Making time for Appalachian music near the Smokies

Listen with a little curiosity about the music

An evening of live music appeals to us after a day outdoors. It gives the trip time with the people making music in the towns around the Smokies. We’re curious about where the tunes come from, and learning a little of their history gives us something else to listen for.

Southern Appalachian music includes Cherokee song and dance traditions, European American ballads and fiddle tunes, and African American contributions to banjo playing, rhythm, song and dance. The National Park Service documents those histories and their influence on old-time music, bluegrass, gospel and other regional forms. Old-time and bluegrass groups can use similar instruments, but their repertoires and histories differ. A program, or a chance to ask a performer, can help you learn how they describe the music.

Choose a performance that fits the trip

Great Smoky Mountains National Park posts ranger programs and special events when they are scheduled. Asheville and towns around the park also have live music calendars. The photograph above shows a bluegrass jam at Shindig on the Green in Asheville, North Carolina. Its credit links to the original photograph; check current event listings for a visit of your own.

We’d look at the calendar while planning where to stay and choose a performance that leaves time for the drive back. Confirm the venue, start time and parking before setting out, because dates and locations change. Leaving an evening free for music gives the trip something else to remember alongside the mountain walks.

• Check the current NPS events page and local venue calendars.
• Confirm the venue, start time and parking before setting out.