Road Trip Destination: Mt. Airy, NC

Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains is the small town of Mt. Airy. Mt. Airy is on the Ararat River, the county seat of Surry County, and with a population of just over 8,000 is as pretty a small southern town as you could ask for.

Mt. Airy is best known as being the hometown of actor Andy Griffith, and the inspiration for the fictitious town of Mayberry in the "Andy Griffith Show". Every year in the fall the town celebrates with its "Mayberry Days" festival.

www.Mayberrydays.org

Mt. Airy is also on US 52, a great old US highway that runs from Charleston, South Carolina to Portal, North Dakota, on the Canadian border.

For more about US 52 here is a link to its entry in the wonderful US Highways website.

US Highways - US 52

But you don't have to go to Mayberry Days to visit Mayberry. The Snappy Lunch with their legendary pork chop sandwiches actually exists, but get their early, they sell out! And just down the road is the Mayberry Jail, right next to Wally's Service.

On Main Street just south of downtown you can find the Mayberry Jail and Wally's Service. At the jail you can sit at a replica of Sheriff Taylor's desk, see Otis's cell, and then go next door to Wally's and pick up a snack or a souvenir, and then get a guided tour of Mt. Airy in a genuine Mayberry police car, this is HIGHLY recommended!

www.wallysserviceatmayberry.com

Touring Mt. Airy in a Mayberry squad car is a GREAT way to see the town. Not only do you get a knowledgeable local guide but you also get to ride in a wonderful 65 (or so) Ford Galaxy police car.

www.tourmayberry.com

But there is more to Mt. Airy than Mayberry, Mt. Airy is also the home of the NC Granite Corporation, an open face granite mine that has been in continuous operation since 1889 and is described as the largest open pit mine in the world. It's so big it's quite visible from space and yet they believe they can be harvesting granite from the mine for centuries to come. In the Google Earth picture to the right it's the big white spot on the right side of the picture between Mt. Airy and Flat Rock.

www.ncgranite.com

Just south and east of Mt. Airy is the remains of the Sauratown Mountains, a very old mountain range with the panicle of Pilot Mountain on the western end and Hanging Rock to the east. Both are North Carolina State Parks and well worth a visit. If you are making your road trip to Mt. Airy an overnight one the camp ground at Pilot Mountain is a nice place to stay. On a visit years ago I was sitting by the fire one night, with a glorious star filled night sky overhead and off in the distance I heard someone whistling "The Old Fishing Hole", better known as the "Andy Griffith Show" theme song.

Pilot Mountain State Park

I'm a fan of road trips, this Squidoo Lens is the first of a series on interesting destinations. If you are a fan of road trips please visit my website, RotoRota.com.

See you on the road!