2. To the Outer Banks and Back - Blue Ridge to Mount Airy, NC

Craig Tidball
Oct 23, 2024
4 min read

Updated: Oct 29, 2024

“A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.”– Moslih Eddin Saadi

Part 2: The Blue Ridge Parkway to Mt. Airy, North Carolina

Mountain View — Blue Ridge views at every turn

I built an extra day into our itinerary and that gave us the freedom to adjust our trip to take in a portion of The Blue Ridge Parkway. This change in our plans raised a little concern over where we might make an unscheduled overnight stay, but traveling in the spring in the

off season, we decided to make a go of it.

From our mountaintop views at Mamma Gertie's Hideaway Campground, we drove down into the valley to the Swannanoa River. This river was devastated by the recent flooding from Hurricane Helene. We stopped and visited several merchants which are likely not there today.

Shelves of pottery at the Folk Art Center — Folk Art Center - Local Artisans

It was a great day to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. We headed northeast from Asheville and joined the BRP near the Folk Art Center. The collection of artistry in wood, clay, and metals was amazing. The center was well laid out and displayed some excellent local craftsmanship. Sue picked up a few originals at the museum store.

Dead tree overlooking the Blue Ridge mountains — Blue Ridge Parkway - Scenic Views

Just about every turn offered stunning views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Again, as it was off season, a number of the attractions and campsites were not open. There were several nature centers where we were limited to just peeking in their windows. While this was disappointing, it also meant the crowds were down, and we never wanted for a parking spot along the Parkway.

campfire by RV on mountaintop — Wiseman Ridge Campground - BRP

After a visit to Linville Falls and picking up some BBQ in a nearby town, we headed to our evening campsite at Wiseman Ridge located near Linville Falls. I found Wiseman while surfing the web, and the good reviews encouraged our visit. They bill themselves as a boutique microcampground for RVs only. Upon arrival, the steep grade of gravel to enter looked challenging but doable. Soon, the owner came flying across the field on his 4-wheeler to welcome us to the site. He escorted us to another mountaintop setting where we had electric, water, and great wifi, along with

RV and picnic table at campground site — Wiseman's boutique micro campground views

mountaintop views and a great sunset. We were the only ones in the campground that night that could have held six other campers. While we learned the recent rains from Helene did considerable damage to the campground, this industrious young owner will soon have it back up and no doubt expanded in the number he can accommodate each evening.

The next day we returned to the ribbon of the roadway and cruised at a comfortable pace that included even more spectacular views. We stopped at Flat Top Manor, the mountain estate of Moses Cone. To give you an idea of the size of his property, it included 25 miles of carriage trails for his guests to enjoy. Cone was a textile salesman who created a line of clothing for the working man, giving them access to quality, ready-made goods at a fair price. He later sold his textiles to Levi Straus for decades. Cha-ching! The grounds offer amazing views of this mountaintop estate.

We stopped in at Boone, NC, for some supplies and then on to our night's accommodations at Mayberry Campground near Mt. Airy, North Carolina.

There are 148 sites here, and while it may look crowded, it's well designed and immaculately kept. We had a spot higher on the hillside and enjoyed the overview of the campground. We also liked our huge backyard that sloped down to the lower areas. They will deliver a picnic table to your site—just ask. This was a very well-maintained campground with a camping store and occasional events on site. A fascinating side story is that the land the campground is built on was once part of a 2,000 acre farm owned by the original Siamese twins, Eng and Chang Bunker. The twins and their wives, Sarah (Eng) and Adelaide (Chang), settled in Mt. Airy, NC. Eng and Chang each had their own home and would stay at one residence for three nights, then go to the other residence for three nights. Eng and Sarah and 11 children while Chang and Adelaide had 10. The twins were never separated and died on January 17, 1874 at the age of 62.

The following day was one of nostalgia as we visited Mt. Airy, NC - the inspirational home of TV's Mayberry. This was the childhood home of actor, Andy Griffith. The town has recreated a number of favorite spots from the show like the Snappy Diner, Walker's Soda Fountain, Floyd's Barbershop and Wally's Garage. There's plenty of memorabilia including a favorite of mine - a T-shirt with Barney on the WWI motorbike with his bug-eye goggles with the caption: "Mayberry Choppers." A statue of Andy and Opie marks the entrance to the Andy Griffith Museum. It was very well done and included such iconic items as Barney's standard Salt & Pepper suit, Barney's chair at the Court House and even the original Sheriff sign from the courthouse doors. The mural of Andy took up a 1/2 city block and was extremely detailed. Blow up that photo and look at it up close.