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 In this region one finds many variations of the ancient fiddle and banjo music of Virginia and North Carolina. This music can be traced to the meeting of the African banjo and the European fiddle in the Tidewater before our nation was created. Here also are found older ballads and religious music that reach deeply into the American past.
The center celebrates these arts by enabling their presentation, and it is largely concerned with local artists who best show this history, and not with “stars.” The visitor center hosts a mix of temporary and permanent exhibits tracing the diversity of American roots music to this area . The permanent exhibits that will be created at this site will trace the history of this music through local artists back to the creation of the music generations ago by persons from Europe and West Africa, and will show how it has been kept in America.
It will also show how this first American ensemble, the fiddle and the banjo, are emblematic of the meeting of European and African cultures in the New World, how the nation has drawn strength from these varied roots, and how many blends of folk and popular music have grown from these roots.
So the fiddle and banjo ensemble is “the root of the root,” the beginning of much of America’s music. Humble and powerful, ancient and contemporary, these instruments are still contributing to America, and the Blue Ridge Music Center is a good place to hear them.
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Contact the Blue Ridge Music Center at:
Mailing Address:
Blue Ridge Music Center
700 Foothills Road
Galax, VA 24333
Physical Address: Milepost 213 on The Blue Ridge Parkway
Phone: (276) 236-5309
Fax: (276) 236-5310
Email: info@blueridgemusiccenter.net
The Blue Ridge Music Center, operated jointly by the National Park Service and The National Council for the Traditional Arts, is located at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway near the Virginia-North Carolina state line, six miles south of Galax.
The Blue Ridge Music Center will be open starting May 1 five days a week, Wednesday-Sunday, 9-5. It will be open 7 days a week from Memorial Day to November 1, 9-5 (later on concert nights). Admission to Visitor's Center is free. Resident musicians perform when the center is open.
Mid-day Mountain Music in the Visitor Center breezeway is offered Sunday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Ticket prices vary for weekend concerts in the outdoor amphitheater.Children 12 and under are admitted free. Bring lawn chairs, blankets and flashlights. In case of inclement weather, concerts will be held indoors at the nearby Fairview Ruritan Club. Pets and alcohol are not permitted in the amphitheater area. Concessions are available on site. Call (276) 236-5309 or visit www.blueridgemusiccenter.org for more information.
For General Blue Ridge Parkway Information, visit www.nps.gov/blri.
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DIRECTIONS:  (Click here to get detailed driving directions from MapQuest.com) |
From the North/East (VA)
Interstate 77 South
Exit 8
LEFT off exit onto Route 148
RIGHT onto Route 52
Follow signs to Blue Ridge Parkway
RIGHT onto Blue Ridge Parkway south
Blue Ridge Music Center is on the left near Milepost 213
From the South/East (NC)
Interstate 77 North
Exit 8
RIGHT off exit onto Route 148
RIGHT onto Route 52
Follow signs to Blue Ridge Parkway
RIGHT onto Blue Ridge Parkway south
Blue Ridge Music Center is on the left near Milepost 213
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From the West
Route 58 East to Galax, VA
Right onto Route 89
7 miles to Blue Ridge Parkway
Left onto Blue Ridge Parkway North
Blue Ridge Music Center is on the right near Milepost 213
From the Blue Ridge Parkway (VA)
South to Milepost 213
From the Blue Ridge Parkway (NC)
North to Milepost 213 | |
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