Explore Kentucky's Country Music

Kentucky may be best known for bluegrass, but our country music traditions are just as deeply rooted. With a heavy footing in Appalachian folk music styles, country music originated in the rural South and West in the early 20th century. As broadcast radio popularized the new genre, shows like Kentucky’s Renfro Valley Barn Dance (premiered Oct. 9, 1937) gained immediate popularity and exposed country music to a nationwide audience.

Country Music Highway (U.S. 23)

The stretch of U.S. 23 from Ashland south to the Virginia border has produced more hit country stars per capita than any place in the world. Musicians who hail from this area of Kentucky include: Loretta Lynn, The Judds, Chris Stapleton, Billy Ray Cyrus, Dwight Yoakam, Patty Loveless, Ricky Skaggs, Crystal Gayle, Tom T. Hall and Keith Whitley. 


There are many places to stop and visit or take in a live performance on the Country Music Highway. Tour Loretta Lynn’s Homeplace in Van Lear. The Country Music Highway Museum in Paintsville displays memorabilia from more than 14 artists and hosts live bluegrass on Thursday nights. Mountain Arts Center in Prestonsburg hosts the Kentucky Opry, and many national country acts take the stage at Paramount Art Center in Ashland throughout the year. Explore the Country Music Highway  .
renfro valley barn venue

Country Music Festivals & Venues

Outside of Eastern Kentucky, there are several more places that country music fans should visit. Renfro Valley has been called Kentucky’s Country Music Capital, and is home to both the legendary Renfro Valley Entertainment Center and the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame & Museum, whose country inductees range from Merle Travis to John Conlee to Skeeter Davis. Kentucky also plays host to numerous festivals focused on  music, including ROMP Fest, Festival of the Bluegrass, Poppy Mountain Music Festival and Manchester Music Festival.

Trip Inspiration

Articles

Family Fun in the Kentucky Appalachians Region

Kentucky Appalachians

Day 1: Caves & Candy

 

If there’s one thing you can probably get everyone in the family to agree on, it’s chocolate! Sink your teeth into Blue Mondays and other only-in-Kentucky candies at Ruth Hunt Candy Co. in Mt. Sterling, which has been in the chocolate business since 1921 and is the official candy maker for the Kentucky Derby. Take a factory tour to see how the chocolate gets made!

 

Next, venture underground on a memorable tour at Carter Caves State Resort Park in Olive Hill. The three-quarter-mile Cascade Cave Tour takes you to the Lake Room, the geologically diverse Cathedral Room and a 30-foot high underground waterfall. For a shorter excursion, the quarter-mile Glimpse of Cascade Cave Tour offers an excellent look at Dance Hall Cavern and Dragon’s Lair, while the X-Cave Tour features two vertical joint passages that meander through a large layer of limestone and provide views of beautiful formations. Reserve a room at the lodge here or overnight in nearby Ashland. 

 

 



 

 

Day 2: Stars of Many Kinds

 

Today’s adventure starts at Ashland's Highlands Museum and Discovery Center, which houses a wide range of hands-on exhibits that explore the region’s past and celebrate its present. Kids can visit a 19th-century classroom, explore a Discovery Cavern, and make their own souvenir in an area that brings Kentucky’s frontier days to life. 
From here, drive south to explore Kentucky’s country music heritage at Loretta Lynn's Homeplace: "Butcher Holler." Situated along the Country Music Highway (U.S. 23) the cabin is nestled between two mist-shrouded mountains up a “holler” two miles southeast of the coal-mining camp of Van Lear.

 

Now trade country stars for actual stars at the East Kentucky Science Center on the campus of Big Sandy Community and Technical College in Prestonsburg. Planetarium shows here will take you to the edge of space and time. If you enjoy rock music, be sure to check out the center’s awesome laser light shows set to music. Make reservations to stay at Jenny Wiley State Resort Park or continue on to nearby Pikeville.

 

 

Day 3: Wild Feuds & Whitewater Rafting

 


150 Year Feud commemorative rifle

 

The History Channel’s highly successful miniseries “Hatfields & McCoys” generated overwhelming interest in that infamous feud. There’s no better place to explore it than right where it happened, Pike County, on the Hatfield and McCoy Driving Tour.

 

Before leaving the mountains, try your hand at Russell Fork Whitewater Rafting. The Russell Fork cuts a dramatic 1,600-foot gorge through the mountains into Elkhorn City, offering Class IV-Class VI rapids – one of many ways to enjoy the area's splendid outdoors.

Related Articles

Experience Country Music in Kentucky

Discover More Kentucky Music