Things to do / Travel Guide
If lots of country, bluegrass, and mountain folk are your cup of tea, you'll have lots to choose from in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Nashville is where they went after they were discovered; but many of them originally hailed from Appalachia. And if you want something a bit more mainstream, head to Charlottesville and Ashville, artsy college towns with great downtown scenes.
Entertainment in Charlottesville
The University of Virginia has long been hailed as a first-rate party school, so it's no wonder that its parent town has a fair selection of what to offer. There are a good amount of bars, a number of which host live acts several days a week. Great places to check out are Outback Lodge, which is also a restaurant, Starr Hill Music Hall, also a microbrewery, and Gravity Lounge, also a bookstore. All these are frequented by bands and solo acts. The Dave Matthews Band fan should poke his or her head into Miller's, which Dave frequented in his pre-fame days.
Entertainment along the Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina Border
The region's musical center is in Bristol, the city that straddles the Virginia and Tennessee state line. Other communities you'll be likely to find an entertainment scene in are Weber City and Independence, in Virginia, Asheville, North Carolina, and Johnson City, Tennessee. All these cities are congregated around the borders of the three states, smack in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The venues you'll find are all small-time - there are no large dance halls around - and the occasions are concerts, jams, and dances.
A word about the idiom around here: bluegrass has always been rooted in improvisation, or a jam, and the more polished the band is, the more you, the listener, won't know when they embark on a jam. Lots of venues feature informal jams, the performers of which are called pickers. If you aren't a picker at one of these events, and chances are you're not, then you're called a grinner. Bring your best smile for these boys!
Despite expectations to the contrary, many of the venues hold no drinking and no smoking policies in place. Family and kid-friendly are the rule, not the exception. Also, admission is exceptionally cheap, making live entertainment in the region probably among the cheapest in the country.
Among all the country store jamborees, barber shop jams, and barn dances, there are a few slightly-larger venues, all in Virginia, that you really won't want to miss:
- The Floyd Country Store - There are concerts every Friday, beginning with Gospel and moving on to bluegrass and country. If a big-name performer is in town, maybe Earl Scruggs or King Wilkie, then another concert is held Saturday night.
- Lots of big names in the industry have played a gig at the Rex Theater, in Galax, Virginia. Every Friday night, the live concert is beamed via radio - WBRF 98.1 FM - across four states and 50 counties. You can mosey on in to hear a great concert.
- Near Galax, close to the Blue Ridge Parkway, you'll find the Blue Ridge Music Center. Concerts are held on the weekends from late spring through to early fall. Come to the amphitheater for a chill evening jam or concert, and impromptu jam sessions can start any time in the central Plaza area.
- Big names in the region are those connected with the Carter Family. After years of disbursement, the family came back to the fold to the place where it all started - Bristol. You can visit the Carter Family Fold, a music theater seating 1,000, plus dance floor, for live music starting at 7:30 every Saturday night. It's dedicated to the real thing, folk and mountain variety. The whole complex is called the Carter Family Memorial Music Center, and along with the Family Fold is the Carter Family Museum.
- The Country Cabin, and the Country Cabin II, are both located in Norton, Virginia. Appalachian music is showcased every Saturday night. Bands like the South Mountain Boys and Fast Train.
Entertainment in Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke or the immediate surrounding area hosts three performing arts venues:
- The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Wiley, holds concerts year round.
- The Roanoke Civic Center hosts traveling Broadway shows, and other concerts.
- About 30 miles northeast of the city lies the town of Buchanan. The Buchanan Theatre shows movies, both mainstream and vintage, and hosts music concerts.
For nightlife, head to Corned Beef and Company, with live music, several bars, a cigar room, and a good scene. Otherwise there's Cornerstone Bar and Grill, pretty friendly and casual. These and more are located on or nearby Campbell Avenue, in downtown.
Entertainment in Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is the most artsy spot in the region. There are more pubs and cafés, and more mainstream music venues. Most venues crowd the River District, on or near Riverside Drive, as well as Biltmore Avenue, Broadway, and Patton Avenue. Naturally this isn't Northeast artsy, rather Southern mountain artsy, with honky-tonk mixed in.
Keep in mind Asheville is a college town, with the University of North Carolina at Asheville spreading the liberal arts gospel. Also, with the historic downtown, most of the entertainment establishments are housed in period buildings from the 1910s and 20s. The biggest entertainment venues are as follows:
- Barley's Taproom - This is a college hangout, a place for professionals to party, and for good old boys to kick back. There are 24 beers on tap, all the best the South has to offer. Barley's Taproom is actually a small chain, with another branch in Knoxville, among a few others outside the region.
- Grey Eagle Tavern - It's a wine and beer tavern, a dance hall, and a concert hall, and there's an on-site Cajun restaurant. Classic rock, cover bands, and good hard rock n' roll play at this establishment.
- The Orange Peel - This music hall holding 1,000 revelers attracts more big-time acts, plus the best of the local scene. The old Orange Peel was an Asheville mainstay, and this newer one does the old, and Asheville, justice.
- Stella Blue - The great Grateful Dead song takes corporeal form, with florescent paint upon black walls and a music hall attracting some big-name performers. It's got great atmosphere, even if it's a bit small.
Entertainment in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville can boast some great, still-flourishing theaters:
- The Bijou Theatre Center - Knoxville's oldest standing structure and a theater for nearly 100 years, this venue is the Official State Theatre of Tennessee.
- Featuring many genres from different time periods, the University of Tennessee's Clarence Brown Theatre is a class act. The plays are professionally-produced, and you can tell the players are having a real good time.
- The Tennessee Theatre is one of the last great movie houses of the South, opened in 1928 at the height of great movie houses. It continues to play movies, but it's also where the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and the Knoxville Opera Company reside.
One music venue that does feature country music as well as that of other pop genres is Cotton Eyed Joes. On one night there might be country rock, and on the next a medley of line dancing and square dancing. Come ‘round for a grand ole' time! An intimate and friendly bar is Copper Cellar West, which also offers dinner. The latter is on Kingston Pike, which is a continuation of Cumberland Avenue. Cumberland Avenue straddles the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and you'll find a good amount of bars and entertainment venues.
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