# The Crooked Road *Virginia's mountain music trail* The Crooked Road is a ~210-mile back-roads route from Bristol to Floyd on US 58, US 11 and VA 8, driven in 2–3 days, that stays off I-81 through the Upper South. - **Drive:** Bristol → Floyd - **Distance:** ~210 mi - **Days:** 2–3 - **Highways:** US 58, US 11, VA 8 - **Avoids:** I-81 - **Region:** Upper South - **Themes:** Music & Juke Joints, Natural Beauty, Small Towns, Eats & Institutions In 1927 a talent scout with a portable recorder set up over a Bristol hat shop, and the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers walked in — 'the big bang of country music.' The Crooked Road strings the living remnants: the Carter Fold's Saturday nights, Galax's Friday radio show, the Floyd Country Store's jamboree, wild ponies on the balds in between. Plan the whole week backward from the music calendar. Markers: The Crooked Road is Virginia's official Heritage Music Trail — follow the fiddle waysides. ## The drive, segment by segment ### Bristol & the Fold *Bristol → Abingdon · ~40 mi* The Birthplace of Country Music Museum on the state-line street, the Burger Bar of Hank Williams legend, and the spur to Maces Spring, where the Carter Family's valley still hosts Saturday nights. Stops: - **Birthplace of Country Music Museum** (Bristol) · Music & Juke Joints — The 1927 Bristol Sessions: Ralph Peer, a portable lathe, and twelve days that recorded the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers into history. State Street's brass line splits Tennessee from Virginia mid-stride. - **Burger Bar** (Bristol) · Cult Classics & Pop Lore — Local legend holds Hank Williams was last seen alive near this counter, New Year's Eve 1952, his driver stopping while Hank slept (or didn't) in the Cadillac. Great smash burgers; heavier history than the menu admits. - **Carter Family Fold (spur)** (Hiltons) · Music & Juke Joints — Saturday nights in the Carters' own valley: acoustic only (they made an exception for family — Johnny Cash, who played his final shows here), flatfooting in the aisles, A.P.'s store next door. The mother church, literally. ### The High Country *Abingdon → Galax · ~95 mi* Barter Theatre ('ham for Hamlet'), the Appalachian Trail down Damascus's Main Street, wild ponies at Grayson Highlands, and Galax — fiddle capital of the world. Stops: - **Barter Theatre** (Abingdon) · History & Markers — Opened 1933: Depression admission payable in produce — 'ham for Hamlet.' Gregory Peck, Ernest Borgnine and Patricia Neal apprenticed here. Still doing rep year-round across two stages. - **Damascus** (Damascus) · Natural Beauty — 'Trail Town USA' — the Appalachian Trail walks straight down Main Street. Shuttle up Whitetop and coast 17 miles of the Virginia Creeper rail grade back to town. - **Grayson Highlands Ponies** (Mouth of Wilson) · Natural Beauty — Wild ponies grazing mile-high balds beneath Mount Rogers, Virginia's rooftop. They will try to eat your sandwich; the views excuse them. ### Parkway & the Jamboree *Galax → Floyd · ~75 mi* Up Fancy Gap onto the Blue Ridge Parkway past Mabry Mill (this stretch is shared with the Parkway route — braided on the map), ending at the Floyd Country Store's Friday Night Jamboree. Stops: - **Galax: Rex Theater & Barr's Fiddles** (Galax) · Music & Juke Joints — Friday nights the Rex broadcasts 'Blue Ridge Backroads' live on WBRF 98.1 — walk in, sit down, it's free. Every August since 1935: the Old Fiddlers' Convention, the world's oldest and largest. Barr's Fiddle Shop is the clubhouse. - **Mabry Mill** (Meadows of Dan) · Natural Beauty — The most photographed spot on the entire Blue Ridge Parkway — gristmill, pond, and Sunday-afternoon old-time jams in season. Shared with the Parkway route; the atlas draws them side by side here. - **Floyd Country Store** (Floyd) · Music & Juke Joints — The Friday Night Jamboree: gospel at 6:30, then old-time and bluegrass with the whole town flatfooting on hardwood. No alcohol, all ages, candy counter open. One of the last fully intact Saturday-night... on a Friday. ## Tips and best time to go - The calendar IS the route: Floyd & Galax on Friday, Carter Fold & Savoy-style jams on Saturday — drive the gaps between. - Most venues are cash-only, all of them are all-ages. - Cell service vanishes in the high country; download maps. ## Worth a detour - **Mount Airy, NC** — Twenty-five minutes from Fancy Gap: Andy Griffith's hometown and the real Mayberry — Floyd's City Barber Shop, a pork-chop sandwich at Snappy Lunch, squad-car tours. - **Big Stone Gap** — Far southwest: the Trail of the Lonesome Pine outdoor drama (since 1964) and Adriana Trigiani's storybook town. - **Whitetop ramp festival** — Late May: the mountain celebrates the stinking lily of Appalachia with fried everything. ## Spurs & side-roads - Carter Fold (Hiltons) ## Frequently asked questions ### How long is The Crooked Road and how many days does it take? The Crooked Road is about 210 miles and takes 2–3 days at a back-roads pace. ### Where does The Crooked Road start and end? It runs from Bristol to Floyd. ### Which highways does The Crooked Road follow? It follows US 58, US 11 and VA 8. ### Which interstate does The Crooked Road replace? It avoids I-81, using US 58, US 11 and VA 8 instead. ### How many stops are on The Crooked Road, and what are the highlights? 9 stops are mapped, including Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Burger Bar, Carter Family Fold (spur), Barter Theatre and Damascus. ### Which ready-made itineraries include The Crooked Road? Crooked Road Ramble (3 days), High Country & Mountain Music (7 days), The Eastern Crescent (15 days), The Whole Hog (28 days), The Long Way to the Opry (21 days) and Coal, Bluegrass & the Country Music Highway (6 days). ## Ready-made itineraries using this route - [Crooked Road Ramble](https://dixieroadtrip.com/trips/crooked-weekend) — 3 days, ~220 mi - [High Country & Mountain Music](https://dixieroadtrip.com/trips/highcountry-week) — 7 days, ~620 mi - [The Eastern Crescent](https://dixieroadtrip.com/trips/eastern-crescent) — 15 days, ~1800 mi - [The Whole Hog](https://dixieroadtrip.com/trips/whole-hog) — 28 days, ~4300 mi - [The Long Way to the Opry](https://dixieroadtrip.com/trips/music-epic) — 21 days, ~3000 mi - [Coal, Bluegrass & the Country Music Highway](https://dixieroadtrip.com/trips/coal-and-country) — 6 days, ~620 mi ## Road stories on this route - [Where to Hear Live Music on the Crooked Road](https://dixieroadtrip.com/articles/crooked-road-live-music) — Friday jamborees, Saturday dances and the mountain miles between ## Connects with - [US 11E: The Great Valley Road](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/great-valley-11e) — Knoxville → Bristol - [US 11: The Valley Road South](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/valley-pike-south) — Roanoke → Bristol - [The Wilderness Road](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/wilderness-road) — Bristol → Berea --- Canonical URL: https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/crooked-road Publisher: Dixie Media (Dixie Road Trip, https://dixieroadtrip.com/) Last updated: 2026-10-05