2020-01-02 12:03:56
Hear the voices and the stories of country music’s luminaries and history’s legends in these mountains.
DEEP MUSICAL ROOTS
Must be something in the water. For here is country music’s motherlode: Loretta Lynn, The Judds, Keith Whitley, Dwight Yoakam, Billy Ray Cyrus, Tom T. Hall, Larry Cordle, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Gary Stewart, Hylo Brown, Crystal Gayle, Ricky Skaggs, Patty Loveless and Chris Stapleton. All have roots in this mountainous terrain, their shared legacy connected by US 23, Kentucky’s famed “Country Music Highway.”
Also celebrating the state’s musical heritage is the Mountain Arts Center, home of the Kentucky Opry and host to headliners and emerging stars, and Ashland’s Paramount Arts Center.
“KENTUCKY IS PART OF ME”
“I take with me Kentucky …” said writer Jesse Stuart. “Since I am Kentucky, and Kentucky is part of me.” Yes, the Kentucky Appalachians region just has that kind of pull. Its heritage lives on in the 19th century crafts and early farming demos of Mountain Homeplace, the whimsical works at Kentucky Folk Art Center and the saga of the Hafields and McCoys.
Play at Kentucky Appalachian's seven state parks, whitewater raft the Russell Fork Gorge, go zip lining and off-roading, and eat the chocolates and bourbon balls at Ruth Hunt Candies in Mt. Sterling.
Regional Highlights
US 23 Country Music Highway Museum, Staffordsville: Stop by for Thursday evening Front Porch Pickin’ at this museum honoring Eastern Kentucky’s country music maestros.
Dueling Barrels, Pikeville: Tour a distillery tucked in the Appalachians that is as legendary as mountain moonshiners, bluegrass music, and the Hatfields and McCoys.
Jesse Stuart Foundation Bookstore, Ashland: This unique bookstore and its galleries preserve the legacy of this beloved “Chronicler of Rural Life” and Appalachian culture and heritage.
Loretta Lynn’s Homeplace – Butcher Holler, Van Lear: Huddling in the mountains, the Queen of Country Music’s childhood home shares a slice of coal-mining history.
Carter Caves State Resort Park, Olive Hill: Home to more than 20 caverns winding beneath its forested hills, adventure also awaits above-ground with hiking, canoeing, horseback riding and gem mining.
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