WE’RE all know the great American road trip Route 66, but now there’s a new trail for the list: The Crooked Road in Virginia.
The 300-mile route twines through the Appalachian Mountains linking up nine major country music destinations like jewels on a necklace.
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It’s a hit with both country music buffs as well as newbies like us.
The appeal lies in cruising through the Mid-Atlantic region — the birthplace of eight presidents — with its rolling hills, clapboard houses, hundreds of wineries, plus fiddles and banjos at every turn.
We begin our musical education in the far corner of Bristol, which is split almost directly in half by the Virginia/Tennessee state line — stand in the middle of the main street and you can straddle two states.
If Nashville is the glitzy mecca of country music, Bristol is the modest birthplace. It was here that in 1927 the Bristol Sessions brought about the Big Bang of country music.
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Many Scottish and Irish settlers brought their jigs and reels to the States when they settled in the 19th century but these sounds were confined to rural porches and parlours.
It wasn’t until a music producer hunting new talent put an ad in a local paper seeking “hillbilly” singers and discovered dozens of musicians — including yodeller Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family — bringing these authentic songs to a much wider audience.
Johnny Cash, who married June Carter, a daughter of “the first family in country music”, said what happened in Bristol was “the single most important event in the history of country music”.
Today, the small city proudly houses The Birthplace of Country Music museum.
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Interactive exhibits and artefacts fill in the blanks and there’s even the opportunity to belt out an old hit in the singalong booth.
As a reward for the history lesson, head to one of the nearby micro-breweries such as Bristol Station or Elderbrew for a pint or grab a juicy burger from Burger Bar, known as the last place Hank Williams was seen alive.
We stayed at the recently renovated and industrial chic Bristol Hotel. Rooms are modern and comfy but it’s the lovely rooftop bar, with 360-degree views of the mountains and extensive cocktail list, that really steals the show at any time of day.
Bristol is a great jumping-off spot for the Crooked Road as it sits about halfway along the route. The museum is one of the major venues of the trail.
Fiddles and banjos round open fire
Heading further north will take you to the Carter Family Fold, which is run by one of the descendants of original Carter family, and the Saturday night concerts there keep the music the family made famous going.
Everyone from toddlers to pensioners is up on the dance floor, flat-foot clogging, a type of folk dance.
At the other end of the route lies the village of Ferrum and here you can immerse yourself in the rural life of 1800.
The Blue Ridge Farm Museum is a remodelled 19th century farmstead where costumed interpreters recreate traditional working life at the time — from the blacksmith hammering away in a barn to feeding the sheep in the pens.
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GO: Virginia
GETTING THERE/STAYING THERE: Seven-night package departing in September from £1,499pp.
Includes return direct flights with United Airlines to Washington Dulles from Heathrow; economy car hire with satnav; two nights at The Roanoke Hotel in Roanoke; one night at the Hotel Floyd in Floyd and four nights at The Bristol Hotel in Bristol.
Call 0844 80 444 80 or visit purelycapitalregionusa.co.uk.
MORE INFO: See virginia.org/thecrookedroad and birthplaceofcountrymusic.org.
Sitting round an open fire, three musicians play old-style music on fiddles and banjos, the tunes so lively that it’s impossible not to tap your toes on the wooden floors.
The centre promotes folk heritage of the Appalachia region. We learn that mule jumping and ’coon dog water racing — where dogs chase a racoon skin across a lake and the winner is the pup who barks the most — are very much still alive today.
Making bootleg whisky was a popular way for families to keep food on the table during hard times, so much so that the region was dubbed the “moonshine capital of the world”.
The practice continues and for anyone keen to sample the spirit, head to Twin Creeks distillery tasting room in Rocky Mount for delicious caramel apple shine.
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Still just about able to drive, we’re on our way to Floyd, along Shooting Creek, a breathtaking trail of tree tunnels winding along the water.
The Floyd Country Store is general shop, cafe and music hub, with the latter coming into full swing on a Friday night for the famous Jamboree.
The cafe tables are cleared away and the shelves of merchandise make way for the musicians. Regulars and visitors alike go there for gospel hour followed by bands playing old-time music and bluegrass, while dancers crowd onto the floor.
Aside from the nine main destinations on the Crooked Road, there are dozens of venues to watch or join in a jam in small towns like Abingdon and Marion.
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Abingdon is also home to the biking and hiking path, the Virginia Creeper Trail, which gets its name from the old steam engines that climbed up the mountainside.
As our time runs out and Washington DC beckons, we take a slight detour into Shenandoah National Park. Now incredibly tranquil, the landscape was once shattered during the American Civil War.
For spectacular views, snake along the skyline drive, which follows the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains for 105 miles. There are 75 “overlooks” — observation points — to take in the beautiful vistas of the valleys or waterfalls below.
