Country Music Highway
Country Music Highway is a National Scenic Byway in Kentucky. Within Kentucky it covers roughly 150 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Country Music Highway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
US-23 through the eastern Kentucky coalfields is nicknamed the Country Music Highway for the extraordinary number of music stars born along it, including Loretta Lynn, the Judds, Dwight Yoakam, and Billy Ray Cyrus. The route runs through Appalachian mountain towns and hollows, with the U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum in Paintsville telling the story. Forested ridges and coal heritage frame the drive.
- Appalachian music heritage
- Loretta Lynn country
- Country Music Highway Museum
- eastern Kentucky coalfields
- US-23
Designated for its cultural qualities
Plan a drive on Country Music Highway → Drive this route in Road SortiesTurn-by-turn on iPhone · App Store
Places to stop along Country Music Highway
Paramount Arts Center
Ashland's restored 1931 Art Deco movie palace, now a performing arts hall.
WebsiteHighlands Museum and Discovery Center
An Ashland museum with a gallery on the many country stars born along US 23, plus regional history exhibits.
WebsiteU.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum
A Paintsville museum honoring the singers raised along the route, from Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle to Chris Stapleton.
Middle Creek National Battlefield
Walking trails through the site of an 1862 Civil War battle that helped secure eastern Kentucky for the Union, a launch point for James Garfield's career.
WebsiteMountain Arts Center
A Prestonsburg concert hall that hosts country and bluegrass shows and has launched local performers.
WebsiteJenny Wiley State Resort Park
A lake resort park named for a pioneer woman captured in 1789, with a lodge, a summer outdoor theater, and a skylift.
WebsiteAppalshop
A Whitesburg arts and media center founded in 1969, producing films, radio, and music that document Appalachian life.
Website
Where to Stay along Country Music Highway
4 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Country Music Highway.
Campsite, lodging, RV rental and membership links are affiliate links — booking through them may earn Road Sorties a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Recreation.gov links are not affiliate links.
Photos of Country Music Highway
What is a National Scenic Byway?
National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.