Traveler's Guide to Bristol, Tennessee

If you are traveling through Tennessee, you should take a trip up to Bristol. Bristol is unique in that it comprises one community of people, but it is actually located in two different states. The state line between Tennessee and Virginia runs right through the town. In fact, Bristol, Tennessee, is on the south side of State Street (which is the former Main Sreet) while Bristol, Virginia, is on the north side of State Street. This means that Bristol residents and business owners - merely yards from each other - may have different telephone area codes, mayors, tax rates and addresses.

When going down State Street, you can plainly see that the community is united. Residents of this “twin-city” do not let their different state affiliations deter them from keeping Bristol a simple and peaceful town. In fact, as a show of their love for the town, the community erected a neon sign in 1910 which crosses State Street. This sign is still there today and it reads “Bristol is a Good Place to Live.”

There are two things that keep this town united . . . the communities love for country music and motor sports.

Bristol, Tennessee and Country Music

Those passing through Bristol may be surprised to learn that Bristol is actually the “Birthplace of Country Music.” The world was first introduced to recordings from Appalachia by artists such as Jimmie Rogers, the Carter Family, the Stonemans and more when Ralph Peer, a talent scout for Victor Recording Company, traveled to Bristol. This two week long recording event in Bristol has since been dubbed “The Big Bang of Country Music.”  When Peer arrived, music makers and song writers from the south came out of the hills to have the chance to introduce the world to bluegrass and country music. Bristol honors her musical roots by a Country Music Monument that can be seen at State Street and Edgemont Avenue. You can also view a large mural which has been painted to honor these musical pioneers on the side of a building located on State Street.