Music Map
Where the music lives — a regional guide to the venues, museums, and conventions of Southwest Virginia.
A Region of Sound
The music of Southwest Virginia is rooted in place. This guide groups the region’s key music sites by category so you can plan a route — whether a single evening at the Rex Theater or a multi-day loop along The Crooked Road. An interactive map is coming soon; for now, use this as your planning index and link out to each site for directions.
Venues
Rex Theater
A restored 1940s theater hosting live old-time and bluegrass every weekend in downtown Galax.
Visit websiteFloyd Country Store
Home of the Friday Night Jamboree and weekly old-time jams and flatfoot dancing.
Visit websiteCarter Family Fold
The rustic music hall built by Janette Carter, hosting live traditional music nearly every Saturday night.
Visit websiteBlue Ridge Music Center
A National Park Service site celebrating the music of the Blue Ridge with free summer concerts.
Visit websiteBarr Farms
A community venue along the Crooked Road hosting dances and music gatherings.
The Woolwine Outdoors / Reynolds Homestead
A Patrick County heritage venue hosting seasonal music events near the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Museums
Birthplace of Country Music Museum
A Smithsonian Affiliate museum telling the story of the 1927 Bristol Sessions.
Visit websiteRalph Stanley Museum
A museum devoted to the life and legacy of bluegrass pioneer Dr. Ralph Stanley.
Visit websiteBlue Ridge Music Center
Exhibits on the region’s living old-time and bluegrass traditions, on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Visit websiteCarter Family Fold & Museum
A memorial museum and music hall honoring the Carter Family, on their homestead.
Visit websiteVirginia Museum of the Civil War / heritage sites
Regional heritage context for the musical traditions shaped by 19th-century Southwest Virginia.
Fiddlers’ Conventions
Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention
The oldest and largest old-time fiddlers’ convention in the world, held each August in Galax since 1935.
Fries Fiddlers’ Convention
A community fiddlers’ gathering in the mill town where the New River Trail begins.
Grayson County Fiddlers’ Convention
A county convention celebrating Grayson County’s deep old-time fiddle tradition.
Mount Airy Bluegrass & Old-Time Fiddlers’ Convention
A major annual convention just across the state line in Mount Airy, North Carolina.
Alleghany County Fiddlers’ Convention
A North Carolina highlands convention preserving Alleghany County fiddle traditions.
Ashe County Fiddlers’ Convention
An Ashe County, North Carolina gathering of old-time fiddlers and string bands.
Henry Reed Memorial Fiddlers’ Convention
A memorial convention honoring Henry Reed, the legendary fiddler whose tunes were recorded by Alan Lomax.
Maury River Fiddlers’ Convention
A Rockbridge County convention along the Maury River.
Abingdon Fiddlers’ Convention
A Washington County convention in the historic town of Abingdon.
Tazewell County Fiddlers’ Convention
A Southwest Virginia county convention preserving Tazewell fiddle traditions.
Did You Know?
- Most of the region’s music sites lie within an hour’s drive of the New River Trail.
- The Crooked Road connects many of these locations into a single driving route.
- You can hear live traditional music somewhere in the region almost any night of the week.
Combine Music and the Outdoors
Plan a trip that pairs a day on the New River Trail with the living musical heritage of Southwest Virginia.