Mount Airy, North Carolina

Mount Airy was the birthplace and childhood home of American actor Andy Griffith, and is widely believed to be the inspiration for the fictional community Mayberry, the setting of The Andy Griffith Show and its sequel, Mayberry RFD. Mount Airy has a taxi service that is unforgettable. A Barney Fife look-alike (in an exact replica of his vintage police cruiser) will take you for a personalized tour of Aunt Bea's restaurant, Floyd's Barbershop, and Wally's Service Station. The community holds an annual Mayberry Days celebration during the last weekend of September. Weekly bluegrass jam sessions at The Andy Griffith Playhouse and the annual Old Time Fiddlers' Convention attract old-time musicians from across the region. The Blue Ridge Music Center, with its amphitheater and old-time music museum, is just a few miles away on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 213. After my second visit to Mount Airy, I still marvel at the friendliness, hospitality and welcoming nature of the townfolk. We grade this small town an A+ for nostalgia. I know of no other small town in the U.S. that employs so many impersonators for the pleasure of visitors. EARNS OUR HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.