Carter Family Fold - Hiltons, Virginia

Carter Family Fold - Hiltons, Virginia

Make a stop at the Carter Family Fold to enjoy the traditional music in this rustic, 1,000 seat music shed on Saturday nights. The music is dedicated to preserving the traditional mountain and folk music that everyone loves!  This type of music is thought to be the foundation of the current country music.

In 1927 A.P. and Sara Carter along with Maybell Carter helped to give birth to the age of country music. The Carter Family Fold was established to honor this rich tradition in music. 

The original Carter family lived at the site where the Carter Fold is today, in Poor Valley, at the foot of Clinch Mountain in southwest Virginia.

In keeping with the tradition of mountain music, no electrical instruments are allowed, everything is acoustic.  The shed rocks with lots of dancing and fun for the entire family.  The shows are family based and family oriented, there is no alcohol permitted at the concerts.  There is a snack bar to grab a bite to eat or purchase a souvenir or a record or two. 

There is also a museum for you to visit before the show.  See the history of this remarkable family.

Once each year, a two-day (Friday and Saturday) festival takes place the first Saturday/Sunday weekend of August. Festival show times are from 2:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. each day. Mountain craftsmen are on hand to sell their goods, and there's lots of good country cooking going on, too.

While you are there you can visit the cabin that A.P. Carter was born in.  It has been relocated and restored and now sits just steps from the Carter Fold building and the carter Family Museum. Built in the mid-1800s, the cabin was originally located in Little Valley, which runs parallel to Poor Valley. There was no public access to its original location, yet it was designated both as a national and a state (Virginia) landmark.  Besides being the birthplace of A.P. Carter, the cabin also was the place of birth for his seven brothers and sisters and his brother Ermine's three children, Roger, Fern and W.L. and grandfather to David and Ann

A.P. operated his store almost to the time he died, in 1960.  This is the spot that the current "shed" is located.

Hiltons is approximately 20 miles from the largest nearby cities of Bristol, Virginia/Tennessee, and Kingsport, Tennessee. These towns have most of the major hotel chains and are recommended to those planning overnight stays. Other nearby towns are Abingdon and Duffield (Virginia) and Johnson City (Tennessee).

If you prefer camping, bring your RV or tent. Although the Carter Family Memorial Music Center has no hookup facilities, there is space for rustic camping on the Center grounds. There are many campgrounds throughout the area as well.

Location: The Carter Family Memorial Music Center, Inc.
A.P. Carter Highway
P.O. Box 111
Hiltons, Virginia 24258

Recorded information regarding tickets and Fold performances:
 (276) 386-6054 (not available for leaving messages)
 
Mountain Music Museum telephone: (276) 645-0035
 
Email Address: info@carterfamilyfold.org