There are several attractions within a day’s drive of Mount Airy, N.C. Youth groups may plan a camping trip, or families can enjoy a picnic at a state park.
Visitors can access the Blue Ridge Parkway for fall leaf viewing and stop to visit a historic mill along the way. A living-history town and museums will take guests back to the 18th and 19th centuries.
Pilot Mountain State Park
Located 14 miles south of Mount Airy, you will find Pilot Mountain State Park, the inspiration for Mount Pilot on “The Andy Griffith Show.”
The park has a variety of outdoor activities intended to suit the entire family.
On the park’s lower slopes is the family camping area, where 49 campsites for tents and trailers are scattered among oaks and hickories dressed for fall.
On the north side of the Yadkin River is the youth tent-camping section that includes tables, drinking water, a fire circle and pit toilets. Reservations are required for youth camping.
Visitors can also canoe the Yadkin River through the park, and there are two wilderness campsites for canoeists. Rock climbing, rappelling, hiking and picnicking are also popular.
For information call 336-325-2355 or visit www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/pimo/home.
Old Salem Museums and Gardens
Old Salem in Winston-Salem, N.C., is an authentic and comprehensive history attraction.
Located 35 miles south of Mount Airy off U.S. Highway 52, it comprises four unique museums, including the Historic Town of Salem, the Old Salem Toy Museum, the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts and the Old Salem Children’s Museum.
The Historic Town of Salem offers visitors a glimpse of life in the 18th and 19th centuries for the Protestant Moravians, the German-speaking religious sect that settled Salem.
Costumed interpreters provide guests with information in historic buildings as they share the skills of the Moravians.
The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts is the only museum collection dedicated to antiques made in the South, such as furniture, paintings, silver, pottery and embroideries, according to Paula Locklair, vice president of strategic planning for Old Salem.
“The Old Salem Toy Museum is enchanting for all ages and is one of the most diverse toy museums in America,” Locklair said. “It comprises a fascinating 1,700-year survey of toys from A.D. 225 to 1925.”
The Old Salem Children’s Museum combines history with entertaining activities such as dressing up in costumes from long ago and climbing a two-story sculpture.
Visitors will also want to see the gardens. “The historic gardens give a glimpse of early garden design, and they are planted with documented historic plants, some of which are exceedingly rare,” Locklair said.
For information call 1-888-653-7253 or visit www.oldsalem.org. For Winston-Salem tourist information, call 1-866-728-4200 or visit www.visitwinstonsalem.com.
The Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway begins at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and ends at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina.
The parkway is known for the explosion of fall color along its 469 miles that meander through the mountains.
The parkway can be accessed from the Fancy Gap Virginia exit, which is about 15 miles from Mount Airy on U.S. 52.
If you pass Mabry Mill — located in Meadows of Dan, Va. — on a Sunday afternoon, then you may catch someone grinding corn or making molasses or apple butter. Located at milepost 176 on the parkway, the mill hosts demonstrations of such arts 2–5 p.m.
For Blue Ridge Parkway information, call 828-298-0398 or visit www.blueridgeparkway.org.
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