Even the proliferation of coffee shops and poetry slams and the changing face of this Southern region can be attributed to this new population focused on creative endeavor. Theater arts are threaded through the fabric of our everyday life, giving breath to the personal dramas that drive us all and illuminating the joy of being human. Music, too, echoes a mountain heritage, derived in part from the historically isolated life of our early settlers. These mountaineers culled their music from the soul of the hills and from the melodies carried on the wind. More interesting is that it flourishes alongside the strains of a classical symphony, delicate chamber music, inspirational choral music, fervent black gospel, lively barbershop harmony, jazz, swing, and contemporary folk music.
Dance is so effortless here in the mountains.
Museums document the history of these mountains. Some are more academic museums devoted to departmental disciplines and regional displays of traditional mountain life, while others are restored farmhouses, grand old homes and vast estates that stand as tributes to the virtues and careers of pioneering citizens. Best of all, these museums are not of the stodgy, cement-building stock. These home museums transport you into the past with the scent of aged wood, slightly musty attics and wildflower-filled surroundings. They welcome you to step onto the back porch and drink in the deep valley views just as the mountain settlers of yore did.