Galax, VA

Galax has a vibrant downtown with shops, galleries and restaurants. The restored Rex Theater's weekly radio show, "Blue Ridge Backroads Live," beams old time and bluegrass music to four states and over 40 countries. The yearly Old Fiddlers Convention, held in August since 1935, brings thousands of musicians and dancers to Felts Park for a week of on-stage competition and campground jams.
Nearby on the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway is the Blue Ridge Music Center, with an outdoor amphitheater, museum and luthier shop with Saturday music performances spring through fall.
New River Trail State Park begins on Chestnut Creek near the center of town, with 39 miles of biking, hiking and cycling along the New River.