Smyth: Museums, Music and Appalachian History
Accommodation in Smyth
Landscapes and Trails
Hungry Mother Lake in Hungry Mother State Park covers 108 acres and is home to many sport fish species: largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, hybrid striped bass, spotted bass, crappie, catfish, carp, sunfish, rock bass, muskellunge and walleye. The Back of the Dragon runs through the state park and along the lake. The route stretches 32 miles between Marion and Tazewell.
Blue Ridge Discovery Center covers about 12 acres and is located in Smyth County, outside Konnarock. Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area is also in Smyth County. Golden eagle sightings have been reported there repeatedly over the years.
The Salt Trail is an approximately 11-mile multi-use recreational trail from Saltville to Glade Spring. Compared with the Back of the Dragon’s 32 miles, it is the shorter of the two routes listed.
Museums and Historic Traces
The Museum of the Middle Appalachians presents seventeen salt-related natural history and cultural history exhibits about Appalachian history and heritage, spanning subjects from mammoths to moon missions. Topics covered include geology, the Ice Age, Indigenous history, the Civil War and industrial history.
The Smyth County Historical Society & Museum collection comprises thousands of objects, documents, photographs and books relating to the history of Smyth County and the surrounding Appalachian region. The Smyth County Historical Society hosts eight local history lectures each year; the lecture series runs from April through October.
The commercial buildings in the Downtown Chilhowie Historic District mostly date from 1900 to 1930. The Settlers Museum of Southwest Virginia is a 67-acre open-air museum. A restored farm is used to teach 19th-century history; the museum includes a farmhouse and eight original outbuildings. The museum also includes the restored one-room Lindamood schoolhouse, built in 1894. The Appalachian Trail runs through the grounds and offers hiking opportunities.
Walking Tours, Art and Performing Arts
The Marion History Experience is a historic walking tour through downtown Marion, Virginia. The Lincoln Theatre operates year-round and presents a varied program of performing arts. Song of the Mountains is a public television concert series featuring bluegrass, Americana and old-time music. The historic walking tour and performing arts offer different points of focus.
The Ford Studios houses active artist studios and a gallery in a historic Ford dealership. The Wayne C. Henderson School of Appalachian Arts offers learning experiences rooted in the culture and heritage of the southern Appalachians.
Discover more destinations: Marion, Chilhowie, Bath, Culpeper County, Williamsburg, Isle Of Wight County, Fredericksburg and Montgomery.
View the broader travel overview: Virginia.
