Blue Ridge Travel Association

Explore Bristol

Explore Bristol

Your Adventure Starts Here

With the gorgeous Appalachian Mountains serving as a backdrop, Bristol is known for its incomparable outdoor beauty and is one of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia’s most precious jewels. A rich musical heritage, a world-renowned racing facility, and some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet make it a perfect destination for your next great adventure!

Downtown Bristol is vibrant and unique and the “Main Street” in town is named State Street and is the official state line of Tennessee and Virginia. Brass markers line the street to commemorate this distinction. You will love exploring Bristol’s downtown – there are several attractions like the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Cameo Theater, Paramount Theatre, Bristol Sign, and Bristol Train Station. 

Downtown Bristol is vibrant with several specialty stores, dining, breweries and distilleries, and antiques. 

Bristol is also home to live music year-round. On most nights, you can enjoy live music at one of a number of downtown venues. If you happen to visit in September, you can enjoy Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion, which takes place annually over three days and nights and is one of the Southeast’s largest musical festivals. Check out BristolRhythm.com for more information about this year’s festival!

Explore Bristol Gallery

Explore Bristol Highlights

Birthplace of Country Music Museum

The Birthplace of Country Music Museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute, and tells the story of the 1927 Bristol Sessions - recordings that were influential in shaping early commercial country music's sounds and practices. It consists of interactive exhibits and video experiences, artifacts, a performance theater, a radio station, and much more. Explore more at BirthplaceofCountryMusic.org.

Bristol Motor Speedway

No trip to Bristol is complete without a visit to Bristol Motor Speedway, one of NASCAR's most popular race tracks. If there's not a race going on, you can still get some great photos of the bowl-shaped facility, which seats more than 140,000. Be sure to visit BristolMotorSpeedway.com for a full list of NASCAR and drag racing events held year-round!

Bristol Sign

Before leaving downtown, you'll also want to be sure you grab photos and selfies in front of the famous Bristol sign which was built in 1910, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Hard Rock Bristol Casino

The Bristol Casino - Future Home of Hard Rock is a temporary full-service casino, featuring 30,000 square feet of casino space featuring 870 gaming slots, 21 tables, and a sportsbook. Guests can enjoy a new restaurant, a grab-and-go food outlet, a sports bar and lounge with entertainment and a gift shop offering Hard Rock merchandise. The full casino is under construction and scheduled to open in July 2024.

South Holston Lake & River

Featuring more than 40 square miles of inland lakes, rivers, and freshwater streams in the area, If you love striking views, it doesn't get much better. And you really should bring your fishing gear along because these waters are stocked full of a variety of trout, bass, catfish, crappie, and more. Fly fishermen, in particular, flock to the fabled weir dam, an angler's paradise.

Sugar Hollow Park

Explore the beauty of Sugar Hollow Park that features more than 400 acres, camping, picnic shelters, pool, disc golf, hiking trails, wetlands trail, and soccer and softball fields

Explore Nearby Destinations:

There are dozens of communities and attractions to explore! You’ll want to travel to the Blue Ridge many times until you explore every unique city and town.

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