New Digital Passport Encourages Travelers to Explore Tennessee Tourism’s “Ken Burns Country Music Pathway”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 8, 2021) - The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development is launching a new digital passport to encourage music lovers to visit the nearly two dozen sites in Tennessee that appear in Ken Burns’ PBS documentary “Country Music,” as part of a campaign promoting Tennessee Music Pathways.

Using a web-based application created by Salt Lake City-based Bandwango, travelers can document their visits and redeem their “stamped” passports for prizes ranging from a limited-edition Hatch Show Print to a copy of “Ken Burns Country Music: An Illustrated History,” or a Tennessee Music Pathways branded guitar. Passports are available online through Oct. 18, 2022. Tennessee Tourism launched a physical passport for the Ken Burns Country Music Pathway in 2019, and is adding the digital passport to make the traveling experience and “stamp collecting” even easier.

A companion advertising campaign, targeting those who have watched the acclaimed documentary on Amazon Prime, encourages travelers to download their own Ken Burns Country Music Passport and visit sites across Tennessee.

Nearly 50 million people in the U.S. and millions more worldwide watched Ken Burns’ critically acclaimed “Country Music” when it aired in 2019, making it one of the most-watched documentary series in history. More than 10 percent of viewers (4 million) streamed the 16-part series online, and thousands more continue to watch on Amazon Prime each month, nearly two years after its premier.

Locations that inspired the music on the “Ken Burns Country Music Pathway” include:

• The Birthplace of Country Music Museum (Bristol)
• Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (Nashville)
• Sun Studio (Memphis)
• Beale Street (Memphis)
• Elvis Presley’s Graceland (Memphis)
• The Grand Ole Opry (Nashville)
• Ryman Auditorium (Nashville)
• Minnie Pearl Statue (Centerville)
• Loretta Lynn’s Ranch & Campground (Hurricane Mills)
• Patsy Cline Museum (Nashville) and airplane crash site marker (Camden)
• Dolly Parton Statue (Sevierville)
• Dollywood (Pigeon Forge)

Music fans can find the full list of Passport locations and FAQs about the program here. Pick up a physical passport at any starred location or one of the 16 Tennessee Welcome Centers.

About the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development

Tennessee is the home of the blues, bluegrass, country, gospel, soul, rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll-delivering an unparalleled experience of beauty, history and family adventure, infused with music that creates a vacation that is “The Soundtrack of America. Made in Tennessee.” Explore more at tnvacation.com and join other Tennessee travelers by following “tnvacation” on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube or “Tennessee” on Snapchat.

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Media Contacts:

Amanda Murphy
Amanda.Murphy@tn.gov

Jill Kilgore
Jill.Kilgore@tn.gov

Mary Katelyn Price
MaryKatelyn.Price@tn.gov

Bill Patterson
Bill.Patterson@vmlyr.com