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Welcome to the Blue Ridge Music Center

The Blue Ridge Music Center preserves, interprets, and presents the evolving musical traditions of the Blue Ridge Mountains, highlighting the influence of American Roots music on all kinds of music.

Each spring, summer, and fall, the Music Center welcomes thousands of visitors who enjoy some of the region’s finest traditional music, including bluegrass, old-time, folk, Americana, country blues, and gospel. Guests are invited to delight in performances, exhibits, and additional experiences.

Located near Galax, Virginia, at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Visitor Center and Museum are open May through October. Admission to the Visitor Center and Museum is free. The grounds are home to an outdoor amphitheater and an indoor interpretive center. The indoor center features a theater, gift shop, and museum that highlights the American musical culture still thriving in the region. Guests are welcome to dance to and learn about the music we are proud to support.

Summer Concert Series

Each year, the Blue Ridge Music Center hosts a summer concert series in the outdoor amphitheater with concerts on Saturday evenings from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The amphitheater sits at the base of Fisher Peak, offering a magical backdrop for performances. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the gates, and season passes are also available.

Midday Mountain Music

Free live music is presented on the covered breezeway from 12-3 p.m. every day the Music Center is open. Midday Mountain Music features local musicians who play, sing, and tell stories about the songs, people, and traditions of the area. Come sit a spell to listen, learn, and enjoy.

Milepost Music

Milepost Music is a traveling concert held at several iconic locations along the Parkway on a rotating basis. These free concerts are held on Sunday afternoons, 2-4 p.m., June-September at the following locations:

  • Humpback Rocks (MP 5.8)
  • Peaks of Otter (MP 85.6)
  • Mabry Mill (MP 176.1)
  • Doughton Park/The Bluffs (MP 241)
  • Parkway Visitor Center Asheville (MP 384)

The Roots of American Music Museum

The Roots of American Music Museum features an interactive exhibition highlighting the historical significance of the region’s music. Through the stories of local artists, learn how the history of Blue Ridge Mountain music reaches back for generations. Starting from musical forms from Europe and West Africa, the exhibition traces how traditional music continues to influence folk, rock, and popular music made today.

Visitor Center

At the Visitor Center, you’ll find a gift shop and information about the Blue Ridge Parkway. National Park Service rangers can give you directions and insights for your Parkway journey. The America’s National Park store sells souvenirs, T-shirts, books, and more, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the national park.

Kids of any age can become a Junior Ranger. First, pick up activity sheets specific to the local area at the Blue Ridge Music Center or any Parkway visitor center. Next, complete the activities and promise to help care for and learn about our national parks to earn stickers, badges, and patches. Finally, complete all 10 activity sheets for the Parkway and you will receive a special badge designed just for Blue Ridge Parkway Junior Rangers. Ask for details at the information desk.

Hiking Trails

Guests are welcome to explore the natural beauty of our region on our hiking trails! There is one easy and one moderate hiking trail at the Blue Ridge Music Center, including a Kids in Parks TRACK Trail which features an activity brochure for children.

On The Road

The Blue Ridge Music Center also hosts off-site concerts, exhibits, and additional events during the off-season in partnership with other organizations, including the annual Sounds of the Mountains concerts held in January in partnership with the Yadkin Arts Council.

Strategic Action Plan

The continued growth of the Music Center relies on understanding the interests of its visitors and changing trends in music consumption. To accomplish this, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation developed a comprehensive strategic action plan to identify opportunities for enhancing, leveraging, and marketing the Music Center’s existing facilities. The plan also informs the development of programs to better serve its visitors and nearby Parkway communities. Through data analysis, extensive engagement with regional stakeholders, and a guided process to co-create solutions, this strategic action plan sets forth 10 strategies across five key themes that accomplish four goals.

2024-2028 Strategic Action Plan

Partnership

National Park ServiceBlue Ridge Parkway Foundation logoThe Blue Ridge Music Center is operated by the National Park Service, and musical programming is coordinated through a partnership with the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.

TIMELINE OF THE BLUE RIDGE MUSIC CENTER

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