Shadrack Campground

Many visitors come for events at the Bristol Speedway, a four-minute drive away. If railways and bikes are more your thing though, the famed Virginia Creeper Trail starts half an hour's drive away in Abingdon. This 34-mile mountain biking trail along the former railway takes in restored stations and trains in hilly scenery, rising to 2,000 feet. Animal fans should take a trip to Bays Mountain Park 20 minutes' drive away, to see cross-sections of beaver dams, bee hives and cave systems, and gaze at the heavens in the planetarium. A similar distance away, the Bristol Caverns takes you through a whole network of caves, with striking rock formations and an underground river. Above ground, you can swim, sail or fish for bass at Boone Lake, 13 miles away from the site, or drive the same distance to the massive Cherokee National Forest, where there are hiking trails, wildlife to spot and gold to pan for. Another treasure close by, of course, is the music. The Birthplace of Country Museum, a quarter of an hour's drive into town, celebrates the Carter family, who made the earliest recordings of traditional songs in 1927. The Carter Family Fold, three quarters of an hour away, is a concert venue devoted to the bluegrass and country sounds of the region.