Attractions

The Pickin’ Parlor Jam Sessions - More Info

Bluegrass and old timey music picked daily. Also, all folks are welcome to come in and play and browse mostly stringed instruments. This is a music store with a playing area available all day. Shopping for musical items, instruments, strings, amplifiers....whatever you may need for your picking.

Crooked Road - Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, The - More Info

The Crooked Road is Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, a driving route through the Appalachian Mountains from the Blue Ridge to the Coalfields region, following U.S. Route 58. The trail connects major heritage music venues in the region such as the Blue Ridge Music Center, Birthplace of Country Music Alliance, and the Carter Family Fold. The traditional gospel, bluegrass, and mountain music heard today was passed down from the generations and lives on through a wealth of musicians and instrument makers along the trail. Annual festivals, weekly concerts, live radio shows, and informal jam sessions abound throughout the region. A variety of handcrafted woodwork, weaving, and pottery can be found in country stores and small workshops. Numerous opportunities for outdoor activities, from hiking, biking, fishing and boating are also available.

Appalachian Arts Center - More Info

The Appalachian Arts Center is both a retail gallery and exhibition space featuring the work of local/regional artists, craftspeople, authors, and musicians. The Arts Center offers educational workshops, demonstrations, professional development seminars as well as an assortment of evening craft classes. The Appalachian Arts Center is located in Tazewell County along Rt. 19 in the “old Archie Helton Store” (2.5 miles south of the Claypool Hill intersection of Rt. 19 & Rt. 460).
The Appalachian Arts Center proudly features hand-made work including baskets, book art, clay, drawing, fiber art, glass, greeting cards, jewelry, metal, mixed-media, musical instruments, painting, photography, printmaking, and woodwork. We also carry local authors' books and musicians' CDs along with local jam, jelly, and honey.

Granny’s Art House - More Info

Granny's Art House is a place to play, create and have fun. Workshops are offered in Basket-making, Rubber-stamping, Necklace Art, Artist Trading Cards, and ornament making. Special exhibits feature visiting artists and photographers. Hours vary with workshop times.

DCR Pinnacle Natural Area Preserve - More Info

Towering cliffs, sheer limestone ledges, and waterfalls are but a few of the spectacular features of this preserve. Located near the confluence of the Clinch River and Big Cedar Creek, the topography of Pinnacle NAP has been modified by the forces of weather, water, and time to create this dramatic landscape. Towering above Big Cedar Creek is an impressive rock formation, the Pinnacle, from which the area derives its name. Cut from dolomite, the Pinnacle rises 400 feet above Big Cedar Creek. The Preserve's unique habitats support at least nine rare species and two rare natural communities.

The preserve is open year-round. Public facilities include parking, a suspension foot-bridge, and hiking trails.A preserve guide factsheet and map are available to assist in planning your visit at www.dcr.virginia.gov. 

Part or all of the preserve may be periodically closed for resource protection or prescribed burning activities.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS:
From Abingdon, follow US 19 north to Lebanon. Take US 19 (Business) into Lebanon. Turn left onto VA 82 towards Cleveland. Turn right onto VA 640. Bear right onto VA 640 where VA 740 comes in. Turn left onto VA 721 and follow it into the preserve.

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park - More Info

The first great gateway to the west, Cumberland Gap is a mountain pass that was used by wildlife, Native Indian tribes, and later by settlers moving west.

Daniel Boone was hired to blaze a trail beginning in Southwest Virginia through Cumberland Gap known as the Wilderness Road. It became the route westward for pioneers who travelled west through the mountains into the wilderness of Kentucky. Both the North and the South vied for control of the Cumberland Gap during the Civil war.

Today the park consists of approximately 20,000 acres and 70 miles of hiking trails. There are numerous scenic and historic features in the park and ranger led programs are offered throughout the year including tours of Gap Cave and the historic Hensley Settlement.

Tacoma Community Center - More Info

The Tacoma Community Center, nestled in the Appalachian mountains along The Crooked Road, presents a traditional music show every Saturday that features Bluegrass, Old Time or Traditional Country music. Musicians and bands are from the Coalfield region of Southwest Virginia.

The show starts at 7 PM and ends about 10:30 PM. This show has been held each week for about 10 years. The Tacoma Community Center is located in the old Tacoma School which is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places as well as the Virginia registry.