Surry County: Landscapes, Culture and Culinary Delights
Accommodation in Surry County
Surry County combines gentle hills, free-flowing rivers and ancient forests with a vibrant music and food culture. Mountain peaks frame the landscape, while trails, waterways, historic sites and regional specialties make a wide variety of holiday experiences possible. Those looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home can therefore choose their accommodation based on their preferred pace of travel: active days on a bicycle or on the water, cultural discoveries or enjoyable excursions.
Experience the Landscape Actively
The Surry Scenic Bikeway comprises more than 500 miles of officially designated routes. Four major loops, along with connecting and feeder routes, offer various ways to explore the landscape by bicycle. When planning a day, it is helpful to select the preferred route type and suitable sections in advance rather than viewing the entire network as a single tour.
Water also shapes the travel experience. The four rivers of Surry County offer 100 miles of navigable Blueway routes. The Surry County Four Rivers Map provides information about waterways suitable for kayaking and canoeing and also lists launch and take-out points. Those who prefer fishing will find 36 miles of state-designated trout waters, which are stocked twice a year with brook trout, rainbow trout and brown trout.
Pilot Mountain State Park is located in Surry and Yadkin counties and centers on a distinctive geological rock pinnacle. The Pilot Mountain State Park Spur rises 1,400 feet above the rolling landscape of the upper Piedmont Plateau to the park. Bean Shoals Access provides access to three hiking trails. In the same area, the Bean Shoals Canal project, begun in the 1820s and never completed, recalls the attempt to build a canal around shallow and rocky riverbanks.
Music, History and Special Places
Horne Creek Farm allows visitors to experience rural life in the northwestern Piedmont of North Carolina around 1900. Horne Creek Living Historical Farm also hosts, among other events, an annual corn-shucking festival. The Gertrude Smith House offers another historical perspective: the Victorian home is furnished with period furnishings and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. A guided tour conveys the character of a “living museum.”
In Mount Airy, the Andy Griffith Museum displays hundreds of objects from Andy Griffith’s career in theater, film and music. The Siamese Twins Museum tells the story of Eng and Chang Bunker through artifacts and interactive exhibits. Eng and Chang Bunker and their families moved to Mount Airy in 1854. The Old-Time Music Heritage Hall houses artifacts, portraits and display panels about important representatives of old-time music from Surry County; “Folkways: Music of Surry County” runs there continuously. The Historic Earle Theatre regularly hosts events dedicated to preserving, promoting and protecting Surry County’s musical heritage.
The Mount Airy Old-Time Fiddlers Convention features competitions, jam sessions, dancing, singing, educational activities and entertainment for the whole family. It traditionally takes place on the first full weekend in June. Those wishing to plan their travel around it should take this fixed time window into account when making arrangements.
Wine, Regional Specialties and Choosing a Location
The Yadkin Valley American Viticultural Area was established in Surry County in 2003 and was North Carolina’s first officially recognized American Viticultural Area. The Surry County Wine Trail runs through and around Dobson, Elkin, Mount Airy and Pilot Mountain. Its map highlights 16 wineries in and around Surry County as well as three breweries. The Surry Sonker Trail showcases a specialty passed down through generations and leads to seven establishments that regularly offer Sonker on their menus. Sonker resembles a deep-dish pie or cobbler and is made with fruit and irregularly shaped dough. In addition, the Surry Ground Steak Trail presents eleven family-owned restaurants serving this specialty typical of Surry County.
When choosing accommodation, it is worth deciding on the focus of your stay: cycling and water experiences require different day planning than museum visits, musical events or culinary stops. Use the location pages for Mt Airy, Elkin, Dobson and Pinnacle to structure your further research. This makes it possible to choose a holiday apartment or holiday home based on the desired mix of nature, culture and culinary experiences without limiting the trip to just one type of activity.
Further Cultural Discoveries
The Village of Rockford in Surry County includes, among other sites, Rockford Methodist Church and its fresco “Come Unto Me” by Tony Griffin. The Village of Rockford is listed in the National Register of Historic Districts. Together with the museums, historic farms and music offerings, this place complements the more active elements of a trip with a quieter cultural and historical perspective.
For the overarching travel overview: North Carolina.
More Destinations
More places within the same destination:
