The all-American favorites of bluegrass music and slow-smoked barbecue take over the Silver Dollar City streets, from the tunes of the bands to the tang of the sauce, at the park’s Bluegrass & BBQ festival, May 12-30. Presenting more than 50 bands and hundreds of performances, from international award-winning musicians to the hottest new bands in bluegrass, the festival presents a feast from the stages to the grills at the Branson, Missouri theme park.

  “The music is as American as barbecue – and we have that too,” Callaway says. Crossover and cutting-edge bluegrass artists like Rhonda Vincent, The Grascals and IIIrd Tyme Out have racked up awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), while Audie Blaylock and Danny Paisley have won awards with more traditional sounds. New groups, such as Monroeville –already spotlighted on The Today Show – keep the genre fresh.