For those of us who grew up watching “The Andy Griffith Show,” a visit to Mayberry, USA (a.k.a. Mt. Airy, North Carolina) is like combining a great big step back in time with some serious television nostalgia. Mount Airy is home to several must-see Mayberry-esque attractions, including the replica courthouse and jail, meant to mirror the one featured in the famous hit TV series.
"The Andy Griffith Show" first aired on CBS beginning way back in October of 1960. Eight seasons and 249 episodes were aired before the show came to an end in April 1968.
Many of us grew up either watching the first-run episodes or the many, many years of reruns that immediately followed the show's first-run seasons.
If you're a huge fan of the show, or of Andy Griffith, you'll want to make it a point to visit Mt. Airy and the Replica Courthouse and Jail made famously popular as one of the main sets on the television series.
Step inside to find a near exact replica of the sheriff's office, complete with the radio Barney Fife so comically used in the show.
Have a seat behind Andy's desk. Pick up the phone and make a call to Thelma Lou or pretend to have Sarah, the telephone operator, place a call to Helen Crump, Andy's fictional girlfriend on the show.
While you're here, you may as well walk over to Wally's Service Station. You may almost feel like you'll run into Goober or Gomer Pyle while you're here. Step inside and shop for show-related gifts, have a cold drink, and look around.
Approximately three blocks away (about a five minute walk) is the Andy Griffith Museum.
Griffith made Mt. Airy his home both before and after the TV series. He was born here in Mt. Airy and used the town is the basis for his fictional Mayberry in his TV series. The museum highlights both the life and the career of one of North Carolina's most beloved actors. It's definitely worthy of a visit while you're in Mayberry, er... Mt. Airy.
"The Andy Griffith Show" aired in an era when families used to gather 'round the television together.
Let us know in the comments! What’s your favorite Mayberry-esque attraction in Mt. Airy? To learn more about Mayberry attractions in Mt. Airy, see this website or visit the website for Wally’s Service Station!
For more on North Carolina’s most famous TV town, keep reading here.
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