Have you heard of the annual Mayberry Days celebration? Since 1990, it’s been North Carolina’s way of honoring their beloved native son, Andy Griffith, and the show named after him.
Mayberry, the fictional town where The Andy Griffith Show (1960 to 1968) was set, was supposedly based on Andy Griffith’s hometown of Mount Airy, North Carolina. Mount Airy has been celebrating this connection for a while and inviting y’all to come by for a visit.
Here’s a refresher on some of the friendly folks who lived in Mayberry.
Jim Nabors as Gomer Pyle, 1964
Where is Mount Airy, North Carolina?
Mount Airy is a few miles south of Virginia’s border, along the Ararat River, and in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Back in 1960 when the show started, the population was around 7,000, but it is currently over 10,000.
Pilot Mountain State Park is 25 minutes away and reaches 2421 feet above sea level at the Big Pinnacle (“The Knob”). Downtown Pilot Mountain is referred to in the show as Mount Pilot.
While I have not yet visited Mount Airy, I have gotten an amazing view of Pilot Mountain’s Big Pinnacle while standing on the Little Pinnacle.
What Can You Do in Mount Airy’s Mayberry?
Visit Andy’s Childhood Home
His childhood home is now a bed and breakfast called Andy Griffith’s Homeplace.
Visit Places Recreated from the Show
Wally’s Service Station
Mayberry Replica Courthouse
Floyd’s Barber Shop
Snappy lunch
“Snappy Lunch” by meadowsa is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Taken 2012.
You can also step into a replica of Deputy Barney Fife’s squad car to take a Mayberry Squad Car Tour to see the city’s highlights.
Other places to visit include a bronze statue of Sheriff Taylor and Opie donated by TV Land in 2004 which is located at the Andy Griffith Museum.
Did You Know — Thelma Lou Became a Mayberry Resident in Real Life
Betty Lynn, the actress who played Barney Fife’s girlfriend Thelma Lou, moved from L.A. to Mount Airy in 2007 and stayed there until her death in 2021 at 95.
During her time in Mount Airy, she also participated in Mayberry Days and met with fans.
Actors Betty Lynn and Ian Oliver Martin, April 2011
Ian Oliver Martin, CC BY-SA 3.0, <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Why Step into Mayberry in 2024?
People who grew up in the ‘60s or watched the show in reruns can transport themselves to what seemed like simpler times when this little place called Mayberry was full of loyal friends, kind neighbors, and lots of family.
It was a peaceful place to live. The sheriff didn’t carry a gun and the deputy carried an unloaded gun with one bullet in his pocket. The sheriff was reliable as the town’s problem solver and a patient single father as he raised his son.
And Mayberry had lots of likable residents who were always up to something.
Who can forget …
Barney’s Shenanigans?
From the episode, “Andy Saves Barney’s Moral.”
Barney found reasons to put all Mayberry citizens in jail while Andy was out of town. 1961.
Wikimedia Commons
The Time a Goat Got Loose and Ate Dynamite
Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, Andy Griffith Show 1963. “The Loaded Goat” episode.
They try to keep the goat away calm and away from people. The goat presumably has a happy ending. He is led out of town where he can eat a lot of hay for the dynamite to be expelled safely and naturally.
Wikimedia Commons
The Popularity of Making Your Own Alcohol at Home
Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, The Andy Griffith Show, 1961.JPG,
Two sisters (Charity Grace and Gladys Hurlbut) described as spinsters are running a still at their home.
Wikimedia Commons
Andy Griffith and Everett Sloane from The Andy Griffith Show, 1961,
Barney finds a still when investigating a barn fire.
Wikimedia Commons
The Time Goober Found a Talking Dog
Andy Griffith and George Lindsey, Andy Griffith Show, 1966
From the episode, “Man’s Best Friend.”
Wikimedia Commons
Now if you’re suitably nostalgic for Mayberry, you can go there vicariously. An excellent video was captured by a couple on the 34th Annual Mayberry days in 2023. They show all you can do in Mayberry, including interacting with character impersonators, such as Barney, Goober, and Floyd.
The next Mayberry Days are happening from September 23 – 29, 2024. For more photographs and information about visiting Mayberry, you can see the Visit NC website or the Visit Mayberry website.
Karen M. Free 