Escape To Andy Griffith’s World In Mount Airy, North Carolina
A Mayberry state of mind.
With all of the stress in the world today, it’s easy to long for a simpler time when everyone knows their neighbors. Whether real, imagined, or somewhere in between, The Andy Griffith Show’s Mayberry, North Carolina, is about as close to that black and white utopia as it gets. Luckily, nostalgia-seekers can visit Mount Airy, North Carolina, Andy’s hometown and the real-life inspiration for the show. Here are the best things to do in this small North Carolina town that will make you feel right at home.
Stop in at the Snappy Lunch, the only existing business Andy ever mentioned on the show. Opened in 1923, the Snappy Lunch is known for their world-famous pork chop sandwiches and was a popular lunch hangout for students, including Andy Griffith back before the local schools had cafeterias. Open for breakfast or lunch, plan to arrive early because the line waiting for the classic, made-from-scratch sandwiches under the vintage Coca-Cola sign can stretch up the street on busy days.
Located a short distance away on South Main Street, Wally’s Service Station looks so much like its namesake from the show, that you almost expect to see Gomer and Goober come out the door to fill up your tank. Pose beside a life-size Barney Fife cutout and shop for Mayberry souvenirs before exploring all of the retro vehicles and storefronts from the show—Gomer and Goober’s tow truck, Mayberry Union High, Foley’s Market and the Mayberry Hotel, and the Darlin’s truck and cabin .
What better way is there to tour Andy’s hometown than to ride shotgun in a replica 1960’s Ford Galaxie squad car? Meet inside Wally’s Service Station to begin the Squad Car Tours of Mt. Airy’s trip to all of the top spots of Mayberry. Led by a local guide, the Mayberry squad car tour is a great opportunity to hear the story behind how the people and places Mount Airy became the Mayberry that people love. Guides are happy to stop for pictures and will even pretend to arrest you before you go.
If you’ve always wanted to make a citizen’s arrest, this is the perfect opportunity. Located on the Wally’s Service Station property, visitors are invited to walk right in. Take a seat behind Sheriff Taylor’s desk, or pretend to be everyone’s favorite Deputy, Barney Fife, with a bullet in his pocket. Two cells are open for visitors to walk in, free of charge, and pose behind bars at one of the most famous jails in television history. One cell is for the not-so hardened criminals of Mayberry, like Ernest T. Bass, whose famous brick is posed in front of the bars, while the other is for Mayberry’s favorite town drunk, Otis, complete with a television and rocking chair.
Guests who really want to see what it was like to live where Andy did can rent his childhood home for the night. Now owned by Hampton Inn, the single-story ranch home was originally about half of its current size before Andy remodeled it for his parents when he became successful. Visitors to Andy Griffith Home Place can enjoy a cozy night’s sleep, surrounded by retro furnishings and a complimentary breakfast at the nearby Hampton Inn.
Kids and adults alike get to feel like a kid in a candy store at Opie’s. Specializing in old-tyme goodies like chocolate-covered peanuts and nostalgic wax lips and candy cigarettes, Opie’s Candy Store has over 500 candies to choose from. Customers can fill their little brown sacks with candy and enjoy ice-cold drinks from the 1940’s Coke cooler, reminding the “good ole’ days.”