Day 19

 Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Another travel day for us as we head north,  covering 267 miles and eventually stopping at the Fairy Stone State Park in western Virginia.

We were on the road by 9 AM.  Our campground backs right up to the Blue Ridge Mountains, so cell service is terrible, but the scenery along the eight mile access road to the campground is so gorgeous that I’m happy to forgo cell service for a few nights in such a great campsite.  Lots of farms along this road with plenty of crops, cows, horses, and even bees.

Our first stop today was 100 miles away, the “Birthplace of Country Music Museum” in Bristol, Tennessee.  Our drive took us over the Blue Ridge along I-26, very close to Mount Mitchell, again parallel to the Appalachain Trail, and over several 3500+ ft gaps.  The sky was clear, the foliage could not have been greener, and the traffic was light.  At one scenic overlook we encountered our first fellow Massachusetts resident of this trip!   He even lives on the Cape in Yarmouth.  In fact he’s a professional photographer and has a YouTube channel, “Saltyhead.”

As we pulled into the overlook I first saw him pulling some long poles out of the back of his Toyota 4 Runner.  I assumed they were fly fishing poles, but when I asked if the fishing was good, he said, “I’m not a fisherman, I’m a photographer,” and at that point I realized the poles were a tripod with his iPhone attached.

On the way into Bristol, we passed the Bristol Speedway whose grandstands are bigger than the biggest football stadiums in the US.  Seating capacity is over 143,000.  Bristol is a regular stop on the annual NASCAR circuit, and I suspect the race is the biggest revenue source each year for this small city that borders Tennessee and Virginia.  Several years ago there was a Geico TV add with gecko with the British accent standing in the middle of the main street, which is actual the border between the two states.

Around 11:30 am we arrived at the museum which is in partnership with the Smithsonian.  The Ken Burns series, Country Music, devotes many minutes to the museum and the role that Bristol played in the development of country music.  In 1927 record producer Ralph Peer. working for the Victor Company, set up a temporary recording booth on the second floor of a factory on the Tennessee side of town. He was there to record “Old-Time” or “Hillbilly” music to sell.

Peer advertised for local talent to come to Bristol to be recorded. Nineteen acts showed up to be recorded over several weeks. Two acts really stuck out,  the Carter Family and Jimmy Rogers.and would change country music forever. 

L to R:  Jimmie Rogers, Maybelle Carter, A.P. Carter, & Sara Carter

The overall organization, quality, and interactivity of these exhibits was amazing. Joni and I have visited Muscle Shoals, Sun Studios, Stax studios, the Grand Ole Opry, and museums in Galax, Virgina, and Nashville.  This one topped all of them.

Three different Martin guitars.  The one on the left has a special message on the back, as wells as many inlayed features on the front.

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This Martin guitar was built for Jimmie Rogers.  At the end of his performance Rogers would turn the guitar around so the audience could see his thank you message.

Leaving the museum we hoped to have a fried chicken dinner at the same restaurant where we dined the last time we visited Bristol.  For me the chicken at that restaurant was the gold standard that no other restaurant has approached.  Sadly the restaurant has closed, so we asked the staff at the museum for recommendations, and we ended up in a sports bar on main street.  They didn’t offer a complete chicken dinner on their menu, so we ended up with fried tenders.  They were good, but not the same, so we’ll continue looking for a good fried chicken dinner as long as we’re south of the Mason Dixon line.

Throughout this trip we continue to be impressed with Southern hospitality.  When I was struggling to parallel park our van near near our lunch restaurant, the owner of another restaurant cam out, witnessed my challenges, and directed one of his employees to back up her car in order to make more room.  How nice was that?

Leaving Bristol we continued our drive another 130 miles northward to Floyd, Virgina.  We love Floyd.  Its reminds us of the hippie towns of Vermont in the 60’s that were dedicated to art and music.  The General Store in Floyd is a true old fashioned general store, and hosts regular blue grass and gospel performances.  We’ve attended several and it’s hard to decide where is the most entertaining performance.  On the stage or in the audience?  We will be attending Thursday’s Honkey Tonk show.

By the time we got to Floyd it was after 5 pm, so most of the shops and the general store were closed.  We decided we did not need to have a big dinner; we were still digesting our fried chicken from lunch.  So we opted for an ice cream dinner.  All the ice cream places were closed, but the Food Lion grocery store was open so we ended up with a fine menu of Cracker Jacks as an appetizer, and  the Ben & Jerry’s Farewell to Stephen Colbert flavor for our main course.  That hit the spot as we sat in the front seat of our van and watched comings and goings along Floyd’s main street.

Leaving Floyd, we will return tomorrow, we drove south to our campground, arriving just at dusk.  We were greeted by two deer.  We’ve stayed at this campground several times before, and since our last visit it have been completely renovated.  Everything is new and clean.  Joni gives it an A+.