poignant. Local lore says that Hank Williams stopped at the Burger Bar (still serving burgers) on Piedmont Avenue several hours before he was found dead in his car while traveling through West Virginia. His song, “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive,” was a popular radio hit at the time.

If a One Mile Walk is not Enough

Steele Creek Park, a few minutes’ drive south of downtown, has a 54-acre lake with more than 20 miles of trails, some ascending moderately strenuously onto ridgelines and others lakeside that are flat and easy. There’s also fishing, a nature center, golf course and the Steele Creek Express, a miniature railroad.

We Ate at Eatz

Bristol Hotel’s rooftop bar was standing room only with live music fans, while the main dining room had a long wait time. But on a side street we found Eatz. Thank you fate! Some of the best comfort food ever—fried catfish, meatloaf, mac and cheese, collards and corn bread—at practical prices.

When You Go

The Walk: An easy one-mile stroll in the “Birthplace of Country Music.”

Getting there: Take I-81 Exit 74A at Bristol onto State Street, go 3.8 miles and turn right onto Volunteer Parkway to park at the Bristol Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitors Bureau.

More information: A self-guided tour brochure is available from the Visitors Bureau or at discoverbristol.org/tour

Find out more about Leonard’s walking and hiking adventures at habitualhiker.com.

The story above first appeared in our March/April 2021 issue. To get more like it, subscribe today or log in with your active BRC+ Membership. Thank you for your support!