With the gorgeous Appalachian Mountains serving as a backdrop, Bristol is known for its incomparable outdoor beauty and is one of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia’s most precious jewels. A rich musical heritage, a world-renowned racing facility, and some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet make it a perfect destination for your next great adventure!

DAY ONE

Morning

Featuring more than 40 square miles of inland lakes, rivers, and freshwater streams in the area, it only makes sense to start your day off with a trip to South Holston Lake and Holston River. If you love striking views, it doesn’t get much better. And you really should bring your fishing gear along because these waters are stocked full of a variety of trout, bass, catfish, crappie, and more. Fly fishermen, in particular, flock to the fabled weir dam, an angler’s paradise.

Afternoon

Downtown Bristol is vibrant and unique, and the “Main Street” in town is named State Street and is the official state line of Tennessee and Virginia. Brass markers line the street to commemorate this distinction. You will love exploring Bristol’s downtown – there are several attractions, specialty stores, dining, breweries and distilleries, and antiques. Learn more at BeliveInBristol.org. Before leaving downtown, you’ll also want to be sure you grab photos in front of the famous Bristol sign and the country music mural on State Street.

Enjoy lunch at one of the several locally-owned restaurants in historic Downtown Bristol before heading off to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute. The museum tells the story of the 1927 Bristol Sessions – recordings that were influential in shaping early commercial country music’s sounds and practices. It consists of interactive exhibits and video experiences, artifacts, a performance theater, a radio station, and much more

Evening

On most nights, you can enjoy live music at one of a number of downtown venues. If you happen to visit in September, you can enjoy Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion, which takes place annually over three days and nights and is one of the Southeast’s largest musical festivals. Check out BristolRhythm.com for more information about this year’s festival! You’ll also enjoy a trip to the Axe & Ale House for axe throwing, and Pins and Friends for some fun duckpin bowling, arcade games, food, and fun, right in the middle of Downtown Bristol!

DAY TWO

Morning

No trip to Bristol is complete without a visit to Bristol Motor Speedway, one of NASCAR’s most popular race tracks. If there’s not a race going on, you can still get some great photos of the bowl-shaped facility, which seats more than 140,000. Be sure to visit BristolMotorSpeedway.com for a full list of NASCAR and drag racing events held year-round!

Afternoon 

If you love parks and golf, Steele Creek Park is a great place to take the family. Encompassing more than 2,200 acres, it features a 52-acre lake, an 18-hole disc golf course, miles of hiking trails, a nine-hole golf course, paddleboats, a nature center, splash pad, playground, picnic shelters, and the Steele Creek Express, a 24-gauge replica of a steam engine. There’s also the beauty of Sugar Hollow Park which features more than 400 acres, camping, picnic shelters, a pool, disc golf, hiking trails, wetlands trail, and soccer and softball fields.

 And the newly opened Mendota Trail is a 12.5-mile hiking and biking recreational corridor, spanning tranquil countryside, forests, and creeks on gentle grades between Bristol, Virginia and Mendota, Virginia.

Evening

During your time in Bristol, a must is a visit to The Pinnacle, the region’s largest shopping center. The premier open-air shopping destination is packed with dozens of shopping, dining, and entertainment options. A variety of shopping opportunities are also available in Downtown Bristol, where you’ll find several boutiques and specialty stores. For more information, visit The Pinnacle website.

After shopping, you’ll want to make a stop at the Bristol Casino, Future Home of Hard Rock. The 30,000-square-foot temporary gaming floor features 870 gaming selections, including:  

• 20 table games, slot machines
• Baccarat, blackjack, craps, Mississippi stud
• Three Card Poker, pai-gow, roulette, & ultimate Texas Hold’em
• Rock Shop, Dining, Entertainment, Artist Memorabilia, and more!

Hidden Gem:

Bristol Caverns is one of the city’s oldest and most beautiful attractions and features three levels of caverns and an underground river. Paved, well-lighted walkways wind through the vaulted chambers and along the banks of the ancient Underground River that carved these remarkable caverns from the hard core of the earth 200 to 400 million years ago. You will be retracing the same warrior paths while exploring the vast rooms and arches, columns, and natural stone formations of varying sizes and kinds. These formations, millions of years old, display rich veins of minerals that give the formations beautiful colors of red, blue, gray, brown, and sparkling white. BristolCaverns.com for more information.

Your weekend in Bristol starts now!