It also recommends a tour of Appalachian Caverns in Blountville.

Such recognition is important to local efforts to drive tourism here, according to Courtney Cacatian, executive director of Discover Bristol.

“It’s huge. Any press we can get is always a nice thing. Especially when it’s something as fantastic as being the best little town in Virginia,” Cacatian said Thursday. “When people Google Bristol, we hope they find the Discover Bristol website. But if they find a gem like that — and they’re looking at recent news stories — it piques people’s interest in coming to Bristol and coming to discover it themselves. It’s great for visitors and potential future residents as well.”

She said recent recognition, including the American Planning Association naming State Street one of 15 “great streets” in America this fall, helps put Bristol “on the map” for travelers.

The BCM Museum, which is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, opened in 2014 and documents the story of the 1927 Bristol Sessions, the first commercially successful country recordings and the first time Hall of Fame performers The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers were recorded.