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Carter Family Fold, Hiltons, Virginia In the summer of 1927, the Carter Family — Maybelle, Sara and A.P. Carter — traveled the 30-something miles from their home in Hiltons to downtown Bristol, Tennessee, where they participated in what Johnny Cash would later call “the single most important event in the history of country music.” With that first record and songs like “Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow” and “Single Girl, Married Girl,” the family laid the groundwork for country harmony singing and acoustic guitar playing, inspiring millions. Now this delightful, memory-making destination opens to visitors on Saturday evenings for self-guided tours of A.P. Carter’s artifact-rich cabin as well as concerts at an 800-seat rustic indoor venue.
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Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Bristol, Virginia Located on the Virginia side of Bristol, a city which straddles that state and Tennessee, the museum offers lively examinations of early country music. It also hosts regular performances and supports the annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion festival.
Eli Johnson
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Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville The world’s longest-running live radio program, the Grand Ole Opry, makes its home here, and each show is packed with a variety of performers. Visitors can also purchase tour passes to learn more about the iconic venue and the legends who have graced its stage. The Opry moved to this location in 1974 from the historic Ryman Auditorium, which is still open for concerts and for entertaining daytime tours.
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AMERICANAFEST 2019
The Bluebird Cafe, Nashville Located in a strip mall, this 90-seat listening room regularly draws some of the finest country songwriters in the world. Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift are among the stars who played the Bluebird in their younger years. The audience is sworn not to secrecy but to silence — you can get tossed for talking during shows.
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17th Annual Americana Music Festival & Conference - Amanda Shires Showcase
Station Inn, Nashville Nearly every famed bluegrass musician, from Bill Monroe to Ricky Skaggs to Alison Krauss, has played this small but hallowed stage. Seating is general admission, and tickets usually are available only at the door on the day of each performance; fans line up as much as 90 minutes before showtime to avoid the dreaded “Sold Out” sign. It’s worth the hassle. On any given night, you’ll hear some of the best acoustic music in Nashville.
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Gruene Hall, New Braunfels, Texas Built in 1878 in the Hill Country, this is Texas’ oldest dance hall. The schedule features rowdy “Texas country,” along with songwriting greats. Recent performers include Lyle Lovett, Patty Griffin and Ray Wylie Hubbard. It’s a quintessential Texas experience, tucked into a beautiful landscape.
Shutterstock/Kellee Kovalsky
Darrell Lundien of Visalia looks at a bronze statue of country music legend Buck Owens which is at
Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace, Bakersfield, California Owens built this restaurant and performance space as a shrine to the “Bakersfield sound,” which helped transform country music in the 1960s (and also counted Merle Haggard among its practitioners). The menu includes what is purported to be the last meal Owens ate before his 2006 death: Skillet Licker Chicken Fried Steak. That’s not health food, but the music here will sustain body and soul.
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Red Dragon Listening Room, Baton Rouge, Louisiana A nonprofit listening room run by a former liquor distributor who lives to hear great music, the Red Dragon is an odd and beguiling space filled with mismatched couches and rows of chairs in front of a homemade-looking stage. But don’t let appearances fool you: Some amazing musicians have played here, including Rosanne Cash and Guy Clark.
Jordan Hefler Photography
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Opens American Currents: The Music of 2018
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Nashville This massive building boasts the largest collection of country music artifacts in the world. More than a million visitors pass through the museum’s doors each year to view the instruments, outfits and even automobiles on display.
Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
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Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, Owensboro, Kentucky Visitors can watch historic film footage, view memorabilia from the likes of Bill Monroe and Earl Scruggs, and even make music on banjos and other instruments. Plus, there’s a theater for concerts.
Greg Eans/The Messenger-Inquirer/AP
Peter Cooper is a former music journalist for The Tennessean who now works for the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Celebrating Country Music
- For love of country
- Famous fans testify
- Story of America, in song
- Iconic dance halls, bars and museums
- A new Nashville
- Johnny Cash's legacy
- Where to hear the diversity of country music
- Country is the new rock
- Randy Travis’ road to recovery
- Quiz: How well do you know country?