![]() ![]() The 22-mile car-free Swamp Rabbit Trail, which converted and beautified an abandoned rail line, connects Greenville to the neighboring hamlets of Fountain Inn, Travelers Rest, and Furman as well as Conestee Nature Preserve and the zoo. (There's also a museum in the baseball player's former home.) Ditch the car and take the free trolley around a bustling downtown and to the brand new 60-acre Unity Park with its 4,100 square-foot splash pad, art gallery, and outdoor classroom. It's easy being green in Greenville as there are a ton of parks including the stunning Falls Park on the Reedy (head to Liberty Bridge to photograph the waterfalls at the center of town.), the Linky Park children's garden with interactive displays, a mountain bike skills park, waterparks that host dog-only sessions, and the memorial park where Shoeless Joe Jackson is buried. Bonus: Kids will get a kick out of standing in two states simultaneously under the neon sign that spans downtown's main drag, also known as the state line. was seen alive and its dishes are named after his songs. (Hotel guests get free tickets to the museum as well.) Even a meal here can celebrate genre history as Burger Bar is the last place Hank Williams Sr. These hills are still alive with the sound of music, especially in September when the annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion festival is held, or whenever a band is booked at the art deco Paramount or the rooftop bar atop The Bristol Hotel. Back in 1927, producer Ralph Peer recorded 76 songs including the first tracks by Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family in the Bristol Sessions, cementing these twin cities as the main stop on The Crooked Road, Virginia's music trail of fame. Nashville tends to get all the glory as the epicenter of the country music industry-but since 1998, these homey hamlets at the feet of the Appalachians have been recognized as "The Birthplace of Country Music" and have a Smithsonian-affiliated museum, shown here, to prove it. If you happen to be there in January, swing by Spring Bayou to witness the largest Epiphany celebration in the U.S.Ĭourtesy Birthplace of Country Music Museum Back on land, use your sea legs to complete a free walking audio tour of Greektown and scour shops for what once outstripped citrus as the state's main export before feasting at mom-and-pop tavernas and bakeries like Mama's or Hellas. Vintage vessels take tourists on expeditions and guides in the traditional suits demonstrate how the sponges are collected and prepared for market. Today, with one in 10 residents tracing their heritage across the pond, the town still feels heavily Hellenic, especially down by the docks where strains of bouzouki music spill into the streets, the smell of freshly baked baklava fills the air, and blue and white is the color palette of choice for buildings and boats alike. No passport is required to explore the Sponge Capital of the World, which saw a massive influx of Greek immigrants recruited for their diving skills to harvest the sea sponges that thrived in the Anclote River in the 1880s. If isle-hopping around Greece is beyond the budget this year but you're craving souvlaki something fierce, the Sunshine State offers a suitable substitute in Tarpon Springs, 45 minutes north of St. Before checking out, get fit for bespoke denim from local brand Blue Delta Jean Co.-a pair goes great with blue suede shoes. Recreate the iconic "Hands" photo from his 1956 homecoming concert with his statue at the former fairgrounds. Hear a salesperson at the still functioning Tupelo Hardware Company recount the tale of how he came in for a rifle but left with his first guitar. Slide into the marked booth for his favorite meal, a cheeseburger and RC Cola, at Johnnie's Drive-In. Staying at the new Hotel Tupelo, which has a Presley-themed package, grants access to bicycles that can be used to site hop. Tupelo is quite proud of its chart-topping native son to wit, there are lots of preserved sites including the tiny house he was born in and his church, where a multi-media system recreates services where Elvis gained a life-long appreciation for gospel tunes), murals and sculptures, and a Tupelo Elvis Festival. With director Baz Luhrmann's recent Elvis Presley biopic introducing a new generation to The King's music, it's the perfect time to shake, rattle, and roll into his hometown.
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