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All the United States Virginia Bristol

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Bristol

4 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Bristol, Virginia

Updated May 6, 2025

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Unusual Attractions in Bristol

State Street

Bristol, Virginia

State Street

One street divides a single town that stands in two U.S. states.
Mural to Country Music in Bristol, Virginia

Bristol, Virginia

Birthplace of Country Music Museum

Country fans may flock to Nashville's music scene, but this Appalachian town is where the genre was born.
This ham-cured tomahawk pork chop is enlivened with a strawberry and hibiscus gastrique.

Bristol, Virginia

Hickory

This restaurant is devoted to celebrating Appalachia's cuisine.
Grab an old-school burger and a shake.

Bristol, Virginia

Burger Bar

With roots dating back to 1942, this retro diner was where Hank Williams is said to have uttered his last words.
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Backyard Terror’s Dinosaur Park.

Bluff City, Tennessee

Backyard Terror's Dinosaur Park

A delightful park featuring homemade scale replicas of dinosaurs, tucked away in the Tennessee mountains.
11 miles from Bristol
Robert Porterfield Bartering at Barter Theatre

Abingdon, Virginia

Barter Theatre

At one of the nation’s longest-running professional theaters, the audience used to barter for tickets with produce and livestock.
14 miles from Bristol
Mountain Dew monument in Oak Hill Cemetery

Johnson City, Tennessee

Mountain Dew Headstone

This bottle-shaped monument pays tribute to the Appalachian drink that changed the pace of human life.
21 miles from Bristol

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Bristol

This ham-cured tomahawk pork chop is enlivened with a strawberry and hibiscus gastrique.

Bristol, Virginia

Hickory

This restaurant is devoted to celebrating Appalachia's cuisine.
Grab an old-school burger and a shake.

Bristol, Virginia

Burger Bar

With roots dating back to 1942, this retro diner was where Hank Williams is said to have uttered his last words.
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

The Explorer’s Guide to Road Tripping Around Appalachia

The world still doesn’t quite know what to make of Appalachia. The mountainous, multi-state region has long been defined both by mystery and misconceptions. In many ways, it’s been America’s shadow since the nation’s birth. Early settlers fretted about American Indian tribes, dark hollows, and looming wilderness in the 1600s and 1700s, while modern folks tend to worry more about the environmental degradation and concentration of Trump voters. Yet, Appalachia is much like America as a whole—it sprawls from south to north across several states, spawning local cultures marked as much by their diversity and differences than what they have in common. And these mountains are old. Rocks formed during the Precambrian era have been found in some places. Parts of the Appalachian Mountains are thought to be even older than Saturn’s rings, and millennia of erosion have given rise to one of the richest temperate ecosystems in the world. This diverse bioregion has become home to a melting pot of culture. Archaeological findings indicate that American Indian tribes inhabited the region 20,000 years ago. The first Europeans arrived in the 1500s, when Spanish conquistadors ventured up from what is now Florida. English and French settlers followed, establishing a general pattern that continues into the present: Newcomers bring their cultural traditions into the region, where they are absorbed into the greater whole.

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Although much of Appalachia’s old-growth forests have been destroyed, those that survive are glorious.

Explore Bristol, Virginia

A
4
Restaurants 2
Music History 2
Appalachia 2

Bristol Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. thomasharper
    1
  2. drericjwallace
    1
  3. Laken Brooks
    1
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Add an unusual place to Bristol.

Places Edited

  1. Raven Traveler
    1
  2. thomasharper
    1
  3. Tammy Mercure
    1
  4. RoadUnraveled
    1
  5. Darrell Powers
    1
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Places Visited

  1. back2silver
    3
  2. emmabreuhan
    3
  3. apbreuhan
    3
  4. HeyApril
    3
  5. mondayburnmillay
    2
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Visit a place in Bristol.

Recent Bristol Activity

  • hallaranchance

    wants to go to Hickory

    3 days ago
  • sigmasuz94

    wants to go to State Street

    1 day ago
  • btsews

    wants to go to State Street

    1 day ago
  • chaddshyguy

    wants to go to Birthplace of Country Music Museum

    about 21 hours ago
  • salyerconnor

    has been to State Street

    about 20 hours ago

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