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Tryon, NC Native Nina Simone
There are several tributes to Tryon, NC native Nina Simone in her home town, including a mural and a plaza with a beautiful sculpture. Simone was a child prodigy who began playing piano at age of 3. She was a lifelong activist for civil rights. Learning about Nina Simone at these sites is a great way to spend part of your day in this charming town in the First Peak of the Blue Ridge.
Plan Your Trip to Tryon, NC
Visitors Guide About Nina Simone
Nina Simone's distinctive voice, powerful blend of classical, blues, and gospel music, and passionate civil rights activism created a legacy that endures today. She was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in Tryon in 1933. She grew up in a three-room clapboard house. That is where she first learned piano. Her mother was a minister. Simone began performing at an early age, singing and playing in church. Soon after her talent was recognized, Tryon residents raised funds to sent Simone to a classical piano teacher.
A history of Simone included in the Asheville Black Cultural Heritage Trail states that during her first recital, at 12 years old, her parents were directed to sit at the back of the room. Ms. Simone refused to play until her parents were allowed to return to the front of the audience. This was an example of Simone's willingness to speak up for what she believed was right.
Simone graduated from the renowned Allen School in Asheville, a segreated school for Black girls. NASA scientist Christine Darden is also a North Carolina native and alum of the school.
Mural
A large mural of Nina Simone against a floral backdrop is painted on the back side of a store on NC 176 and Highway 108 in Tryon.
Sculpture and Plaza
Downtown Tryon has a life-size sculpture of Simone playing piano. It resides in a park-like setting in Nina Simone Plaza. There is space on the piano bench for visitors to site beside Simone. It is a great place to take a photo. Her daughter was the model for the sculpture. She gave some of Simone's ashes to the artist and the artist made a bronze heart in the center of the sculpture. That means when the sculpture was installed, Nina Simone literally came back home.
Directions to Nina Simone Plaza
Take I-26 to exit 67 for Highway 108 Columbus/Tryon. Travel west on Highway 108 for approximately 4 miles to downtown Tryon. The plaza is on the right, across from the Tryon Theatre.
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Nina Simone's Childhood Home in Tryon
Simone's unique musical fusion—which she called "Black Classical Music"—became instrumental in the American Civil Rights Movement. She performed all over the world. Despite her fame, little was known about Simone's childhood home in Tryon until 2016, when the severely deteriorating house faced demolition.
Four artists—painter Adam Pendleton, sculptor Rashid Johnson, collagist Ellen Gallagher, and abstract artist Julie Mehretu—founded Daydream Therapy, LLC and collectively purchased the home for $95,000. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the organization's "African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund served as lead partner" alongside Tryon's East Side neighborhood residents, Nina Simone's brother Dr. Samuel Waymon, St. Luke CME Church (where Simone's mother was a minister), and architectural and philanthropic partners to save the home.
In 2018, the National Trust for Historic Preservation designated Nina Simone’s Childhood Home as a National Treasure. The home is protected with a preservation easement held by Preservation North Carolina. Rehabilitation on Nina Simone's childhood home was completed in 2025. The home does not host any programming at this time.
Learn More
Listen to a podcast to learn more about Simone's life in Tryon. Visit Tryon to see where this music legend began her journey. The First Peak of the Blue Ridge region also celebrates another musical icon: Earl Scruggs, the banjo pioneer honored each Labor Day weekend at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival in nearby Mill Spring.
