From live theatre to music and the visual arts, Robertson County boasts a vibrant arts scene! The annual Bell Witch Festival brings professional productions to September and October weekends. At 1st Friday Night Market during the spring and summer months, you’ll find artists, artisans, and food trucks on the downtown Springfield Square. Restaurants across the county host singers, songwriters, and bands in the evenings and weekends year round.
RobCo Arts and Culture
Visual Arts
Classes, galleries, and studio shops dot the eleven towns of Robertson County. Whether you’re creating or adding to your collection, there is a space for you here!
music
Live music at local pubs, an annual Bluegrass Festival, stages at nearly every downtown Springfield event: you don’t have to look far to find music in Robertson County!
Live Theatre
From community to professional theatre, Robertson County offers live theatre throughout the year!
Willow Oak Center for Arts and Learning
The Willow Oak Center for Arts & Learning in Robertson County fosters the well-being of the community with classes in visual arts, music, folk and culinary arts, and summer camps.
Located on South Main Street, the nonprofit hosts programming for adults and children as well as Art in the Park and the Master Artist Series.
My Perfect RobCo Day: The Arts
Whether you’re escaping the traffic and bustle of the big city or driving in from the country for the day, Robertson County has plenty of fun to offer. Here are some of our perfect itineraries for a Saturday day trip to RobCo!
Type “Homer Worsham Rd” into your favorite Maps app and follow the little blue line to capture some of the most beautiful sunrise photos as the fog rises above the barns. Take your time and drive slowly, these hills will take your breath away.
After you fill your memory card with sunrise snaps, head on over to Cross Plains and grab a sausage biscuit and a steaming cup of coffee from neighborhood favorite, Terry’s Market.
Head west to Historic Downtown Springfield for the RobCo Farmer’s Market. Meet Grain and Honey Bake Shop, and be sure to grab a loaf of their signature sourdough! Walk to 7th St, and get your photo taken in front of the RobCo mural.
LIVE MUSIC
This close to Nashville, you’re always close to a place to catch some live music with dinner. Here are a few of our favorite places to get up close and personal with some of Middle Tennessee’s greatest singers and artists.
WHITE HOUSE PIZZA + PUB
MURPH'S COUNTRY MUSIC BARN
BINK'S BAR + GRILL
COMMUNITY BAND
Performing several free concerts yearly, the Robertson County Community Band was founded in 2005 by Chris Reeves and features around 25 musicians. Practices take place every other Tuesday at the Springfield High School band room. All woodwind, brass, and percussion musicians are welcomed to join for $40, covering a yearly membership fee and band t-shirt. Click to find more information about upcoming concerts.
THE CAPITOL THEAtRE
Opened in 1939, the Capitol Theatre represents one of the most interesting community projects in Robertson County. After nearly a century of operation and a name change to Springfield Cinema, the old building closed its doors in 2018, but public outcry to save the space encouraged investors to look into new opportunities. A plan being developed currently would turn the theater into an event space, not unlike Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre.
LIVE PERFORMANCES
Check out some of our local opportunities to enjoy quality theatrical productions. Since 2002, the annual Bell Witch Fall Festival has brought together amateur and professional actors, musician and technical staff to preserve and celebrate the unique history and culture of the area through original productions. Visit their website to learn more.
Just as the earthen, spicy aroma of the dark fired tobacco smoke fills the Robertson County air, the greatest story tellers from the area gather for The Red River Tales.
From the heart of The Black Patch arises hauntings, heroes, the heart of the south. Discover the history as rich as the land from which it was born, and explore the stories and melodies from the hills and hollers of Tennessee. Join us for an afternoon of FREE music and history to kick off the Bell Witch Fall Festival.
This long-suppressed local story of the dark history of the Black Patch Capital of the World and its tobacco war of the early 1900s unfolds through the gut-wrenching emotional ride of the Hartley family. Witness the struggles that affected not only them, but all the families who farmed in this region of Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee and grew dark-fired tobacco. You will see big business at its worst and the tobacco company’s role in turning farmer against farmer, brother against brother, and its backlash–giving birth to the masked vigilantes: The Night Riders. This superior production will thrill you with its lyrical, inspiring bluegrass music and top-notch acting. Six outdoor performances open to the general public will be presented.
Each Fall since 2002, David Alford’s play, Spirit: The Authentic History of the Bell Witch of Tennessee, has been produced on the grounds of the Bell School in Adams, the very land settled by John Bell and where the hauntings took place. As the play says, “In this place, on this ground” — only yards from the graves of the Bell family. The play is performed by professional actors from Nashville as well as local talent.
SPIRIT is based on Richard Williams Bell’s memoir entitled Our Family Trouble. Richard Williams Bell’s memoir is the only known eyewitness account of the Bell Witch hauntings, which took place between 1818 and 1820 in the Bell home in Adams. Ingram honored the Bell family’s request that the account not be published until after all of John Bell Sr.’s immediate family had passed away.
Mandie Neblitt
Robertson County Players
Founded over 40 years ago by a talented group of citizens which included a Church of Christ pastor and the director of the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, the Robertson County Players put on community theater productions of Broadway plays and musicals in local venues. It all began with Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite in 1978 and continues to this day with over 100 different performances held. The troupe hosts events throughout the year with tickets ranging from $10-15. Visit their website for season and ticket information.
