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Author: Rajinder Dogra

Article source: http://www.articlealley.com/. Used with author's permission.

As the state prepares for the 400th anniversary of the settlement in Jamestown in 2007, two new trail programs concluded this year and an African American Trail and Rails to Trails program are underway.

Just last month the commonwealth became the first state with a statewide birding and wildlife trail. The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has just opened the third and final area of the trail. Virginia has a diverse environment, encompassing every bird and animal habitat that exists between Maine and Florida. It contains 400 species of birds, 250 species of fish, 150 species of terrestrial and marine animals and a wide variety of invertebrates over its 43,000 square miles of natural habitat. The coastal area was the first to be developed. It includes barrier islands, cypress swamps, pine forest and salt marshes. There are 18 trail loops, with birds, snakes, turtles and more. The mountain phase features 34 loops with forest trails and inland reservoirs. Just completed was the piedmont phase, which includes 13 loops that feature grasslands, savannahs and forests. These driving trails provide access to Virginias best wildlife-watching and hiking areas. Each loop contains 8-12 stops, such as wildlife refuges, state parks and forests, etc. A trail guide is available from the state or planners can find them on-line, with links to each stop on each trail. 866-822-4737

The Crooked Road

The states other new trail is The Crooked Road, Virginias Heritage Music Trail. This driving trail goes through the Appalachian Mountains from the slopes of the Blue Ridge to the coalfield regions, connecting seven major music heritage sites over its 249 miles. Early pioneers from the British Isles brought their fiddles, which mixed with the banjos, blues and work songs of African-Americans and the autoharp and dulcimers from Europe, to create stories of pioneer life and every day trials and tribulations. At the eastern end of the road is Franklin County, known for old-time string bands, ballads, blues, gospel and bluegrass. Franklin County today has a variety of homegrown pickers, as well as being the home to the Blue Ridge Institute, the state's official Center for Blue Ridge folk life. Floyd is the home of the Floyd Country Store and the Friday Night Jamboree. This weekly event started as a practice session for the owners bluegrass band, but expanded to include other locals and visitors who wanted to enjoy authentic bluegrass. Floyd is also home to County Sales, the provider of the largest selection of rural recorded music and books.

Traveling further west, you come to Galax, home of the Moose Lodge #733 Old Fiddlers Convention, the oldest and largest in the world. Founded in 1935, the convention attracts over 50,000 fans from around for the six-day festival held each August. Galax, the Worlds Capital of Old Time Mountain Music, is also home to the Rex Theatre, once a movie theatre and now host to the Blue Ridge Backroads each Friday. Nearby is the new Blue Ridge Music Center, established by the National Park Service to honor this cultural history. There is already an outdoor amphitheatre for 3,000 people, with a new interpretive center, exhibit gallery, listening library and indoor auditorium under construction. In the summer the center hosts weekly concerts by nationally known and local traditional musicians.

Travel through Rugby, home of one of the countrys foremost luthiers, Wayne Henderson, on your way to Abingdon, home of the Barter Theatre, the State Theatre of Virginia. Then it is on to Bristol, located in both Virginia and Tennessee. Bristol was designed by Congress as the official Birthplace of Country Music. In 1927 talent scouts came here to record musicians from the southern Appalachian region for commercial records. What is now called The Bristol Sessions included the original Carter Family, Jimmy Rodgers, as well as Ernest and Hattie Stoneman, Henry Whitter and others. This laid the groundwork for what has become the country music industry. That heritage is preserved at the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance Museum, which tells the story through artifacts and exhibits. North of Bristol is Hiltons, home of the Carter Music Center. The center promotes old-time music and pays tribute to the original Carter Family with bluegrass music each weekend. The Saturday concerts adhere to the Carters traditional music style, with no electrical instruments allowed, but lots of dancing encouraged.

The Country Cabin, in the Appalachian Traditions village outside Norton, features local musicians who gather each Saturday night to perform country and bluegrass music. In Clintwood the Ralph Stanley Museum and Traditional Mountain Music Center honors this world-renowned musician who has produced hundreds of albums over the 50 years of his career. In fact, four of his songs were featured in the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? The museum features a wide collection of Stanleys memorabilia and also serves as a resource center for fans and students to learn more about traditional and Appalachian music.

The Crooked Road also includes numerous musical festivals. Examples include FloydFest in Floyd, the Virginia Highlands Festival in Abingdon, the Dock Boggs Festival in Norton and the Rhythm and Roots Festival in Bristol. Signs designating the route are already in place. Coming for 2005 will be listening points where travelers can listen to a radio broadcast that describes the significance of the site being visited, as with the Civil War Trails. 866-686-6874, www.thecrookedroad.org

Tidewater

The Virginia Marine Science Museum in Virginia Beach offers a new Harbor Seal Splash program. This is a twohour educational program that allows visitors to interact in the water with harbor seals. Participants engage in training sessions to learn about the seals habitat, history and conservation efforts to protect them. Group size is limited for each session. The museum also sponsors seasonal dolphin watching boat tours in the Atlantic Ocean. These offer the chance to view bottlenose dolphins as they frolic in their natural habitat. Or in the winter enjoy the whale watching trips. 757-437-6000

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