Mount Airy, North Carolina: Andy Griffith TV Town of Mayberry

Out in front of Wally's Service Station there are squad car tours offered. For $35 per car, 5 person max, you can ride in an old Galaxie 500 squad car for a tour of "Mayberry." They'll even run the siren as you pull away!

Mt. Airy, the birthplace of Andy Griffith, is really just like any of hundreds of small towns throughout the South, it just happens to have been ingrained into our collective memory as "Mayberry" and they really run with it.

Most stores on Main Street are named for characters from the show, and there's plenty of Mayberry-themed merchandise to buy. The mock-up of the courthouse and Wally's Service Station are worth the six-block walk from the main stores. Even though the mock-ups have no original props, you can sit at a replica of Andy's desk and get inside the two cells where the keys are within easy reach between them. There are also vehicle mock-ups of Wally's tow truck and the Darling family's truck sitting outside the courthouse.

Separately, you can pay to tour the town in a 1962 Ford Galaxy made to look like the Sheriff's car from the show.

It's the birthplace of Andy Griffith, but don't expect an exact replica of the town of Mayberry. There was a great gift shop to buy stuff at a reasonable price called Mayberry on Main. Check out their Wall of Flame (a gazillion bottles of hot sauce); the friendliness of the owners was the highlight of my visit.

You can get a tour of the town in Andy's Squad car, too.

One of the many highlights of my trip across country this summer was visiting Andy Griffith's home town of Mt. Airy, NC, the purported model for the fictional town of Mayberry in the classic television series of the 1960s. There are many tips of the hat and tributes to the series, most well documented on RoadsideAmerica.com, but I have to say I really enjoyed the replica of the Mayberry Courthouse, which stands next to a very good likeness of Wally's Service Station (1962 Ford Galaxy Squad Car and all). The outside of the Courthouse is rather unassuming but, once inside, the replicas of the set for Andy's office and the cells are uncanny and extraordinarily accurate.

I was the only one in the courthouse, so I had plenty of time to explore all the nooks and crannies, going into the cells, looking in file cabinets, pretending to speak with Sarah the town telephone operator or Juanita down at the Blue Bird Cafe on the candlestick phone. As I sat behind Andy's desk with my feet up next to the vintage typewriter, I could imagine Otis staggering in the door and over to get the key to "his" cell letting himself in to sleep it off, or Barney barging in with another hardened criminal wanted for Jaywalking. There's even a brick signed by Ernest T. Bass on display to commemorate his time spent behind the famous bars of Mayberry.

The city of Mt. Airy has many references to Andy Griffith and his famous series, and this kind of thing could be very poorly or self-consciously done. Happily, Mt. Airy has done things just right, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, but with a respectful sort of reverence, too.

So, next time you find yourself in northern North Carolina, I urge you to swing by Mt. Airy for a bite at the Snappy Lunch, a soda down at Wally's Service, a little off the top at Floyd's Barber Shop, or a memorable few minutes at the Mayberry Courthouse.

Had a wonderful time in Mt. Airy. Ate at the Bluebird Cafe for lunch (pork chop sandwiches, yum), and at Barney's Cafe for breakfast. Inexpensive and great food. Some of the exhibits at the Andy Griffith museum: the original desk from the Mayberry courthouse, the bed posts from Chang and Eng's bed, Barney's dating suit, Andy Griffith's Matlock suit, Otis' suit, the "fun girls" dress, and the justice of the peace and sheriff signs from the original Mayberry Courthouse.

Went to the historical museum filled with Mount Airy exhibits, including Andy Griffith mementos, Donna Fargo dresses, and a small exhibit on Chang and Eng. We went to Goobers Filling Station. Right next to the filling station, is a recreation of the courthouse with the jail cells and desk. Great for pictures.

There are many souvenir shops, and everyone is friendly and Mayberry-savvy. We had our picture taken with Otis. The original jailhouse is closed on Saturday, but the mock-up by the filling station all but makes up it. Behind the filling station is the Darling cabin. Great for pictures. There are many Mayberry vehicles to get your picture with and they offer tours in Mayberry police vehicles.

We drove by the Andy Griffith Boyhood home, now a bed and breakfast. There is also a motel with Frances Bouvier's belongings. We inquired about possibly seeing Betty Lynn, aka Thelma Lou. She lives there, and we were told that she makes trips downtown and can be seen sometimes. And finally, we met Floyd the barber and a lot of great people who are very proud of their town. Thank you, Mayberry.