While driving through the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and reaching Mount Airy North Carolina's outskirts, memories of other small mountain towns we have explored flooded back to us. Old mountain homes, with barns and gardens. Clothes hanging on clotheslines, and residents walking their yards and checking their mail.
Mount Airy, North Carolina, is known as the real Mayberry, but this isn't immediately apparent as you approach the town outskirts and drive towards its historic downtown section. In fact, as we drove in and arrived for a long weekend, Mount Airy, NC, felt like many other wonderful small towns we've visited during our mountain adventures.
That was until we turned onto Main Street and instantly went back in time to the famous 1960s and The Andy Griffith Show.
We found ourselves suddenly in Mayberry. Not only could you tell by the shops such as Barney's Cafe, Opie's Candy Store, and Floyd's Barbor Shop, but we saw many other references from the show as well, such as Pine Street and Snappy Lunch.
What really sealed the deal for us was when we pulled in behind a 1960s Ford Galaxy squad car sitting at a stoplight. We literally expected Barney to jump out of the car, all in a frenzy about something, and tell us to "nip it!"
While Mount Airy certainly embraces its roots and fame as the real life Mayberry, we were on a quest to go a little deeper. We wanted to discover if Mount Airy was more than just Mayberry. We wanted to explore all the other wonderful things this town and Surry County offered beyond Mayberry.
We weren't disappointed. Mount Airy nails Mayberry, but also offers Sonker, Ground Steak (a distant cousin to the hamburger), art, music, vineyards, parks, moonshine ice cream, and an incredibly interesting history about the original Siamese Twins.
Join us as we explore Mount Airy NC - Mayberry and more.
Where is Mount Airy NC?
Is Mount Airy Mayberry?
Our Mount Airy NC Guides
Where to stay
Things to do
Where to eat
Where is Mount Airy NC?
Mount Airy, North Carolina is located in Surry County in the northern part of North Carolina just inside the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and next to Interstate 77 (I-77). Mount Airy is about 40 miles northwest of Winston-Salem, and about 2 hours from Charlotte.
Mount Airy, NC, is located in Surry County in the northern part of North Carolina, near the Virginia border. It is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, approximately 40 miles northwest of Winston-Salem. Known as the hometown of actor Andy Griffith, Mount Airy is often associated with the fictional town of Mayberry from "The Andy Griffith Show."
Its charming downtown area, scenic surroundings, and rich history make it a popular destination for visitors exploring the Blue Ridge region. It's also home to Pilot Mountain, which many are familiar with.
Is Mount Airy Mayberry?
While Mount Airy definitely embraces its Mayberry heritage from the popular Andy Griffith TV Show, Mount Airy is not Mayberry. Mayberry was a fictitious town created especially for the TV show and was based on Mount Airy where Andy Griffith was born and raised.
Mayberry was a Hollywood set at Desilu Studios. The set was unfortunately demolished many years ago. Although many of the artifacts from the set were saved and can be seen at the Andy Griffith Museum in Mount Airy.
Sherriff Andy Taylor, and other characters from the Andy Griffith show often mention Mount Airy as the nearest "big city" to Mayberry. Because of this and it being Andy's hometown, Mount Airy calls itself the "real life Mayberry", and downtown Mount Airy is themed around the Andy Griffith Show.
You'll find shops like Opie's Candy Store, Wally's Service Stations, Barney's Cafe, and Floyd's Barbershop. You can even take a tour of Mount Airy in a replica 1960s Mayberry squad car.
Our Mount Airy NC Guides
During our visit to Mount Airy NC in the summer of 2024, we experienced many of the great things to see and do, including restaurants, vineyards, and more! You can learn more about Mount Airy and our visit by diving into our Mount Airy guides!
Restaurants in Mt Airy NC – Our favorites
15+ Things to do in Mount Airy North Carolina – Mayberry and so much more!
Downtown Mount Airy NC Things to do
Where to stay
There are several options for where to stay when visiting Mount Airy, including hotels, inns, bed & breakfasts, Airbnbs and cabin rentals.
During our visit to Mount Airy in 2024, we stayed in an old historic home near downtown that was an Airbnb. The home was split, so the upstairs is one Airbnb and the downstairs, where we stayed in, was another.
Learn more about Mount Airy Hotels and get discounted rates atBooking.com
Things to do
There are plenty of things to in Mount Airy, North Carolina, including lots of downtown shops and attractions that are themed to the Andy Griffith Show. But Mount Airy offers so much more than just Mayberry to see and do when visiting, including: Vineyards, shops, public parks, museums, art, music, and even a ghost tour!
Learn more about things to see and do in Mount Airy NC in ourThings to do in Mount Airy NC guide and our downtown Mount Airy Guide
Where to eat
Like many Blue Ridge Mountain small towns, Mount Airy is full of locally owned restaurants where you can find delicious and unique foods to enjoy. For example, Ground Steak is a Surry County original and enjoyed by many. So much so that there is a Ground Steak Trail with lots of different restaurants.
Sonker is also another Surry County original. Sonker is a lot like a cobbler, but a little different and absolutely delicious. There is also a Sonker Trail you can follow to try out the different Surry County sonker recipes.
You can learn more about our favorite restaurants from our visit in our Mount Airy NC Restaurants guide.
Larry Deane
About the author
Larry Deane is co-owner of Blue Ridge Mountain Life. He has spent more than 20 years exploring the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and has a deep passion for nature, history, storytelling, and adventure. Along with his wife Jenn, they combined these passions to create Blue Ridge Mountain Life, a travel guide to these stunning mountains they are fortunate to call home. Larry has more than 20 years of experience as a writer and journalist, and has established himself as a leading voice and expert for Blue Ridge Mountains. He is also an avid hiker, photographer, and videographer. He loves sharing his mountain adventures and knowledge with more than 500,000 people per month on Blue Ridge Mountain Life.
