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A Wild and Wooly Town with a Surprisingly Rich Haunted History with 75 Brothels & the Birthplace of Country Music!!
| Is Bristol's historic passenger Train Station haunted? Who is haunting the upper floors of many of the town's oldest buildings? Learn why Bristol was designated by Congress to be the Birthplace of Country Music while discovering the dark, notorious and sometimes tragic affairs of Bristol's Frontier and Civil War History!! |
| This evening lantern-led tour will take you back - past the time when the first recording studios, beyond the time of Bristol's terrifying Frontier and Civil War History, before the time of great plantations, to the time of Native |  |
 | American occupation of our region. Learn about two years of historical and scientific research performed during indepth studies both in and outside of the buildings meandering through this very haunted and |
| historic district to include buildings such as the historic Paramount Theater and the old and very haunted Bristol Train Station. Sometimes history can be scarier than any ghost story! |  |
| With so many incidents in Bristol's past it's no wonder why Bristol is so rich with history and mystery!! The Birthplace of Country Music, as well as the memories made there and, just perhaps, the spirits of the people who made them - await you!!! |
The Bristol Virginia Ghost Tour Departs From the:
Blackbird Bakery, 56 Piedmont Ave, Bristol, 24201
| Appalachian GhostWalks' "Haunted Historic Bristol GhostWalk" Lantern-Led Tour operates year-round by request. Advance reservations online with a minimum of two participants in your party are required to reserve as follows... |
March through October  RESERVE NOW
Evening Lantern-Led Bristol Ghost Tours Begin at 8:30 PM DST |
November through February RESERVE NOW
Evening Lantern-Led Bristol Ghost Tours Begin at 6 PM EST |
| Tours and dates are booked on a first come first served basis so it's a good idea to reserve your date as soon as possible. Keep in mind that if you book a tour and need to change the date, or even postpone your tour indefintely, you may do so as often as needed without limits, or change fees for up to one year from the date of purchase. By reserving your tour in advance, you're worry free knowing you will have the tour and date of choice for you and your travel companion, family, or tour group. |
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Here is a Review From a Past Tour Guest
Bristol was one of several tours we did during the week we spent with Appalachian GhostWalks on vacation. During our afternoon and evening tours, following a timely pick-up from our hotel, we were treated to great sightseeing, great conversation, and amazing food over dinner with the guide. The guide was quite thorough and well versed in the tremendous Frontier, Revolutionary, and Civil War history of the towns we toured including Bristol, Dandridge, Jonesborough, Greeneville, and Johnson City. I and my friends who were traveling together would highly recommend this experience to small and large groups. They did a fantastic job. I am very skeptical about unexplained phenomena, but they really got me to thinking. It is truly an emmersive, enlightening, and educational experience which we found well worth the investment in time and money. Thanks for a fantastic experience we will not soon forget. We hope to take more tours during our next visit to East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. - Ralph C.
These are just a few of the many kind words expressed by our past guests. Read hundreds of other testimonials on the Guest Review page of our site. Many thanks to our wonderful past guests who we have toured with for more than twenty years. We appreciate you sending us your gracious feedback. We hope to see you again soon for another simply SPOOK-tacular good time!!! |
A Brief History of This Very Haunted and Historic Town
| Bristol is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,219. It is the twin city of Bristol, Tennessee, just across the state line, which runs down the middle of its main street, State Street. As an independent city, Bristol is not part of any county, but it is adjacent to Washington County, Virginia. It is a principal city in the Kingsport–Bristol metropolitan area, which had a population of 307,614 in 2020. The metro area is a component of the larger Tri-Cities region of Tennessee and Virginia, with a population of 508,260 in 2020. |
| HISTORY: Evan Shelby first appeared in what is now the Bristol area around 1765. In 1766, Shelby moved his family and settled at a place called Big Camp Meet (now Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia). It is said that Cherokee Indians once inhabited the area and the Indian village was named, according to legend, because numerous deer and buffalo met here to feast in the canebrakes. Shelby renamed the site Sapling Grove (which would later be changed to Bristol). In 1774, Shelby erected a fort on a hill overlooking what is now downtown Bristol. It was an important stopping-off place for notables such as Daniel Boone and George Rogers Clark, as well as hundreds of pioneers en route to the interior of the developing nation. This fort, known as Shelby's Station was actually a combination trading post, way station, and stockade. |
| By the mid-nineteenth century, when surveyors projected a junction of two railroad lines at the Virginia-Tennessee state line, Reverend James King conveyed much of his acreage to his son-in-law, Joseph R. Anderson. Anderson laid out the original town of Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia and building began in 1853. Samuel Goodson, who owned land that adjoined the original town of Bristol TN/VA at its northern boundary (Beaver Creek was the dividing line), started a development known as Goodsonville. Anderson was unable to incorporate Bristol across the state lines of Tennessee and Virginia. In 1856, Goodsonville and the original Bristol, Virginia were merged to form the composite town of Goodson, Virginia. |
| Incorporation for Bristol, Tennessee and Goodson, Virginia occurred in 1856. The Virginia and Tennessee Railroads reached the cities in the late summer of 1856. Due to having two different railroads companies, two depots served the cities; one in Bristol, Tenn. and the other in Goodson, Va. However, the depot located in Goodson continued to be referred to as Bristol, Virginia. In 1890, Goodson, Virginia once again took the name Bristol. The Grove, Solar Hill Historic District, and Walnut Grove are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. |
| GEOGRAPHY: Double yellow line on State Street, separating Virginia from Tennessee with a bronze marker embedded in pavement.
Bristol is in southwestern Virginia. It is bordered to the west, north, and east by Washington County, Virginia, and to the south by the city of Bristol in Sullivan County, Tennessee. |
| According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.2 square miles (34.1 km2), of which 13.0 square miles (33.7 km2) is land and 0.15 square miles (0.4 km2), or 1.07%, is water. Little Creek and Beaver Creek flow south through the city; Little Creek flows into Beaver Creek two blocks south of the state line in Tennessee. Beaver Creek is a tributary of the South Fork Holston River. |
| The city is served by Interstates 81 and 381, and by U.S. Routes 11, 19, 58, and 421. I-81 leads northeast 149 miles (240 km) to Roanoke, Virginia, and southwest 113 miles (182 km) to Knoxville, Tennessee. Interstate 381 (I-381) is a spur from Interstate 81 that provides access to Bristol, Virginia, United States. It runs for 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) from the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue (State Route 381) and Keys/Church Streets in Bristol at exit 0 north to Interstate 81. |
| The I-81 interchange, the only one on I-381, is signed as exits 1A (I-81 north) and 1B (I-81 south). US 11 and US 19, running parallel to I-81, lead northeast 15 miles (24 km) to Abingdon, Virginia. US 11 splits into routes 11W and 11E in Bristol; US 11W leads west-southwest 23 miles (37 km) to Kingsport, Tennessee, while US 11E and US 19 lead south-southwest 25 miles (40 km) to Johnson City, Tennessee. US 58 runs with I-81 northeast for 17 miles (27 km) before splitting off to the east just beyond Abingdon; US 58 and 421 together lead west 27 miles (43 km) to Weber City, Virginia. US 421 leads southeast 33 miles (53 km) to Mountain City, Tennessee. |
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