The cry has gone out across the land: Too Much Screen Time!
There’s an easy and oh-so-satisfying fix for that malaise. Just hit the road. The Crooked Road, Virginia’s musical heritage trail. And bring the kids.
Tucked away in some of Virginia’s loveliest countryside, in the southwestern corner of the commonwealth, the Crooked Road is a 330-mile, elongated U-shaped driving route that welcomes visitors to some 70 major or affiliated venues—ranging from country stores to restored old theaters, to a state-of-the-art grassy amphitheater on the Blue Ridge Parkway—where traditional acoustic music lives on.
Depending on the locale, the musical medley may include old-time, country, a cappella gospel, ballad, blues, and bluegrass. Ready for a square dance, flat-foot dancing or clogging, or a cakewalk? The Crooked Road has those too. And if you have your own banjo or mandolin on hand, well, just join in. Impromptu “jams” are among the biggest draws along the Crooked Road.
No need to tackle the whole road at once; there’s just too much. Besides, what’s the rush? A journey along the Crooked Road can take a year…or a lifetime, because there’s no Interstate highway driving involved. It’s that kind of relaxed, hospitable, set-a-spell pace of travel.
“There’s always somebody at the door who says hello, whether they know you or you’re a complete stranger,” says Tyler Hughes, executive director of The Crooked Road organization and a proud son of Appalachia. “You don’t have to be a dancer or a musician to experience the Crooked Road. We’re always open-armed and ready to invite people in. And if you are a musician, it’s like the musical road trip of a lifetime.”
No kidding. Visitors from around the world find their way to the Crooked Road, from every state in the U.S. and way beyond. Some of them come toting fiddles or guitars, eager to enjoy a priceless and unforgettable American experience.
Says Dylan Locke, co-owner of the Floyd Country Store, a major Crooked Road venue, has seen many of them. “Over the almost 12 years we’ve been here, we have had folks from almost every continent, and far-flung places such as Australia, China, Japan, Russia, Europe, South America, the Middle East, Hawaii, Africa, and almost everywhere in between.
“We give away a hat every Friday night to the person who has traveled the farthest to be at the Floyd Country Store, and 95 percent of the time the winner is from a location overseas.”
1 of 2
2 of 2
Homegrown talent abounds
What’s all the fuss about? As a relatively recent transplant myself to the Crooked Road region—less than 10 years—I have come to love the weekly jams in my adopted hometown of Fries (pronounced Freeze). My house is a block away from the Historic Fries Theatre, so I can saunter over any Thursday night throughout the year. It’s warm inside—both the temperature and the welcome—so it’s especially cozy in winter when I want to get out of the house and chat with neighbors or have a hot dog with all the fixins’ for supper.
The theater walls are lined with antique quilts, and a local photographer plays an endless loop of beautiful landscape shots on a big screen behind the musicians’ circle. Best of all is the music: sweet and soulful, with a loving harmony, as friends and strangers come together to recreate old, old tunes in the 21st century. Instrumentation usually includes bass fiddles, dulcimers, mandolins, and a washboard, in addition to the standard fiddles, guitars, and banjos. Some tunes have words, others not.
As soon as each new song begins, dancers take the floor, singly or in pairs, to flatfoot or to promenade in time to the music in a leisurely counterclockwise circle. During a break halfway through the evening there’s a cakewalk (so a chance to win something wickedly delicious). It sure beats staying home and watching television.
One recent Thursday I arrived early and saw old-time legend Eddie Bond patiently teaching a young student some basic fiddle techniques, her sheet music balanced on a folding chair between them. No surprise, as the Crooked Road is looking forward to a new generation of musicians, not just backward to long-ago times. The JAM program—for Junior Appalachian Musicians—is really taking hold, and each week seems to be attracting new youngsters.
The Crooked Road’s Tyler Hughes echoes that observation. “Old time music is not dying out. We’ve seen a real resurgence, especially since the pandemic. Grayson, Wise, and soon Scott and Washington counties…there’s so much interest. When I was a teenager, I grew up in a time before it was cool to be from Appalachia. I was kind of a nerd for liking square dance music.”
1 of 2
2 of 2
For the love of music
The Floyd Country Store, near the eastern end of the Crooked Road, is considered one of the 10 major venues, and Andrew Small and his wife and musical partner, Australian-born Ashlee Watkins, are some of the biggest-name musicians there, performing as the Ashlee Watkins & Andrew Small duo and with both The Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee and The New Floyd Country Ramblers. Both multi-instrument artists, they have recorded, toured, played for governors, and competed at fiddlers conventions. Currently they are preparing to play at a friend’s 99th birthday party.
“We had been coming to fiddlers conventions in the region for years before we moved to Floyd in 2019,” Small said. “Floyd County is just a beautiful place to live, and the small town charm combined with a vibrant community makes for a great combination. The things that attracted us to the area were the mixture of traditional music culture combined with the active old-time music scene, strong community, close proximity to fiddlers conventions, and beautiful mountain scenery.”
While he and Ashlee love Floyd, they also like visiting other stops along the Crooked Road. “Some of our favorite locations are the Twin Creeks Distillery Tasting Room in Rocky Mount, Wildwood Farms General Store in Floyd, of course the fiddlers conventions like the Old Fiddlers Convention in Galax and the Grayson County Fiddlers Convention in Elk Creek, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, and we love the Carter Family Fold,” he said.
Way out on the western section of the Crooked Road, the mayor of Clintwood, Danny Lambert, is just as enthusiastic about the musical and other cultural offerings there. “The Ralph Stanley Museum and Traditional Mountain Music Center in Clintwood, Virginia, is a must visit destination for fans of Appalachian and bluegrass music,” he said. “The museum features interactive exhibits and audio experiences that bring Stanley’s story and the region’s musical roots to life.
“Clintwood itself is a charming Appalachian town nestled in the mountains of Dickenson County, and serves as the county seat with a rich history and scenic surroundings. The town also boasts the Jettie Baker Center, a beautifully renovated performance and events venue that was originally the Mullins Theater from the 1940s, and which hosts concerts, live shows, and community events associated with the museum and local arts.”
All that plus natural attractions like Birch Knob Tower, John Flanagan Dam and Reservoir, and the grand canyon of the Breaks Interstate Park. “In short, Clintwood is a great place to visit.”
Tyler Hughes, executive director of the Crooked Road organization, says 2026 will be a great year to start a journey of discovery.
“We are super excited. 2026 marks the 90th anniversary of the Old Fiddlers Convention in Galax, the longest running music festival in the Commonwealth of Virginia. If you’re only going to experience one thing through the year, go to a fiddlers convention. They’re an all-out showcase: people cooking good country food, sitting around playing, and you may or may not see a jar of moonshine floating around.”