Bristol seems like a poor town which time has passed by, but it had some great surprises. One was the Bristol Hotel. It was a rehabilitation of an old office building, and the renovation was done in a very charming way. The staff was quite welcoming and anxious to provide information. The room was large, airy, and very comfortable. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant (it was raining when we got there, and although we walked around the downtown, it was coming down in buckets and we were anxious to get back to the hotel. The restaurant was excellent. I concluded that the hotel was built with tax exempt municipal financing, as part of a city effort to get people to come to Bristol. We were just passing through on the way to Asheville. Bristol claims to be the original home of country music. I can imagine it was really bustling 40 years ago.