Rapunzel’s Music and Books

Lovingston, Virginia: a listening room since 2001

help us write the next chapter

The rumors are true: Rapunzel’s is coming back to life. The building needs significant attention before Rapunzel’s can reopen, but the goal is to begin having shows again in December.

Get involved The story so far
Rapunzel's at dusk: the white letterboard marquee above the barn-red building reads RAPUNZEL'S IS RETURNING THIS FALL, STAY TUNED, under strings of warm lights.
The sign on the building, tonight

In memory

Bob Taylor seated on stage at Rapunzel’s, playing guitar, wearing his brown cowboy hat and red shirt.

Bob Taylor

Bob Taylor helped his daughter Sara open Rapunzel’s in 2001 with little more than a pot of coffee and a few friends. For twenty-five years he kept the door open: booking first shows for a generation of Nelson County musicians, running the open mic, the jazz nights, the songwriters’ contest. More than five hundred shows since 2011.

“It may be the amethyst in Priest Mountain.” Bob Taylor, when asked why Nelson County produces so many musicians

He passed away September 12, 2026. A Celebration of Life will be held October 3 from 3–6. We carry forward in his honor.

Celebration of Life

Wood Ridge Farm Brewery · 165 Old Ridge Road, Lovingston, VA
Saturday, October 3, 2026 · 3–6 p.m.

RSVP here →

On the board

What’s next at the Packing Shed

Shows return. Stay tuned The goal: music again in December The rebuild needs hands Carpentry · gardens · elbow grease News first. Join the list Reopening word before the posters go up

Where the story stands

  1. Chapter One: Twenty-five years of music2001–2026
  2. Chapter Two: New stewards, same spiritSummer 2026
  3. Chapter Three: The rebuildHappening now
  4. Chapter Four: The music returnsThe goal: December

The story

A humble place that raised a generation of Virginia bands

“It started as a humble place for Nelson County musicians to play acoustic music. It became an incubator for a generation of Virginia’s finest bands.” Harry Woods, cvillesoundcheck, May 2026

Sara Taylor dreamed it up in 2001 and asked her father Bob to open it with her. Twenty-five years of open mics, jazz nights and songwriters’ contests later, the Taylors have passed the old apple-packing shed on. The next chapter is being written right now.

Read the whole story →

The barn-red Packing Shed on a spring day, ESPRESSO and BOOKS hand-painted in white on the siding, daffodils blooming in the foreground.
The Packing Shed in daffodil season, from the family album

The room

Couches, rugs, shelves of books and a stage

The listening room mid-show: cello, upright bass and fiddle on stage under strings of lights, the audience settled into couches and rugs.
Photo: Norm Carter, 2026
“Let’s just say the vibe is unmatched. Truly a unique experience!” BigFoot County, after their 2025 show

Jazz, blues, Americana and folk in a hundred-year-old apple-packing shed: couch seats, coffee, used books on every wall. See what’s coming →

Contribute

Rebuilding the old, bringing in the new

Lend a hand

Carpentry, electrical, plumbing, landscaping and gardens, graphic design and PR, books and events. All of it needs doing.

Raise your hand

Stay tuned

One email when it matters: show announcements, volunteer days, and the reopening date the moment it’s set.

Join the list

Give

Checks can be made out to Rapunzel’s Community Foundation and mailed to PO Box 556, Lovingston, VA 22949.

An online way to give is coming; we’ll share it as soon as it’s ready.

Rapunzel’s is supported by the community and the non-profit Rapunzel’s Community Foundation.