On March 4, 2026, the team behind Earl Scruggs Music Festival announced the lineup for the 5th annual edition of their event, which was recently honored with the 2025 IBMA Award for Event of the Year. Held each year in Mill Spring, North Carolina, at the Tryon International Equestrian Center, the festival will take place September 4 through September 6 with performances from headlining acts Béla Fleck: My Bluegrass Heart, Greensky Bluegrass, and the Avett Brothers as well as many, many more artists and bands. Tickets are on sale now; see the full lineup below.
BGS has been proud to partner with ESMF since the very first year of the festival, presenting special sets of music, doing on-site coverage, and bringing the unique setting and community of the weekend to our audience. This year we’ll be back again for still more of our partnership – and to enjoy some of the best bluegrass, Americana, country, and roots music on offer anywhere in the country.
Get a sampling of Earl Scruggs Music Festival with our photo stories, previews, and recaps from previous years: 2025; 2024; 2023; 2022.
The most striking feature of ESMF each year – besides their superlative lineups, of course – is the grounds and festival footprint. Tryon International is a luxurious, resplendent location for a music festival, featuring brick-and-mortar restaurants (we love Campagna – scratch made Italian and wood-fired pizzas at a bluegrass festival? Yes.), adorable boutiques, horse riding and jumping demonstrations, a shaded grandstand, multiple bars, a general store, posh VIP areas, and much more. There are campsites for RVs and tents, glamping options and tiny homes, and even a just-opened on-site lodge. Tryon International may just be the most amenity-rich site for a bluegrass festival we’ve ever encountered.
Still, it’s worth getting off-site when you can and exploring the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the many adorable, vibrant communities surrounding Mill Spring and Tryon International. We’ve attended ESMF for five years now and each time we uncover new (to us) hidden gems, restaurants, activities, shops, and highlights around every corner. In 2025, we decided to take our audience – and any potential ESMF attendees who may need extra convincing – along with us for a Camp Snap photo journey as we adventured down the mountains from Asheville, North Carolina, to the festival and beyond. We stopped in Saluda, Tryon, Shelby, and Boiling Springs, North Carolina, getting lunch, shopping for antiques, stopping in adorable boutiques, and visiting the homeplaces of two local legends: Nina Simone (in Tryon) and Earl Scruggs himself (in Boiling Springs). We also hopped just across the border to Landrum and Gaffney, South Carolina, for more markets, horses, and trains – and live music, too.
We’ve only just scratched the surface but if, like us, you’re looking forward to getting back to Earl Scruggs Music Festival this year, we’ve got the list of things to do and see outside of the festival grounds while you’re there. Make your plans to attend ESMF in 2026 here and scroll for more of our tips, tricks, and local favorites.
Saluda, North Carolina
If you’re headed across the Blue Ridge Mountains to ESMF from Asheville, the Asheville Airport, Johnson City, Bristol, TN/VA – or even as far as Knoxville, Nashville, Lexington, or Louisville – a stop in Saluda, North Carolina, is in order before taking on the grade down the mountains to Mill Spring. Here, the United States’ steepest standard gauge railway grade crests in an adorable little music-steeped and outdoor activity-obsessed community.
Stop by the Saluda Historic Depot & Museum and the Saluda Visitor’s Center next door – and snack on some delicious ice cream while you’re there.
Picturesque and adorable downtown Saluda on a bright late summer day.
Stop inside a classic, time capsule of a shop, the M.A. Pace Co. General Store, open and in operation since 1899. Refreshing drinks, sundries, souvenirs, local produce, and an array of jams, preserves, sauces, salsas, honey, syrups, and more from local vendors are on sale.
A mural depicting downtown Saluda and the iconic rail lines as seen on side of the building of K’s NY Pizza.
The Purple Onion is an excellent restaurant and cafe and an important community music venue at the heart of Saluda on Main Street. Bluegrass, folk, and Americana artists, bands, and songwriters perform on Thursday and Saturday nights – and select Sundays for their special Sunday Evenings Concert series. It’s intimate, the food is delicious, and the musicians they feature are incredibly talented whether local, regional, or nationally touring acts.
A view of the crest of the now out-of-service rail line topping the Saluda grade.
The railroad is clearly an important keystone of the Saluda community, even in the 2020s.
Perhaps stop in for a meal at Ward’s Grill for excellent, down-home Southern cooking and American classics. Wherever you end up in Saluda, there’s plenty to enjoy – and many fine food options for fueling up before heading down the mountains and toward Mill Spring for the festival.
Tryon, North Carolina
Maybe you’re coming down the grade from Saluda or perhaps you’re driving in from Charlotte, North Carolina, or from Greenville, South Carolina – or beyond! Wherever you’re coming from, Tryon is just a hop, skip, and a jump from the festival grounds at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring. Nestled into a holler in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, it’s a town full of art, music, culture, and heritage. You’ll find that horses and the railroad are important here, too. Stroll down the main drag and enjoy cute shops, tasty food offerings, and more.
Sometimes it gets hot during the late-August/early-September festival, especially at the lower elevation of the Tryon International grounds, so why not cool off Tryon proper in the cozy dark and air conditioning watching a film at the Tryon Theatre?
There are plenty of independent shops, boutiques, and retailers in the adorable downtown area offering local and far-flung products.
American musical icon Nina Simone was born in Tryon and her presence is felt throughout the little town. Nina Simone Plaza is conveniently located downtown and features a sculpture of Simone by Zenos Frudakis that contains a portion of Simone’s ashes enclosed inside a bronze heart within the gorgeous work of art.
Always a good sign! Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina is such a great resource and community builder in the region, highlighting art and music born in the mountains and made by mountain folk. In 2025, we partnered with Blue Ridge Music Trails, ESMF, and local partners on a special set of music at the festival called “Healing the Hollers,” which raised funds and awareness for the ongoing relief efforts after Hurricane Helene tore through and devastated the area in 2024.
There’s so much more to do, see, and explore via Blue Ridge Music Trails.
Horses show up in a variety of ways in Tryon – and not just at the equestrian center!
The Nina Simone Childhood Home stands on top of a hill in the middle of Tryon overlooking the village – and with gorgeous views of the surrounding ridge tops. Last year, while traveling to the festival, the humble home was in the final stages of its renovation and preservation by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and many other local, regional, and national partners.
Simone’s impact on American roots music and popular music – nationally and globally – cannot be overstated. Still, she’s rarely placed, understood, or honored as an Appalachian musician, despite where she grew up. A visit to Simone’s homeplace in Tryon is essential for all music fans, especially now that the renovations were completed in fall 2025, just after the festival.
The view of the ridge line of the stunning Blue Ridge Mountains behind St. Luke Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, as seen from the property of Nina Simone’s childhood home.
You can learn more about Tryon and Nina Simone in a bonus episode of our podcast, Carolina Calling, made with Come Hear NC.
Downtown Tryon is full of adorable sights and diverting activities.
Put “Molly & Tenbrooks” or “Goodbye Old Pal” on the speakers and get into the bluegrass and equestrian mindset. No judgment if your horse is on wheels!
Team BGS always brakes for antique stores, and this area is dripping with excellent shops, flea markets, and antique vendors offering wares at remarkably reasonable prices. On our journey, we traveled from Tryon to Landrum, South Carolina – passing the Antique Emporium & American Vintage, Old Mill Market Square, Tryon Antique Mall & Marketplace, and Dark Horse Antique Market in one fell swoop; all are within a quarter mile of each other and are worth stopping to peruse. Plus, many more antique shops and stands and vintage stores are in the area. Keep your eyes peeled, there are plenty of treasures to find.
Landrum, South Carolina
Some of the best little shops and stores we found nearby Earl Scruggs Music Festival, though, were the little holes-in-the-wall or mom-and-pop shops. Our favorite doesn’t have a name, doesn’t have posted hours, doesn’t have a website – or any kind of point on Google Maps at all. Heading out of Tryon toward Landrum, you’ll just cross over the state line on US Highway 176, Asheville Highway, when you come across a couple of small buildings covered in antiques. Stop at the intersection of US 176 and State Rd S-42-183.
Run by a pair of sisters, the shop is only open Thursday through the weekend and takes only cash, but you will find an inventory unlike any other. Sure, they may package your local North Carolina pottery finds in a (clean) reused Burger King bag. It only adds to the charm! The sisters will be happy to give you a tour and show you the historic property. We return every year and strolling through the crowded, historic house full of their collection of finds is a highlight of attending ESMF.
You may even find a bluegrass belt buckle along the way! While we can’t tell you the name of the business or really any more information than what’s included here, we cannot recommend a stop at 21919 Asheville Highway in Landrum enough. It is truly a hidden gem.
When you get to Landrum, you’ll notice we’ve rolled entirely out of the Appalachian foothills, topographically. Still, horses abound and there’s plenty to do, see, and enjoy. Stop first at the Landrum Depot, a rail and history museum, event venue, and community gathering place – including a refurbished Pullman sleeper car.
Beautiful and quaint downtown Landrum also includes many restaurants and stores ready for visitors.
Stop and peruse antiques and goodies at stores like The Yankee Peach (above) or Expressions Antiques (below), just across the street from each other.
We always enjoy stopping for a drink, lunch, or dinner at The Hare & the Hound in Landrum. They often feature live music and whether you’re sitting in the cozy indoors or outside on the shady street, the vibe is perfect. Need to park your horse trailer? They’ve got that covered in Landrum, too!
The Peachoid, Gaffney, South Carolina
Just around the corner from Landrum and mere minutes from Earl Scruggs’ childhood home near Boiling Springs, North Carolina, is Gaffney, South Carolina, home of the infamous Peachoid. There are lots of prime roadside attractions worth a visit in the area surrounding Earl Scruggs Music Festival, but the Peachoid may top the list.
If you’re heading to or from Scruggs’ homeplace or the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, North Carolina, as we were, stop by for a photo opp – and put Netflix’s House of Cards theme song on full blast.
Boiling Springs, North Carolina
Why not take a tour of historic homeplaces while attending ESMF? The musical dichotomy of Nina Simone and Earl Scruggs is perceived as incredibly distant or far-fetched, yet the two were born and raised barely 40 miles from each other. Why do we perceive one of these megaliths of American music as Appalachian, but not the other? (Meanwhile, Scruggs was raised decidedly outside of the mountains in southern Cleveland County, while Simone was raised nestled within them.)
Scruggs’ childhood home was recently purchased by the Earl Scruggs Center and during our visit last year at the time of the festival, preservation and renovation activities had just begun at the property.
Like Simone’s homeplace, the Scruggs property on Riverside Road in the Flint Hill community of Boiling Springs feels sacred, immediately grounding fans, visitors, and passersby while reminding of the humanity of these larger than life musical figures. Hit play on “Reuben” or “Shuckin’ the Corn” and revel in being in the exact place where Scruggs first unlocked three-finger style himself and started a century-long banjo craze that’s still going today, at ESMF and beyond.
Learn more about the Earl Scruggs Center’s plans for Earl’s childhood home here.
Shelby, North Carolina
Of course, no visit to Earl Scruggs Music Festival is complete without visiting the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, the county seat of Cleveland County, where Scruggs was born and raised. The Center is a host and presenter of ESMF and they offer special events and ticket discounts to ticketholders during the festival.
Over the winter, the Earl Scruggs Center closed for renovations, updates, and new and revitalized exhibits, so it’s worth another visit if you haven’t been in a while. An easy 30 mile drive from the festival grounds, during ESMF there’s plenty of special programming, music, and events worth the field trip. Plus, Shelby boasts great restaurants, breweries, shops, and – of course – antique stores, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
We particularly recommend Newgrass Brewing Co., where the beer is just as good as the name – and the food is excellent, too. Especially the homemade chicken tenders. It’s just around the corner from the Center. Don’t forget to step outside and take a turn into the alley, though, for a superlative mural photo opportunity of the man himself, two stories tall.
Just across the street from the Earl Scruggs Center on the square you’ll find the Antique Market of Shelby. Because we know, like us, you won’t be sick of antiques yet.
While Scruggs hailed from just down the road in Flint Hill, country star and singer-songwriter Don Gibson was born in Shelby proper. A hitmaker and stalwart of country from the late ’50s through the early ’80s, Gibson’s legacy is on display in Shelby in a variety of ways, chief among them the Don Gibson Theatre. Catch movies, live music, and special events throughout the year – including an incredible slate of bluegrass and country shows. The Don Gibson Theatre is also a stop on Blue Ridge Music Trails.
Learn more about Don Gibson and Shelby in our Carolina Calling episode about the city, featuring Gibson, Scruggs, and more.
A visit to Cleveland County wouldn’t be complete without a plate of livermush, so head over to the Shelby Cafe for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and a sampling of this local delicacy. Just like Earl would have enjoyed it? Certainly!
There’s so much to see, do, and enjoy at Earl Scruggs Music Festival and the surrounding territory, we know we barely scratched the surface. Hendersonville, Chimney Rock, Gastonia, and Rutherfordton are just up or down the road; so many nature preserves, parks, and trails are nearby; Spartanburg, South Carolina, is a stone’s throw away. While Tryon International is a lush, hospitable location for the festival, we encourage all attendees to get out and enjoy the places that birthed these musical forms we all hold so dear.
We’ll see you in Mill Spring, North Carolina, for Earl Scruggs Music Festival September 4-6, 2026! Tickets are available now. And we hope we run into you out adventuring and antiquing, too. Do you have a favorite local haunt in the area? Let us know on social media.
All photos by Justin Hiltner, shot on Camp Snap. Poster art courtesy of Earl Scruggs Music Festival.
This content brought to you in partnership with Earl Scruggs Music Festival.
