The Birthplace of Country Music is the museum in Bristol, Virginia, that showcases Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia’s key role in the birth and further development of country music. The museum, which is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, opened in 2014. Besides the museum, it includes the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival, WBCM Radio Bristol, and a number of educational and community outreach programs. The museum occupies 24,000 square feet on two levels. In addition to core exhibits which focus on the 1927 Bristol Sessions which recorded some of earliest American country music, and a Special Exhibit Gallery with rotating exhibits, the Museum also has a performance theater, a learning center, the radio station and The Museum Store. The Core Exhibits are hands on and interactive and have a number of artifacts from the 1927 Bristol Sessions.
101 Country Music Way, Bristol, VA 24201, Phone: 423-573-1927