Settlers, Strings and Stories
The 2026 David Crockett Homestead and Bluegrass Festival brings fiddles, frontier skills, and plenty of West Tennessee history to Discovery Park of America in Union City October 23–24.
Pickin’ Meets Pioneer Life
Bluegrass provides the soundtrack, with The Kody Norris Show headlining Saturday afternoon. The lineup also includes Mulberry Jam, Ralston Station, Kurt Stephenson, Jargon, The Tennessee Tradition Band, and more. Community bluegrass jams are scheduled both days, giving musicians a chance to bring an instrument and join in.
Between sets, The Settlement, Mill Ridge, the Tool Barn Pavilion, and Great Lawn become a working showcase of regional history. J.C. Stahlman’s Living History Group will interpret periods ranging from the American Revolution to World War II, while the Dead Tree Desperados add a little outlaw trouble with an interactive robbery aboard Discovery Park’s vintage train.
Members of the Tennessee River Artist Blacksmith Association will work the forge, while the Land Between the Lakes Woodlands Nature Station and Discovery Park’s Wildlife Department bring animal encounters into the weekend.
Old Skills, New Stories
More than 20 vendors and demonstrators keep the hands-on theme going. 731Honey brings raw honey, the West Tennessee Basket Guild showcases handwoven baskets, Altman Farmstead offers candles and bath products, and BJ’s Chainsaw Art will carve on-site.
Woodworkers, quilters, bakers, soapmakers, and other craftspeople add even more reasons to wander between performances.
The festival also digs into the story behind its namesake. Discovery Park president and CEO Scott Williams presents “David Crockett’s Farewell” Saturday, exploring Crockett’s final night in Memphis before heading west to Texas.
With banjos playing, blacksmiths at the forge, interpreters stepping into the past, and craftspeople demonstrating skills still practiced today, the festival gives West Tennessee heritage room to be heard, seen, and put to work.
Ready for another excuse to clear the weekend? Find more festivals worth making plans around at https://www.guidetotennessee.com/festivals.
