Return to Mayberry

Well, Barn, do you wish you could return to those slow-moving summer days fishing at the creek with a bottle of pop and a baloney sandwich? Do I hear whistling as you make your way to the water’s edge, fishing pole over your shoulder?

You don’t have to relegate your desire for an easier time in the old South to just watching “The Andy Griffith Show,” you can actually live them at the 30th annual Mayberry Days Sept. 23-29, 2019, in Mount Airy, North Carolina, “where Mayberry comes to life.”

There’ll be local bands playing those old songs Andy and Aunt Bee loved, a parade through town, silent auction, “The Emmett” golf tournament, games and so much more. Best of all, Gomer, there’ll be special guests and shows, including:

• John Floyd, "the Mouth of Mayberry," performs comedy at the Historic Earle Theatre on Sept. 23;
• Ballet Magnficat! performs “Deliver Us” Sept. 24 at the Andy Griffith Playhouse; and
• Ronnie Schell Comedy Review, with a Special Tribute to Andy Griffith containing stories of his time working with Griffith will be Sept. 26 at the Historic Earle Theatre.

There's so much more. Check out the schedule of shows here.

If you can’t make it for Mayberry Days, be sure and come back to visit The Andy Griffith Museum, featuring the hundreds of items from the life and career of Andy Griffith collected by Emmett Forrest.

A fun way to tour the town Barney style is to take a Squad Car Tour in a genuine 1960s-era police car driven by natives who know both the town and its famous TV star. Visitors will leave from Wally's Service Station on Main Street and pass by Mt. Airy landmarks such as Barney's Cafe, Floyd's Barber Shop and Andy's birthplace, among other landmarks.

And don't miss an opportunity to sample sonkers, a cobbler-type dessert that's unique to this area of North Carolina. Read about the Surry Sonker Trail and the places to enjoy this special dish here.




Weird, Wacky and Wild South is written by Chere Coen, a food and travel writer who grew up with "The Andy Griffith Show" (okay, maybe the reruns) and who loved sampling sonkers.

Pageland offers a spitting good time

            What makes a Southern town of 3,000 grow to 25,000 people without it being football season?

            In Pageland, South Carolina, it’s the lure of the sweet sweet watermelon.

            Known as the Watermelon Capital of the World — yes we said world — Pageland offers a Watermelon Festival every July to celebrate the magic fruit. This year’s fun will be Friday and Saturday, July 18-19, and include contests for seed spitting, watermelon eating (where you have 90 seconds to eat a watermelon with your hands behind your back) and the best watermelon outfit. In addition, there’s arts and crafts, live music, amusement rides, beauty pageant, Melon Mile 5K, children’s activities, parade, car show and rodeo, among much more.

            Best of all it’s free!

            This fun not-for-profit festival has been happening in Pageland since 1951! That’s a lot of seeds to spit.

            Pageland is located about an hour from downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, and 90 minutes from Columbia, South Carolina.

            Alcohol laws are lifted during the festival to allow patrons to bring their beverage of choice to the nightly concerts, but no beverages are served.
            For information on the Pageland Watermelon Festival, visit http://pagelandwatermelonfestival.com/.