Blue Ridge Music Center

rdf:langString Blue Ridge Music Center

rdf:langString The Blue Ridge Music Center is a music venue, museum, and visitor center located at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Galax, Virginia. The center celebrates the music and musicians of the Blue Ridge Mountains through concerts, exhibits, and programs that highlight living musical heritage of the Blue Ridge region and interpret its significance within the larger landscape of American music and culture. The site is operated through a partnership between the National Park Service and Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. The Music Center operates May through October. Free Midday Mountain Music acoustic sessions featuring local musicians are offered from noon to 4 p.m. daily. Concerts are offered most Saturdays during the season and include old-time, bluegrass, folk, Americana, gospel, and country blues performances. The Roots of American Music Museum on site showcases the region's rich musical heritage. Admission to the museum is free. The center was planned when the town of Galax gave 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) for its development. The center has a state-of-the-art amphitheater and a 17,000-square-foot (1,600 m2) museum. It was officially established by Congress in 1985.