Mt Airy Museum of Regional History

This gem in Mt. Airy is a great way to begin exploring the area. The exhibits document the history of the surrounding communities and offer lots of hands-​on opportunities for children who learn more through tactile experiences. Located in a former hardware store building, the Museum offers four floors to explore. The vignettes provide windows into the past. The railroad room includes a great landscape model with a chugging train. Exhibits in the basement showcase the area’s first three fire engines; they’re in great condition. Adjacent to the firefighting equipment is a five-​foot high vein of granite. When the building was constructed in 1904, it was easier to build around the local stone than to blast it away. COOL, huh? Other exhibits highlight famous locals… Andy, not Andrew, Griffith; Chang and Eng Bunker, the 19^th-​century Siamese twins who settled in Surry County, married sisters, and sired 21 children between them (how did they do that?); and Donna Fargo, named Yvonne Vaughn at birth, who taught high school and then became the happiest girl in the whole USA. I highly recommend a visit to this Museum when you visit Mayberry, USA!

I found this museum as I was taking a Darker Side of Mayberry Walking Tour that started here. The museum is big with four levels so make sure you give yourself enough time to explore it. An elevator takes you to each level so it is wheelchair accessible. There are hands on sections for children that seemed to be enjoyed while I was there. I visited after my tour and managed to see the museum quickly in about an hour before it closed. There is a small but nice gift shop as well. Admission is $ 6 for adults and $ 4 for children. Photographs can be taken without flash so that was nice. The basement has several older firetrucks and a fireman’s pole to go down if you choose. The first floor has an Indian exhibit and a train exhibit. One of the floors has a collection of older furniture and the different celebrities from Mt Airy. It was nice to learn about the history of the area including granite in the area. This museum was more in depth than the Andy Griffith Museum so I highly recommend a visit. It is self guided so you can go at your own pace. My only suggestion would be for the museum to get a friendlier clerk. It seemed as if she didn’t want to see the museum and was not aware of the Darker Side of Mayberry Tour even though I was on the list. There are bathrooms for paid visitors to the museum.