Every summer, my wife enjoys fresh blueberries when they're in season. Rather than buying them from…read morethe grocery store as we usually do, we remembered Green Mesa Blueberry Farm and gave them a call to see what they offered. We learned that you can pick your own blueberries for $12 per gallon, or they'll pick them for you for $23 per gallon. My wife placed an order for a gallon of pre-picked berries, and this past weekend we made the drive to Boonville, NC. We spent some time exploring the area and stopped by the farm to pick up our order. When we arrived, no one was initially around, but we found a flat with my wife's name on it and simple instructions to leave payment in the honesty box. There's something refreshing and genuine about that kind of trust. Just as we were about to leave, Arlene and Joey arrived, and we had the pleasure of speaking with them. They were warm, welcoming, and passionate about what they do. We learned that Green Mesa is Arlene's family farm--she's the fourth generation to be there, which added a meaningful connection to the experience. Before we left, my wife also purchased one of their farm t-shirts and a bottle of their homemade blueberry vinaigrette. This is exactly the kind of local, authentic experience we love--one that combines great produce, kind people, and a sense of tradition. We'll definitely be back. Arlene also let us know she will likely have blueberries for the next few weeks and then the season will be over. Also, if you are in the Boonville area on July 4th, Arlene has a longstanding tradition of making blueberry smoothies at the farm, and they are delicious!

How stinking cute!!! we were here today for a flower photo session!! Just absolutely darling!…read more We purchased 10 fresh, self cut stems at $2 per stem. They wrapped them up in a precious bouquet! Go check them out!!

Oh my goodness what a beautiful family run flower farm. I have had the pleasure of visiting Late…read moreBloomers during different seasons and have been amazed at all the different flowers. Tulip season is gorgeous and I had no idea there were so many varietie. Same with their sunflowers which are spectacular. My favorite is summer when they have such a huge variety of different flowers. They have gorgeous flower bouquets that you can call and order and the prices are fantastic or on Saturdays you can go to the local farmers market and pick out your favorite bouquets plus they have amazing honey, lavender syrup, sachets and other hand made item. I have gotten beautiful pumpkins decorated with their dried flower, dried lavender that they grow and dried flower bouquets that are still perfect after 2 year. The sisters, Stacy and Barbara are so friendly and love talking to them. It is also a wonderful place to take family photos with all the flowers and trees In the background. We will be visiting again and are looking forward to all the beautiful flowers

After hearing about it from a friend, I did a tour with Purple Alpaca Farms. Located in Boonville…read morein the Triad area, it was about 2 hours away from the me but most of it was a straight shot on I-40. During the tour, you get to learn about alpacas (what they're like, alpacas in the states, etc.) and interact with them as well. You can pet some of the more cuddly ones (they'll tell you which spots the alpacas prefer) and feed them hay. The farm has quite a few other animals from the people-friendly dogs that greeted us to chickens and ducks that you can hold if you feel comfortable. Our experience was definitely worth the $12/person cost!

If you call a bed in a tent with no potable water, no access to electricity, an in tent "cookstove"…read moreyou would never use in the late spring, summer or early fall, no privacy (tents spaced no more than 30 feet apart), a showerhead that delivered one gallon of water in several minutes (measured in an effort to have enough water to at least wash our hands), the second shower was out of service and "state of the art" toilets that were out of water by 7AM on Sunday morning (we arrived Friday evening), then Glamping at Purple Alpaca is for you. There are nice fire pits with grills at each site and we did bring our own firewood so we cooked on those. "Firewood" is on site but it consisted of moldy, unsplit pine logs. It rained Saturday in the early evening turning the area in front of and around the tents into a quagmire of mud, simple wood chips at least in front of the tents to keep down the mud would have been nice.

New ownership has brought a new era to Dobbins Creek, but the wine remains some of the best in the…read morearea. The stainless Chardonnay and all of the reds were a hit in our most recently visit. They reds, single varietal Merlot, cab franc, and cab sauv, along with a terrific blend (ram cat) are all rich and berry forward. The tasting room and grounds have been nicely updated (they now sport a really cool patio with a fireplace). The tasting room manager, Ryan, is always a lot of fun and very informative.

Wonderful wines and wonderful views! My wife and I both got wine flights with different wines so…read morewe could try a wider variety by sharing. We sat out on the porch and enjoyed the breeze and the views.

Fantastic winery. Visited while we were camping in the area…read more Having visited 30+ wineries/vineyards in the past, Slightly Askew is easily in the top three. Both my wife and I like very dry reds. Most wineries that we have visited have had mostly sweet wines. Slightly Askew has a six wine tasting if just drys; two white and four red. We will definitely return the next time we are in the area. Very dog friendly with a water bowl on the deck and the owner brought out some treats (after asking if that was okay).

It has been years since I have been to Slightly Askew Winery, but we decided to stop by for a…read morecouple of flights to give them a try again. Our flights: *Elkahol - I remember this one from years ago. It is still very good, great apple flavor, nice and sweet. *The Grateful Red - this was just okay, almost has a chocolate after taste, not for me. *BlackJack BJ - this had nice blackberry flavor, but we have had better blackberry wines, still good. *Slut Dog Sin - really good! Definitely got raspberry, but it was not overpowering. *Summer Daze - this was okay, it was definitely like a watermelon Jolly Rancher. *Spiker Dude - I am not a huge fan of coconut, so this one had way too much coconut for me. I got sunscreen at the beach vibes, definitely not for me. *Peachy Keen - this was very good, definitely peachy. *Bubba Lou's Choice - this was okay, definitely fruity. *Reel Good - I did not like this one. *Tattoo on the beach - this was okay, heavy on the citrus flavors. Favorites of the day were Elkahol, Slut Dog Sin, Peachy Keen, and Blackjack BJ. While Slightly Askew is not up there with my favorite NC wineries, they were still very enjoyable. They were super friendly, and are dog friendly on their patio areas. I would definitely recommend visiting if you are in the area.

What an amazing 3 days of wine touring! Carrie was the best. She picked us up each day, drove us…read morearound to the wineries. 5 the first day, 4 the second and third days. She gave us tons of information about the wineries and the wines. Would highly recommend this touring company to anyone wanting a variety of vineyards to visit. She even gave us some names of local restaurants to try and booked one of them for us.

The girls and I recently took a trip out to Yadkin Valley to enjoy a few of the wineries. We ended…read moreup booking a driver with Yadkin Valley Vineyard Tours and the experience was fantastic (I did not book the trip but Shannan mentioned booking was a breeze). The cost was $59/person for a group of 4+ (this does not include any tastings or food). We ended up selecting Trip F: Elkin Creek Vineyard, Slightly Askew, Raffaldini Vineyards and Menarick Vineyards. Our driver, Johnthan, picked us up promptly at 10:30 to get us to our first tasting of the day. He was with us all day taking us to each of the wineries and was very accommodating. I definitely recommend this company. #JohnathanOut

Dobson is a really small town, but they seem to have a lot of nice people living there. We went to…read morethe "festival" which was basically a couple of streets blocked off so vendors could set up tents with their items for sale. There was only one place to get the ground steak sandwich which cost $7.00. Seating was limited to across the street in the park, so we shared a table with some locals and ate our sandwiches. It was okay, I told my wife I would have been happier experiencing this sandwich in a restaurant, but it is what it is. I'm glad we went, it was okay and worth it if you are close enough.

Ground steak festival, sounded interesting especially revolving a whole festival around ground…read moresteak. So we had to come and check this out. It was small yet nice. They had a whole area for children with fun water activities. A lot of vendors which surprised me, a lot more than the cheerwine festival had. And they had one stand for ground steak sandwiches. They were $7 each and it came with slaw and sauce. You can go get mustard and hot sauce on the side with napkins. Sandwich was a little greasy for me and it was a one-timer personally. You should bring lawn chairs, they have some big trees with some good shade. I read there would be music but I did not see any live performances. Along with your ground steak you also had other options from food trucks.

Directly across the street from the Andy Griffith Museum and next to the Blackmon Amphitheater, the…read moreChang and Eng Bunker Museum tells the story of the men for whom the term "Siamese Twins" originated. Mount Airy was the home of their plantation where they retired and down the street from their final resting place. The museum features a chronological display of their lives from young boys in Siam (now Thailand) to family patriarchs in Mount Airy. The museum is full of artifacts, personal writings, and academic studies of the twins. It replaces a much smaller exhibit that was open for years across the street. [Review 1578 of 2024 - 3662 in North Carolina - 22601 overall]

This museum is right across the street from the Andy Griffith Museum and they offer a deal on…read moretickets if you buy for both places. It also includes the Earle theater. I've never heard of Chang and Eng before so it was interesting learning their history. Definitely worth checking it out!