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Located in Sullivan County, the city of Bristol, Tennessee is home to about 25,000 people. The Bristol area is unique in that it straddles the Tennesee/Virgina state line, and that there is a city called “Bristol” in both states. The state line runs down the middle of State Street, and both the Tennessee and Virginia Bristols comprise the Tri-Cities area along with Kingsport, Tennessee and Johnson City, Tennessee.

Rich in history, Bristol is best known for being the place where some of the earliest country music recordings were made. Legendary greats like the Carter Family and Jimmie Rogers were just some of the artists who first recorded in Bristol. So pivotal to the creation of country music, the city of Bristol was recognized by Congress as the official “Birthplace of Country Music” in 1988. Bristol is also the birthplace of Tennessee Ernie Ford.

Bristol is also famous for Bristol Motor Speedway, a NASCAR short track known as the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile.” Races such as the Sharpie 500 in the fall and the Food City 500 in the spring held at this 160,000 seat venue, along with other races like those for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series.

Bristol, TN/VA has recently been honored with the distinction of being an “All-America City.” Given by the National Civic League annually to ten cities in the United States, the award is the oldest community recognition program in the nation and recognizes communities where people work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and achieve uncommon results. Some of these achievements include the new public library system, a highly acclaimed school system, full-service medical center and exceptionally low crime rate, all of which make Bristol a great place to work and live.

Bristol History

The story of the area that would become Bristol in both Tennessee and Virginia begins shortly after the Revolutionary War. Colonel James King, a well-known patriot of 1776, obtained a sizable bounty of land near the Sapling Grove tract, calling his estate Holly Bend. King bought another portion of the Sapling Grove tract for his son, Rev. James King, Jr. in 1814 who established a plantation known as Sapling Grove or Mountain View. As the original Sapling Grove tract encompassed land in both the states of Tennessee and Virginia, Captain John Goodson purchased the remaining lands on the Virginia side, later passing these down to his son, Colonel Samuel E. Goodson.

As railroads made their way through the Appalachians, the son-in-law of King, Joseph R. Anderson saw potential for the development of a town near the new lines. Anderson bought a large area of land in both Virginia and Tennessee and created the town of Bristol, named after the city in England. Around the same time, Samuel Goodson created a development called “Goodsonville” out of some of his lands in Virginia. In 1856, that portion of Anderson's development located in Virginia and all of Goodson's developments were incorporated as Goodson, Virginia, and Bristol Tennessee was incorporated the same year. The Virginia side of town retained the name Goodson until 1890.

The towns grew rapidly through the 19th century, with the Bristol growing cohesively on both sides of the state line. Main Street, later renamed as State Street was designated as the state line by the city councils, and in 1901, Tennessee ceded to Virginia the lands needed to move the line into the middle of the street. The same year it was accepted by the Virginia General Assembly and by consent of the U.S. Congress. Though Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia are two independent cities, but it’s not apparent while walking its streets. Along State Street, however, metal plates down the center line of the road delineate the boundary between these two towns and states.

Besides its residing in two states, Bristol is known the world over for being the “Birthplace of County Music,” as declared by the U.S. Congress in 1988. In 1927 record producer Ralph Peer of Victor Records began recording local musicians in Bristol to attempt to capture the local sound of traditional 'folk' music of the region. One of these local sounds was created by The Carter Family. They received $50 for each song they recorded. That same visit by Peer to Bristol also resulted in the first recordings by Jimmie Rodgers.

Since 1994 the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance has promoted the city as a destination to learn about the history of Elvis and its role in the creation of an entire music genre. Currently, the Alliance is organizing the building of a new Cultural Heritage Center to help educate the public about the history of country music in the region.

Bristol Parks & Recreation

With more than 20 city parks, Bristol residents can enjoy outdoor fun throughout the year. Playgrounds, golf courses, sports fields and walking trails are just some of the types of facilities offered in Bristol parks. Below you will find a small sampling of the parks found in Bristol.

Anderson Park
This park features 4 acres open space, music pavilion and gazebo.

Steele Creek Park & Nature Center
With a total area of 2,196-acres, this park is the third largest municipal park in the state of Tennessee. Facilities include playgrounds, picnic areas, amphitheater, nature center, paddleboats, walking trails and a golf course.

Whitetop Creek Park
This park features over 20 acres to explore. Facilities include restrooms, walking trails, basketball court, soccer fields, pond, pavilion, baseball/softball fields, scoring tower, a concessions stand and a playground.

For more information on parks in Bristol, click here

Bristol Events

Bristol plays host to a variety of local events. These events highlight the unique culture and history of the Bristol area. These events foster a spirit of community for Bristol residents on both sides of the state line.

State Street Farmers Market
(May – October)
Sponsored by the cities of Bristol, Tenn., and Bristol, Va., and their respective counties, the State Street Farmers Market is one of the most anticipated events of the harvest season. Celebrating the bounty of local farms, the Farmers’ Market is a great opportunity to find some of the freshest produce, locally produced foods and crafts, and live entertainment. The market is open Saturdays May thru October and Wednesdays June thru September.

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Concert
(September 19-21)
Celebrate the Bristol’s musical heritage at the annual Rhythm and Roots Reunion concert during the third weekend of September. See some of the best acts in bluegrass, Americana, jamgrass, traditional country, Celtic, Old-time, singer/songwriter, Piedmont Blues as well as others in this birthplace of country music!

For more information on Bristol events, visit the events calendar by clicking here

Bristol Attractions

From NASCAR to country music, attractions in Bristol highlight the unique culture of this mountain area. Bristol has a variety of outdoor attractions as well such as caverns and golf courses. Explore one of the many family-friendly attractions found in Bristol.

Birthplace of Country Music Alliance Museum
This museum celebrates the “Big Bang of County Music” that occurred in downtown Bristol 1927. Some of the first ever country music recordings were made in Bristol in that year, and the BCMA Museum celebrates these recordings with displays and music honoring the pioneers of traditional Appalachian music.

Bristol Caverns
Explore these over 200 million year old caverns. These caverns maintain a constant temperature of 56-60 degrees. Guided tours are available.

Bristol Dragway
See the excitement of NHRA and drag racing events at Bristol Dragway!

Bristol Motor Speedway
Known as the “World’s fastest half-mile,” Bristol Motor Speedway hosts many Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series NASCAR events in both spring and fall. Visitors can also enjoy Speedway in Lights each winter with over 1.5 million holiday lights, a Santa’s Village, and ice-skating rink!

Golf Courses
Bristol, TN/VA and the rest of the Tri-Cities region was ranked as the second best region in the country to play golf in the August 2005 issue of Golf Digest. Golf Digest compiled the rating from four criteria: accessibility, weather, value of golf-price and quality of golf. The survey included 330 Metropolitan Statistical Areas with a population over 50,000.

For more information on attractions in the area, click here

For more information on Bristol TN, visit the official website by clicking here

For the Bristol Chamber of Commerce website, click here

For the Bristol Convention & Visitors Bureau website, click here

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