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    Tripp's Mercantile

    5.0 (1 review)
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    11 months ago

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    Ashe County Cheese

    Ashe County Cheese

    4.3
    (69 reviews)
    25.5 mi
    $$

    Ashe County Cheese is located in West Jefferson, NC. It was established back in 1930 by Kraft…read moreCorporation, making it the oldest cheese plant in the state. It is the only commercial plant left in the state. Ashe County Cheese produces 30,000 to 40,000 pounds of cheese a week. The Blue Ridge Mountains were chosen for the facility by Kraft as there was a surplus of milk in the region from all the dairy farming. The lush high-altitude pastures were great for dairy cattle. Kraft bought up many smaller dairy farms and made a more modern, centralized facility so the cheese could be distributed and sold outside of the mountains. West Jefferson was the chosen location to collect the milk within a 50-mile radius. Ashe County Cheese Factory has a viewing room where you can watch cheese being made. This was the highlight of my visit as I got to watch most of the cheese curd process from separating the whey and curds to draining the whey to mixing and agitating to testing the batch to adding the salt. I left at that point to allow others to view, as the viewing room was on the small side. The retail shop is across the street, and you can buy all types of cheese, including the curds. I bought some butter cheese and white cheddar trims besides the curds. They have insulated bags to buy with ice packs so you can keep it cool and refreeze the ice packs. It stayed cold for the three days I needed it to, with time in a hot car and some time in a refrigerator. Besides cheese, they sold fudge, jams, crackers, candies and wine. I found great postcards too. If West Jefferson is too far to travel to buy some squeaky cheese curds, you can order online from their website.

    Very neat experience going here! On one side of the street where they make the cheese, they allow…read morevisitors to view the process. We happened to make it just after they had finished, but it was still cool to see! Across the street is their store. They carry so many kinds of cheeses they make, along with an assortment of candies, fudge, snacks, and even wine. The shop gives a quaint, general store type of nostalgia that makes for a wonderful, quiet shop. The staff were friendly and very helpful in helping us find what would suit our tastes best.

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    Ashe County Cheese
    Ashe County Cheese
    Ashe County Cheese

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    Rockford General Store

    Rockford General Store

    4.7
    (23 reviews)
    28.8 mi

    Out on a Sunday drive about an hour and half from home and wanted to try something local to the…read morearea so after reading the Yelp reviews I wanted to check this place out and even though Yelp was showing it as being OPEN, it was closed. I thought it looked run down and couldn't believe this building is the same building in the Yelp pictures. I just ran a Zillow search for the area to see what properties are for sale in the area because it's so beautiful and here sits the Rockford General Store up for sale $700,000.00 with pictures of the interior and this place is sitting empty. Yelp...please do better. I wasted time and gas getting here.

    What a cool experience! We were out and about exploring the area and when we left Elkin my wife…read moresuggested we stop at Rockford General Store. She has seen several positive reviews over the course of the past several months and had it bookmarked. The drive into Rockford is rural and charming. Upon arriving in Rockford there are a few small businesses and park with the general store being at the center of the very small town. Rockford was founded around 1790 to be the county seat of Surry county. The Surry county seat was later moved to Dobson. The exterior is rustic with vintage signs and a small covered porch which offers a few places to sit and enjoy your meal. We stepped inside and were immediately impressed with the smell coming from the kitchen area, the aroma of hamburgers filled the air. To the left there is a bulk candy area with a variety of offerings including chicken feet gummies, that was a new one for us! The store has a few simple offerings including candles, t-shirts and décor related items. There are also vintage/antique items but they appear to be part of the décor and not for sale. The young lady at the grill was friendly and helpful, the menu consisted of hotdogs, hamburgers, fries, chili, chicken tenders, etc. We asked if the chili had beans and when we were told it did not we quickly made our decisions. My wife chose chili fries without the cheese and added onion. I chose the chili dog with onions. My wife also decided to try one of their apple turnovers which she could see were freshly baked on site. The prices are VERY reasonable! They also offer soda by the can or bottle and feature flavors not normally found. Our food was ready in a timely manner and we decided to eat outside at one of the tables. We opened everything up and it looked delicious. We both really enjoyed the flavor of the chili and thought it tasted great. My wife enjoyed the freshly chopped onion atop the crispy crinkle cut fries as well. I thought the chili dog tasted very yummy too. The hot dog bun seemed fresh baked. It was not a normal hot dog bun. My wife used the restroom and told me that I needed to see the faucet and sink area, which I've taken a video of. Overall, this was a great stop and we will absolutely stop in again when in the area or we may just decide to take another drive out to Rockford. They are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays each week. We also learned they are one of the stops within Surry County for Sonker. We did not try one today but took the brochure which features places within the county that offer this cobbler type dessert which varies by featuring seasonal fruits. It sounds delicious and we are adding this to our future road trip itinerary, www.sonkertrail.org. There is even a Sonker Festival which takes place the first Saturday of October in Mount Airy.

    Photos
    Inside the store.
    Inside the store.
    Us in the shop.
    Us in the shop.
    Restroom

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    Restroom

    Tripp's Mercantile - candy - Updated July 2026

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