Uncovering the Hidden Gems of Bristol, Virginia: Where Tennessee and Virginia Meet

[@spacemandudley6237]

Potato chip company you passed used to be Moore's. Bristol used to have two potato chip businesses.....the other was Terrys. The brick buildings not far and on the left as you head up the road used to be Valleydale. Bristol, VA used to also have a Coca Cola bottling company. The Bristol sign is over a hundred years old. Late local historian Bud Phillips, who moved to Bristol was a wealth of information. Kroger is where the old hospital used to be located in both TN/VA

[@johnwhite993]

The first chik fila in Bristol was in the mall. 1985-1986

[@danharrell2024]

We use to live there…glad Blackbird finally got their drive thru up and running. Go by Mountain Empire Comics on Tennessee Side

[@disco07]

Hi Shane and Ms. Melody. Happy Holidays! Let's ride!

[@realappalachia]

let's do it!

[@kennethstuckey7823]

"We can donate some plasma for somebody", 🤣🤣 Priceless!! You're right about shopping malls! Whoever decided that it was better for everyone to put all stores outside in various weather elements, was not knitting with two needles! What an enjoyable tour of Bristol, VA. Ya'll had me cracking up the entire video! Amazing! Cute jackets.

[@realappalachia]

love the "not knitting with two needles" line lol

[@hello9945]

Another great video, Melody and Shane; we appreciate you!

[@realappalachia]

Thank you so much!

[@miask]

Bristol is a nice town and I like y’all showed a lot of the history. I have friends on the Va side, but I haven’t been in way too long. I’m glad you chose to visit! Va Intermont was a beautiful campus, I was accepted there, but chose GMU, it was closer to Manassas. I was so surprised the mall closed. That’s too sad. Well, I guess is a happy thing for Shane! I hope you all enjoyed a blessed Christmas!

[@realappalachia]

thank you, Mia, we hope you had a very blessed Christmas too!

[@leecoleman822]

Happy New 2023 🇺🇸

[@realappalachia]

Happy New Year, Lee!

[@michaelkolodziej589]

It's good to see you guys back on the road again and back to talking about potato chips and donuts. Thanks for all the enjoyable videos this year and best of luck in the new year!

[@realappalachia]

More to come! Thank you!

[@robinhaupt9119]

Really enjoyed the visit to Bristol, thank you Shane and Melody. I always enjoy the information you provide Melody.

[@realappalachia]

glad you enjoyed it, Robin, and hope you're having a great start to 2023

[@leecoleman822]

Happy New Year 2023 🇺🇸

[@realappalachia]

thank you! Happy New Year!

[@judypierce7028]

It is so good that both of you are feeling better. Been through Bristol, VA and TN. Both are great places. Really liked the area. Hope you and your family had a great Christmas.

[@realappalachia]

thank you, hope you have a great Christmas too!

[@johnnymayo8534]

Happy to see Melody back to feeling herself! I've never been to Bristol Va/Tenn. Tks for the tour!!

[@realappalachia]

thanks for riding along with us, Johnny

[@laurasolloway9524]

Bristol , Virginia Is beautiful, please show the mountains, creeks, the old country farms, and homes.

[@BasementGuitarSuperstar]

Love your videos! Thank you for showing us this history like you always do. Also, I think Melody is one of the most adorable humans ever!!

[@leelawrence2996]

Glad to see you guys feeling better! Keep the videos coming! Me and my wife really like Bristol! Both of them! Stay safe!

[@realappalachia]

Thank you! Will do!

[@rubensalcido5606]

Another awsome video.Nice place to visit.What I notice about your videos in Virginia is that traffic is not heavily congested.As a teen I visited Richmond Virginia with a church group to see Hal Lindsey. Richmond was beautiful!

[@Coopdog-dp5eq]

That was classic, thanks!

[@realappalachia]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ronalddawson3873]

As always the beautiful Melody is wearing some great ,earrings. I love the look.

[@johnwhite993]

Used to the tigers baseball team. And for us older viewers Mark “the bird” Fydrich pitched a season there. Lots of famous players played in the minors in the area

[@viking7560]

We had twin grandsons that lived in WV but visited us frequently in Kingsport. When they were toddlers and beyond when the WDTV morning news came on they said, “Hey, Maw Maw, Paw Paw, it’s Johnny!”

[@realappalachia]

he is a legend

[@AnnC....]

Enjoyed your video, Thank you

[@benandcis]

Loved this

[@davidbaldwin5806]

I suppose it would be silly for me to want a nifty jacket that would have a cooling effect... Keep the history and geography lessons coming!

[@benlaw4647]

Enjoyed this! Hope y'all had a great Christmas! I hope y'all made it through the arctic Express cold unscathed! I hate the bitter cold ! Hope it's another 30 years before we see that kind of cold again ! I love Bristol Va./Tenn. Thank you 2 for taking us along for the ride ! Appreciate y'all always. God bless y'all...🙏❤

[@realappalachia]

ohhhhhhh man, was it ever cold! Shew, lawdy lol. God bless you too, Ben

[@johnwhite993]

I remember people filling the fountain with washing powder at Halloween and bubbles for days. My great grandparents got married on the train station platform way back a long time ago.

[@rexfrost7981]

Great tour! May I ask, how bad is the landfill smell?, and does it affect the entire Tri-Cities area, or just Bristol?

[@realappalachia]

Thank you, the smell seems to have gotten a bit better with occasional flare ups but less and less often so hopefully they’re fixing it. These days it is contained to only Bristol. I live in Abingdon only 7 miles away and never smell it these days.

[@tabithabuckles1328]

Ngl y’all everytime I watch y’all’s videos I’m always watching for my lil gmc in the background 👀 😂

[@tabithabuckles1328]

Btw I met the legendary Dave Dirks when he came to Lebanon Elementary & showed us how to make snow. 💪🏻 And also once again as an adult buying adult beverages in the Food City. But I figured since he was off work I shouldn’t bother him lmaooooo

[@BlakethaReaper]

I'm in Gate city near Kingsport. I wish I'd have seen you guys. Enjoy the content.

[@johnathanbrown7196]

I live on the Tennessee side of Bristol. Hopefully I’ll run into y’all when y’all film the Tennessee side.

[@MillerMeteor74]

Talking about chips, we have a Lays distribution plant 5 minutes from here. But for me, once I start eating chips, I have trouble stopping. We drove through Bristol on our big 2012 road trip, and I got a picture of the guitar, out the car window. Down in Cumberland County, we have an unincorporated community called Roadstown. It's a tiny crossroads community with a firehouse and a general store that closed several years ago. Anyway, Roadstown is in two different townships, neither of which has a police department, by the way. Shiloh used to be the same way, sitting in two different townships, till it incorporated as a borough a long time ago. It is also tiny. I've never seen jackets like you guys were wearing. Oh, and I almost forgot. I like how you had the reverse dash cam on you guys while you were talking in the car. That's a nice touch. Oh man, the fudge in that place! I wanted to be there. We used to have an NBC TV channel down in Cumberland County, but NBC shut it down several years ago. At 19:26, that former post office looks just like a building in Bridgeton, Cumberland County, which I think is also a former post office. Euclid is one of two names (the other being Wabash) that make me think railroad, for some reason. I don't know why. At around 30:28, Shane drove right through a 4-way stop, and Melody missed it. 😂 (That's a pet peeve of mine.) Sorry, I couldn't resist. At around 35:35 there was a big American Flag mural. That was awesome. We had a Golden Corral, about 12 miles from here, and I used to love it. But it never reopened after Covid. 😡 I didn't like the video. I loved it. 🙂 Thanks, Barry

[@realappalachia]

we all share the same feelings about chips lol. The stop signs are an ongoing issue for some reason lol. Thank you, Barry!

[@Highlife1409]

I enjoy the view the ppl the hard rock casino loved it

[@timgriffith2094]

That’s for the Bristol video. I lived in Bristol from 1972-1979, graduated from VA High School. It looks nothing like it did in the 1970’s.

[@cmark304]

Hey, could you possibly do Abingdon, Va. ?? It's close by if you guys are still in Bristol. Unless you've already done it, and I missed it???

[@realappalachia]

Abingdon is very close by so we will definitely be doing it in the near future

[@cmark304]

@@realappalachia Thank you!! My late Wife, graduated from there. It will always have, a special place in my heart, because of that. She worked at The Martha Washington Inn, for a while.

[@marystevens6245]

50 + years ago my sister and her family lived I Bristol,TN and it sure has changed since I was there I remember going to Virginia to go grocery shopping while my dad and brother-in-law went to the Eagles club They lived far out in the country on the side of the mountain. No runny water or inside plumbing. They sure don't like that now. While watching this it sure as changed but so has the world

[@Deidra4truth]

Our town is falling apart because they sold us out to this tourism nonsense and big business. Bristol is falling apart I lived here my whole life, I am now leaving this area. it is becoming filled with crime now more than ever.

[@theskilz00]

Shane did I just see you on my television at the New Orleans Pelicans game?

[@realappalachia]

It was him! He’s traveling today so I’ll respond haha He’ll be thrilled to know he was on tv! - Melody

[@theskilz00]

Very cool, he looked like he was having a great time 😀 Hope you guys are feeling better.

[@darlakuboi9340]

I can’t open the link for the jacket. Can’t you just the info to where you get them?!?!?

[@lifeadventuresofthetricities1]

Red Pepper has amazing cauliflower! You should go and check it out!☺

[@realappalachia]

Sounds awesome!

[@IAMST1D]

Wish y’all would come to hometown of Mount Carmel might be a short video but you could always include good ole Church Hill .

[@realappalachia]

i used to work in Mount Carmel at BB&T so that is a definite possibilty

[@IAMST1D]

@@realappalachia Yes 🙌

[@IAMST1D]

You could use the slogan only town on one side of major road well the first state road from Bristol to Memphis

[@realappalachia]

@@IAMST1D I remember hearing about that when I worked there. I remember the cemetery on the other side of the road for some reason

[@IAMST1D]

@@realappalachia yes I think they finally annexed it into town so we really are not anymore

[@benandcis]

Melody you need to ask Shane about his interview he had for a job and have him tell you what he told the guy what his three weaknesses were. He told this in his chilhowie Virginia video. Hilarious

[@richardhuffman58]

Is this close to Kingsport and Nicklesville?

[@realappalachia]

yes, around 20 minutes from Kingsport and probably 45 from Nickelsville

[@harrywest2780]

Love it

[@lilliandavis4067]

You should look into the history of the Cameo Theater that was on State Street on the VA side not far down from The Paramount (TN) that remains. My grandma (whose account this is) was born and raised in Bristol. Went to Douglass School before it was a HS and graduated from there before Bristol decided to cooperate with integration. As a matter of fact the house she was born in still stands and I have pictures of her there before the streets in that area (not 5 minutes from downtown) from before they were paved. I grew up there and soooo much has changed and so many things the same as they always were. It’s crazy. Blackbird Bakery is the best ❤ I used to swimming at VI with Girls Inc waaaaay back and the building and pool were ancient then 😂 I grew up at Lee Street Baptist (on Mary Street just over the bridge) lots of history there. Corner Dog House!!!! I don’t even eat meat anymore but I have fond memories of those dogs 😂 I went to VMS right after the revision was made that closed off Fairmount to prevent kids from getting run over. I started at VHS and then moved out of state. Soooo many memories as you guy’s drive through. Sugar Hollow to go swimming at their pool with the church or during DHS reunions ahhh

[@taylorfields2258]

Tenn.ernie ford had a house in bristol tenn

[@realappalachia]

We plan on doing a video of it before long, I’ve been there a couple of times

[@joannamcpeak7531]

Burger Bar on State Street is yummy

[@kevinbarrett5001]

Hopefully next time, I see back ground!!! Ha I wish I had money 🤑

[@RoryVanucchi]

Carter Family country

[@carlloar9768]

U 2 forgot 1 place Bristol Motor Speedway. It is a big money maker twice a year with NASCAR

[@rachelynn3079]

It's not on the VA side.

[@jimmaiden5936]

My Dad was born there

[@benandcis]

Ya’ll tickle me

[@ClairenParkerontheRoad]

Interesting but I could hardly hear the guy. Yeah had to stop watching cause i couldn't understand him unfortunately

[@chubbawubba4287]

Good to see the post Christmas Dynamic Duo, after it like a fat kid on a cake.

[@miask]

BTW, Euclid was a Greek man who is considered the father of geometry. I was told that it has something to do with the way the street was laid out. It seems just about every town has a Euclid. There was a Euclid in Manassas. Someone told me the word means renown or glorious. I’m such a word nerd! 🙂🫶🏼

[@realappalachia]

Melody will never accept that it means renown or glorious lol. She has a real problem with the word apparently lol

[@miask]

@@realappalachia 😄 I noticed that. Shane, I feel funny for asking this; I posted a message on Patreon that I’m sure you missed; but did you receive 2 packages from Amazon on 12/20? They show delivered.

[@carolhardin2087]

I live in Meadowview, 20 minutes north of Bristol, and before that lived in Abingdon for several years. Worked on both sides of town. Looking forward to your visit to the TN side!