The day after the excitement of the total solar eclipse, we continued on our journey which will take us all the way to upstate New York within a week and a half. We took I-26 to I-95, and then followed I-95 to just outside of Fayetteville, NC. One hundred and ninety-six miles later we arrived at the secluded Lazy Acres Campground. We try to travel less than two hundred miles at the most in a day, and this distance neatly fit our self-imposed guidelines. But, the real reason we stopped over in the Fayetteville Area was to visit with our friends, Jordan and Traci Strange and their two handsome sons, Zachary and Evan. What a blast we had catching up at the Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar! Great food and great company!
Site #3 at Lazy Acres, a lovely campground.
Enjoying the Lazy Acres pool.
Cindy, poolside.
The lake on Lazy Acres.
The Strange Family
At Bad Daddy’s, I had the “Bacon Cheeseburger on Steroids.” It was delicious! Two kinds of Bacon (including Jalapeño Bacon) and a Bacon Mayonnaise. Mmmm!
We broke our “rule” of staying at least two nights in each spot when we arose early the next morning to continue our trek northward. Wednesday’s distance traveled totaled one hundred and sixty-four miles. It was noontime when we arrived at Mayberry Campground in Mt. Airy, North Carolina. Unlike the moderately-wooded Lazy Acres where our RV was sheltered beneath beautiful trees, Beatitude II was parked out in the open. But, it came with impressive views of the campground and the surrounding area.
Stopping for lunch on the way to Mt. Airy.
Site #68 at Mayberry Campground.
Looking out our window at Mayberry Campground.
Mt. Airy, was a little out of the way. In fact, we made almost no progress toward our final destination. But, we had a good reason for heading that way — Mayberry! Cindy is one of the most avid Andy Griffith Show fans around, and a trip to Mayberry is something she’s always dreamt of. The show’s Mayberry was actually a Hollywood studio set, but Andy Griffiths hometown, Mt. Airy, was the inspiration for the fictional setting. While I enjoyed seeing the Andy Griffith show related sights, I derived the most enjoyment from the absolute joy and giddiness of my wife.
Mayberry!
Outside the Andy Griffith Museum
Interior of the Museum
Sneaking a kiss from Thelma Lou (who still lives in Mt. Airy, and is now 91 years old!).
Standing outside Floyd’s Barber Shop
Next door to Floyd’s is the Snappy Lunch, referred to in the show.
We enjoyed a wine tasting in Downtown Mayberry at the Old North State Winery Tasting Room.
Andy Griffith’s Mt. Airy home.
The Aunt Bea Room, a labor of love by the owner of the Mayberry Motor Inn (also an Aunt Bea impersonator). She has collected a number of items which belonged to Aunt Bea and also some from the show. She displays them in one of the hotel rooms.
I hope Otis doesn’t want his cell!
Driving the Mayberry Squad Car.
Wally’s Service Station.
The Mayberry Courthouse.
Cindy in Barneys’ seat.
We were surprised to find that the Mayberry Campground, where we parked our RV, has its own claim to fame. It sits on part of the property which was owned by the original Siamese twins, Chang and Eng Bunker, born in Siam in 1811 and brought to the U.S. to tour the country as a novelty. They eventually settled in the area and married sisters, producing 21 children between them. At first they lived in the same home, and shared a special bed built for four. But, eventually, the sisters couldn’t get along, so they built separate homes. The twins would take turns living in each home for three days at a time. Chang and Eng died at age 62 in 1874. The Mayberry Campground is still owned by a member of the Bunker family.
The Old Farmhouse of the Mayberry Campground, built by Eng’s son in 1900.
A view of our site and the farmhouse in the background.
Cindy, at the gravesite of Chang, Eng, Sarah, and Adelaide behind the White Plains Baptist Church.
The tombstone of the Siamese Twins
Web Photo of the original Siamese twins, Chang and Eng
Such an interesting post. Would love to visit Mt. Airy. You crazy nomads!
Thanks, Jean. It was fun!
I am shocked you ended up in the maximum security jail, was that cell 1 or cell 2???? LOL!!! Wasn’t it just skin that kept Chan and Eng together, I kind of remember reading that??
It’s very unclear. There was a “tendon” connecting them, which may or may not have had various structures such as blood vessels within it. Supposedly, they shared a fused liver. It doesn’t all add up to me.
So cool! I know Mom loved it. We have watched a lot more Andy Griffith reruns since we got rid of cable and it is on TV land every evening
I like how you save up your comments, and then comment on several in a row. 🙂 Thanks!