National park tips: There's sweet music where the Blue Ridge Parkway meets Crooked Road - Los Angeles Times
Advertisement

National park tips: There’s sweet music where the Blue Ridge Parkway meets Crooked Road

The Blue Ridge Music Center, in Galax, Va. on the Blue Ridge Parkway, features exhibits on the evolution of American folk music and frequent live performances.
(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
Share via

Attention, roots music people. If you’re anywhere in southern Virginia, your first good news is that you’re really close to the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of America’s greatest drives, and the Blue Ridge Music Center.

The center, in Galax, Va., has great exhibits on the region’s music history and frequent live shows.

The next good news is that if you head 50 miles northeast (and just a few miles off the parkway) to Floyd, Va., you can see the Floyd Country Store (great CD inventory and Friday night music) and learn about yet another tempting drive — the Crooked Road, a 333-mile Virginia music route that links folk landmarks past and present. It’s not part of the the park system, but it’s a tasty slice of Americana.

Advertisement

Here’s what I found on America’s favorite country road, the Blue Ridge Parkway »

In honor of this year’s National Park Service centennial, the Travel section is posting 100 park travel ideas and tips based on trips staff travel writer Christopher Reynolds has taken, along with photo-op advice from Times photographer Mark Boster. We’ll post one per day through Dec. 31.

Advertisement

Follow Reynolds on Twitter: @MrCSReynolds

See travel videos by Reynolds from around the world.

ALSO

Advertisement

No billboards, no 18-wheelers on this great American road trip

See the drama unfold at Ford’s Theatre in D.C., where Lincoln was assassinated

Paul Revere had 16 kids. March on this Boston trail to see his home

How to get into the Statue of Liberty’s crown

Advertisement