We did our usual Saturday morning Cook Shack breakfast and jam this past Saturday. It's funny, Laci and Caleb's favorite breakfast there is cheese grits. They no longer ask what they want, they just bring them their cheese grits! And they're oh so excited every time. But it was an especially beautiful day and Greg said, "Why don't we go to Mount Airy (better known as Mayberry) and get a pork chop sandwich from The Snappy Lunch?" Well, so we headed north to Mayberry.
It's a cute little town, about the size of Lexington. There's always a buzz about town, buses coming and going, cute little shops line Main Street. It's the hometown of Andy Griffith, and the foundation of the making of the Andy Griffith show. But if you go to Mt. Airy, you must visit the Snappy Lunch, the oldest eating establishment in Mt. Airy, also better known as "The Diner" in the show. Actually, in older episodes of the show the Snappy Lunch was mentioned, and then somewhere along the line changed to "the Diner." And you have to try one of their world famous pork chop sandwiches. You'd better bring a bib because they are extremely large and extremely messy. But oh so good!
The Snappy Lunch is open from 6:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. so if you're expecting lunch I would suggest you get there around 11:30, if you want a seat. Don't be surprised if you see a couple buses parked out front with a line waiting to get in. But it's well worth the wait!
And then head next door to Floyd's Barber Shop. Yes, the real McCoy!! It's so neat. It looks just like the one in the movie. The haircut will cost you, but the experience is free!
Owner Russell Hiatt has been cutting hair here for more than 60 years, and he boasts "2 chairs-no waiting." And, yes, he has cut Andy's hair before, along with several other stars. And while you are visiting Mr. Hiatt, he might snap a picture of you sitting in his barber chair, where he may put it on his "Wall of Fame," along with the other 18,000 pictures adorning his walls. It's a must see, really!
And, please, take your camera, because you may just run into Otis stumbling down Main Street, like we did!
Laci kept wanting to know what he had in his jug!!!
And then, guess what? I'm embarrassed to tell you. Yes, my camera battery went dead on me again. Rule No. 1 for blogging: Always, always keep your camera battery charged!!!!
So after touring all the cute little shops downtown, we stopped in the Mayberry Soda Fountain to get a little ice cream cone, sat on the sidewalk and watched the passers-by. You can even go to Wally's Service Station on the edge of town and catch a ride in Barney's vintage 1962 squad car and cruise down Main Street. Also, Andy's old homeplace where he lived for more than 30 years has now been turned into a B&B. So if you're a die-hard fan, you can rent his home where you'll be surrounded by memorabilia.
After we finished our ice cream, we headed to Pilot Mountain State Park, better known as Mt. Pilot in the movie.
Yes, we climbed to the top of this baby!!! Actually, we drove up, then hiked some of the trails. There's actually a "medium" trail that you can hike all the way around the pinnacle. That was really fun. It was the perfect hike for our kids age (it was the mom and dad doing all the huffing and puffing!!) We were 1400 feet up, literally eye to eye with the birds! But a wonderful 360 degree view. And since it was such a clear, beautiful day, we could see the city of Winston-Salem (20 miles away). And bring a lunch, because they do have a little grove for picnicking. They have a campground, rock climbing, several hiking trails. Laci and Caleb just loved it. They ask every day can we go back to the mountain. Next time we'll bring a lunch and make a day of it. We got there around 4:00 and they close at 6:00. But there's plenty to do, a beautiful scenery, and a great place for a picnic.
Did I mention that it's all free??? So much to do just right here in the Piedmont. Now there's no way Laci and Caleb could appreciate the nostalgia of Mayberry as much as their mother and father, who grew up on this old black and white movie, but one thing I love about our kids, they love to go do new things as much as we do. Which makes it all the more fun!
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