Jonesborough, Tennessee: The Little Town Where Storytelling Became an Art

Discover how a small gathering around a farm wagon in 1973 helped transform Tennessee’s oldest town into the Storytelling Capital of the World—and why its International Storytelling Center continues to attract visitors from around the globe.

There is something wonderfully different about Jonesborough, Tennessee. Walk through its historic downtown, past beautifully preserved buildings, inviting storefronts, and old-fashioned streetlights, and you might feel as though you’ve stepped into another era. But Jonesborough’s greatest attraction isn’t necessarily its architecture or its history. It’s something much simpler: the art of telling a good story.

Located in the rolling hills of Northeast Tennessee, just a short drive from Johnson City, Jonesborough proudly calls itself the Storytelling Capital of the World. And at the heart of that identity stands the International Storytelling Center, a remarkable institution dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and sharing one of humanity’s oldest traditions. What makes this place extraordinary isn’t simply that people come here to tell stories. It’s that an entire community has helped turn storytelling into an internationally recognized cultural experience.

Today, much of that history remains visible. Historic buildings, traditional architecture, and carefully preserved streetscapes give downtown Jonesborough a character that is increasingly difficult to find. But while other historic towns focus primarily on preserving buildings and artifacts, Jonesborough developed another way of keeping the past alive. It embraced the stories of the people who lived it.

It All Started With a Farm Wagon and About 60 People

The story of Jonesborough’s international reputation begins in October 1973. Jimmy Neil Smith, a local high school journalism teacher, had become fascinated with the tradition of oral storytelling.

According to the International Storytelling Center, Smith’s inspiration came after hearing comedian and storyteller Jerry Clower tell a humorous story on the radio. Smith wondered why storytelling—the simple act of sharing experiences, memories, folklore, and imagination—couldn’t be celebrated in a festival of its own. That idea led to the first National Storytelling Festival.

There were no elaborate productions, impressive theaters, or large commercial sponsors. Instead, storytellers gathered around an old farm wagon in Jonesborough’s Courthouse Square, where approximately 60 people came together to share and hear stories. By modern festival standards, it was an extraordinarily modest beginning. But something about the experience resonated.

The connection between storytellers and listeners created an atmosphere that people wanted to experience again. What started as a small community event gradually attracted wider attention, helping inspire a revival of oral storytelling across the United States. More than five decades later, that original gathering has become one of the best-known storytelling celebrations in the world.

The center also incorporates the historic Chester Inn, connecting the institution with Jonesborough’s architectural heritage. Yet what makes the International Storytelling Center special isn’t the size of its buildings or the elegance of its grounds. It’s what happens inside.

Unlike a conventional museum, where visitors primarily observe objects and exhibits, the center offers an experience built around human connection. A storyteller stands before an audience and begins to speak. Perhaps the story is funny. Perhaps it’s emotional. It might describe a childhood memory, a family tradition, an ancient legend, or an extraordinary real-life experience. There may be no elaborate costumes, cinematic effects, or complicated scenery. Just a voice, a story, and the imagination of everyone listening. And remarkably, that can be more than enough.

Some incorporate music, dramatic expression, or audience participation. What they share is the ability to hold an audience’s attention using one of the oldest forms of entertainment known to humanity. For visitors accustomed to movies, streaming platforms, and digital media, the experience can be unexpectedly refreshing.

There is no screen separating the storyteller from the audience. The laughter is spontaneous. Emotional reactions are shared. And every performance develops its own character through the connection between the person speaking and those listening. It’s a reminder that storytelling remains a living art form, not simply a tradition preserved in history books.

When the Entire Town Becomes a Storytelling Festival

Every October, Jonesborough undergoes another remarkable transformation. The National Storytelling Festival brings thousands of visitors to the historic town for three days of performances, special events, and cultural exchange. Large festival tents appear throughout downtown, creating gathering spaces where audiences listen to accomplished storytellers from across the country and around the world. The variety is impressive.

Visitors may hear Appalachian family stories, traditional folktales, personal adventures, humorous exaggerations, myths, legends, and narratives rooted in cultures far beyond Tennessee. Some performers can bring an audience to tears with a deeply personal experience. Others can have an entire tent laughing over something as simple as a childhood misunderstanding.

The festival also features special storytelling events, including popular ghost-story performances that celebrate the suspense and imagination of oral tradition. Unlike many entertainment festivals built around elaborate visual spectacles, the experience here remains centered on the spoken word. The audience listens, imagines, laughs, and occasionally discovers that a stranger’s story feels surprisingly familiar.

The festival has become a defining part of Jonesborough’s cultural identity, bringing together local residents, visitors, and professional storytellers through their shared appreciation for stories. For those planning ahead, the next National Storytelling Festival is scheduled for October 1–3, 2027.

More Than Entertainment: Why Stories Matter

The International Storytelling Center’s mission goes beyond organizing performances and festivals. It promotes storytelling as a tool for education, cultural understanding, communication, and community connection. Stories help preserve traditions that might otherwise disappear. They allow older generations to pass knowledge and memories to younger ones. They provide opportunities for people from different backgrounds to understand one another through personal experiences. And perhaps most importantly, they remind us that history isn’t composed solely of major events and famous individuals.

History also exists in ordinary people’s memories. A grandmother describing her childhood. A veteran sharing an experience that changed his life. A family recalling the difficulties and joys of arriving in a new country. These are stories that may never appear in traditional history textbooks. Yet they are often the stories that help us understand what life was really like.

Through educational programs, cultural initiatives, and community partnerships, the International Storytelling Center encourages people not only to listen to stories but also to recognize the value of telling their own. That philosophy gives the institution a purpose extending well beyond the boundaries of Jonesborough.

A Remarkable Tradition in the Digital Age

There is something particularly meaningful about the success of storytelling in an era dominated by digital entertainment.

Today, we can access thousands of movies, television shows, podcasts, and online videos almost instantly. Technology has made storytelling more accessible than ever before. But it has also changed the way we experience stories. Much of our entertainment happens individually, through personal screens, headphones, and devices. At the International Storytelling Center, the experience is different. People gather in the same physical space, share the same moment, and react together as a story unfolds. They listen not only to the words but also to the storyteller’s pauses, expressions, humor, and emotion. That direct connection cannot be completely replicated by a recording.

Interestingly, the center also embraces modern communication, including virtual performances, demonstrating that traditional storytelling and new technology don’t necessarily compete. They can complement one another. The medium may change, but the human desire to hear a compelling story remains.

However, it’s worth checking the center’s calendar before visiting. A performance is not necessarily scheduled every day, particularly outside the regular storytelling season. Even without attending a performance, spending time in Jonesborough offers an opportunity to appreciate the character of one of Northeast Tennessee’s most distinctive communities.

Why Jonesborough Deserves a Place on Your Travel List

Some destinations are remembered for their spectacular scenery. Others become famous for their architecture, museums, or historical landmarks. Jonesborough offers something different. It has taken an activity that nearly every human being participates in—telling stories—and transformed it into the defining feature of an entire town. From a humble farm wagon surrounded by a few dozen listeners to an internationally recognized cultural center and annual festival, the evolution of storytelling in Jonesborough is itself a fascinating story.

But perhaps the greatest lesson this small Tennessee town offers is that meaningful experiences don’t always require extraordinary technology or elaborate productions. Sometimes, the most memorable moments happen when someone shares a story and another person takes the time to listen. And in Jonesborough, Tennessee, that simple exchange has become something truly extraordinary.

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