Vivacious Bristol Stands Undivided

There’s nothing passive about Bristol.

Bristol is complex and effervescent, from the roar of NASCAR at Bristol Motor Speedway—the world’s eighth largest sports venue—to vivacious State Street, the downtown boulevard that anchors a resurgent arts and entertainment community.

Downtown Bristol is a place where you will not think it odd to see people just staring at the sidewalk or standing out in the middle of State Street.

That’s because the community stamps its claims under your feet, probably the only place in the world where water main covers are emblazoned with a fiddle and a bow, a star marking the location of Bristol on a stylized outline of the state, and the proud motto: “Birthplace of Country Music.”

That’s on the Tennessee side of the State Street. Walk across to the opposite sidewalk and just try to not stop—if only for a moment—to look at the brass markers inlaid in the road between the two yellow stripes dividing the lanes. One lane is in Tennessee, one is in Virginia. 

It is as if the founders said: “Let’s just mess with their minds a bit.”

Drop in for a ‘Big Mic’

Downtown Bristol still boasts the variety of businesses that used to provide the economic underpinning of any successful small American city. 

There are galleries and a bicycle shop, jewelers, manufacturing, clothing and a florist.

However, it is the stories behind the storefronts that make Bristol intriguing.

For a burger, you cannot beat Burger Bar on Piedmont, just off State Street on the Viginia side. The diner has been around since 1942, and it claims to be the place where Hank Williams’ driver stopped for a bite while the singer lay dying on the back seat of his sedan.

If you’re like me you’ve become accustomed to getting a bland bowl of lettuce if you order a basic side salad at a burger joint. The Burger Bar’s standard side salad was the opposite: a bed of lettuce and spinach on a wide platter, topped with cucumbers, onions, cheese and fresh tomato. 

A child of the 1960s, I couldn’t resist the Burger Bar’s specialty burger called “The Big Mic”—three buns, two patties with lettuce, cheese, onion, pickles and homemade thousand islands dressing. Do not try to compare this with the burger of a similar name available worldwide, because the Burger Bar’s offering is made with local, never frozen, eight ounce Angus patties.

Did I say it was delicious?

It’s All Good

Bristol is two towns with two separate municipal governments. 

Originally a gathering place for native Americans, Europeans appeared in the area in the 1760s and erected a fort and trading post nearby in 1774.

The fort was a critical stop for many settlers moving west, and in the mid-19th century both the Virginia and Tennessee railroads reached the growing community.

Two towns grew on opposite sides of the state line—The Tennessee town was historically known as Bristol while the Virginia community flirted with another name until the late 19th century.

Community leaders say the split jurisdiction pays off because Bristol in general has two members of Congress and two groups of state legislators fighting for the area in their respective governments.

Back on State Street you will see the historic Bristol sign erected in 1910. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the sign, illuminated at night with hundreds of light bulbs, declares Bristol to be “A Good Place to Live.”

Red arrows conveniently point from the middle of the sign, which straddles State Street, to both sides of the road, labeling the left—Virginia—as good, and the right—Tennessee—good, as well.

‘King’ of denim

One block opposite Burger Bar in Tennessee is a Bristol pride and joy: L.C. King Manufacturing Co., a downtown manufacturer of quality and durable workwear clothes.

The company, in business since 1913, sells jeans, overalls, coats and jackets from its street-front showroom. What is amazing, however, is that every stitch in every denim product is made upstairs in the factory, where the company says many employees have worked for more than 30 years.

The manufacturing process takes denim from the large roll through the pattern cut and into the hands of skilled crafters who take pride in making some of the nation’s only hand-produced denim jeans, overalls, coats and jackets.

Rumor has it that some of Nashville’s top musicians love to stop in at L.C. King for comfortable denims that look good and wear well while out on tour. Others who come back time and time again are hunters and farmers seeking sturdy clothes.

Fine Fly-fishing

Like Bristol, the nearby South Holston Lake straddles the state line. Its 7,580 acres are considered one of the top two lakes for fishing in Tennessee, and one of the nation’s top fly-fishing destinations.

The lake was formed with the construction of a Tennessee Valley Authority hydroelectric dam in the 1940s. 

Named for the Holston River, about 60 percent of the shoreline is bordered by the Cherokee National Forest. 

Residential and vacation homes overlook the lake, which is served by several marinas, slip docks and recreation areas.

Several sites cater to tent and RV camping, along with the option for camping and boating together.

Find your roots

Music lovers gather yearly for the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion, an Americana festival celebrating Bristol’s heritage as the birthplace of country music.

Noted headliners anchor the three-day festival. Recent years have seen celebrated artists such as Loretta Lynn, Dwight Yoakam, Buddy Guy and the Indigo Girls.

‘Sixteen tons’

Located near downtown is the Tennessee Ernie Ford home, birthplace of the popular singer whose 1956 album “Hymns” stayed on the Billboard top album charts for 277 consecutive weeks.

Ford’s 1955 crossover hit “Sixteen Tons” spent 10 weeks at number one on the country charts and seven weeks at number one on the pop charts. The clarinet arrangement sold over 20 million copies and became Ford’s signature tune.

The Tennessee Ernie Ford home is located at 1223 Anderson Street on the Tennessee side of town. It is open by appointment.

Students of the Civil War might enjoy a visit to East Hill Cemetery, established in 1857 and resting place of Confederate soldiers and veterans, as well as enslaved African Americans.

The cemetery is located at East State Street and Georgia Avenue.

Those looking to shop should enjoy downtown Bristol with the Benjamin Walls Fine Art Gallery on State Street and Blakely-Mitchell, the region’s oldest full-service clothing store.

Owner Hugh Testerman says he strives to provide as much American made clothing and apparel as possible, with items from Chicago, “shoes from Wisconsin, all my hats from Texas.”

The store, located at 517 State Street, has in-house tailors with decades of experience. All alterations are performed on-site.

Those wanting the outlet mall experience can spend hours at The Pinnacle, with 30 acres of retail floor area located off Interstate 81 on Pinnacle Parkway.

The Bristol area offers a variety of options for dining and drinks, including Studio Brew, a craft brewery located in an old fire station at 221 Moore Street on the Virginia side. The brewery produces The Ferguson, an oatmeal stout that received a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2017.

On State Street is 620 State, a casual restaurant featuring sushi, Asian, American and a comfortable bar. The restaurant is popular on Tuesdays with specials on sushi, but diners can wait or sit at the bar.

Blackbird Bakery, located on Piedmont Avenue, is open 24 hours a day except for Sundays, and features a variety of made-from-scratch doughnuts and delicious pastries and desserts ranging from baklava and brownies,to cheesecakes, cupcakes, and pies, as well as fresh-baked bread and locally made ice cream.