Group Tour Magazine - August 2023 - 77

Country Music Hall of Fame Museum, Nashville, Tennessee
T
hroughout the southeastern United States, music is a
timeless tour theme that resonates with nearly every
traveler. Whether tourgoers prefer to sing along to country
ballads, listen to the harmonica-filled sounds of the
Delta blues, feel the calming effects of jazz, or capture the energy
of rock 'n' roll, the American South is a hotbed of musical history
and talent. Music experiences and attractions are dotted
throughout the region, too, offering tour groups everything from
a taste of a new genre to a full immersion in beloved sounds.
Music museums, halls of fame, studio tours, behind-the-scenes
experiences at music venues, and even visits to the stomping
grounds of musical greats, can be the focal points or added
elements of tour itineraries.
The South's music destinations offer various ways to feel
the beat. Groups can walk along Nashville, Tennessee's Lower
Broadway while the sounds of budding musicians waft out of
crowded honkey-tonks, or travel three hours south to Memphis'
Sun Studio to sing into the same microphone as Elvis Presley
once did. Music trails, like The Crooked Road-which celebrates
Virginia's musical heritage-and West Virginia's Mountain Music
Trail, connect significant musical hot spots, while New Orleans
is home to a national park dedicated entirely to jazz. Meanwhile,
Macon, Georgia, brims with music heritage, as the home of
musical greats like The Allman Brothers Band, Otis Redding, and
Little Richard, and Muscle Shoals, Alabama, lays claim as " the
Hit Recording Capital of the World. "
TOE-TAPPIN' TENNESSEE
When it comes to musical hot spots in the South, Tennessee is an
icon, home to multiple genres including blues, bluegrass, country,
gospel, soul, rockabilly, and rock 'n' roll. The state is an incubator
for musical talent, from legends like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash,
and Dolly Parton to the stars of today like Kelsea Ballerini and
Justin Timberlake. " With more than 1,000 miles of road to explore,
music can be felt in every city and on every backroad throughout
Tennessee, " says Amanda Murphy, director of communications at
the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. " It's in every
memory and every roadside dive. Music is our differentiator. "
Groups can begin a music history lesson in Bristol (a city
shared by both Tennessee and Virginia) at the Birthplace of
Country Music Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate that tells the
story of the legendary 1927 Bristol Sessions, an event that
sparked what is now known as the " big bang of country music. "
Each September, Bristol hosts the Bristol Rhythm & Roots
Reunion, where more than 100 bands and 20 stages draw more
than 45,000 attendees. Another music hot spot is Sevierville
in eastern Tennessee, the hometown of Dolly Parton and her
amusement park, Dollywood, in nearby Pigeon Forge. In 2024,
Dollywood will open its new Dolly Parton Museum to give fans
an up-close look at her most-treasured possessions, such as
family keepsakes and career mementos. A storytelling exhibit
called " Dolly's Dreams " will chronicle her life, starting with her
childhood in Sevierville.
grouptourmagazine.com 77
PHOTO NASHVILLE CONVENTION & VISITORS CORP./GRACE BOTO
http://www.grouptourmagazine.com
Group Tour Magazine - August 2023

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