|
Event/Site:
Autumn Leaves Festival
Date: The second full weekend in October.
Friday 9:00am—9:00pm;
Saturday 9:00am—9:00pm;
Sunday Noon—6:00pm;
Music begins at noon on Friday and goes
throughout the festival.
Type: Large, three-day autumn festival featuring regional music,
craft, and foods.
Location:
Historic Downtown Mount Airy.
Directions to Mt.
Airy Visitors
Center, 615 North Main Street, one block from center of town:
From
Highway 52 South (Winston-Salem): Take Hwy. 52 N. to Business 52. (This road becomes Renfro St.)
Follow Renfro just beyond Independence
Blvd., turn sharp left onto N. Main St.
Mount Airy Visitors Center, 615
N. Main St., is a two-story blue house on
the right side of the street.
From Highway 52 North (Virginia): Take
Hwy 52 S. to the Hwy. 89 Exit. Turn left
onto Pine St./Hwy. 89. Follow Pine to Renfro St., turn left. Follow
Renfro just beyond Independence
Blvd., turn sharp left onto N. Main St.
Mount Airy Visitors Center, 615
N. Main St., is a two-story blue house on
the right side of the street.
From I-77: Exit 100
to Hwy. 89 East. Turn left onto Pine St./Hwy. 89. Follow Pine to Renfro St.,
turn left. Follow Renfro just beyond Independence Blvd., turn sharp
left onto N. Main St. Mount Airy Visitors Center, 615 N. Main St., is a two-story
blue house on the right side of the street.
From I-74: Take
Exit 101 to Mount Airy. Take Exit 11 to Hwy. 601. Turn left onto Hwy 52
N. Take the Hwy. 89 Exit. Go straight at stoplight onto Pine Street.
Follow Pine to Renfro St.,
turn left. Follow Renfro just beyond Independence Blvd., turn sharp
left onto N. Main St.
The Mount
Airy Visitors
Center, 615 N. Main St.,
is a two-story blue house on the right side of the street. Click
here for a map.
Cost: Free.
Parking:Free
on street and in lots. Parking
adequate for bus tours.
Special Needs Access: Yes.
Signage:
Signs to Historic
Downtown Mt Airy en route.
Sponsor: Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce
Web
Site: www.visitmayberry.com
www.surryarts.org
Contact:
Mt. Airy Chamber of
Commerce
PO Box 913
220 N. Main St.
Mount Airy, NC
27030
(336) 786-6116;
(800) 948-0949
admin@mtairychamber.org
tourism@visitmayberry.com
Description of Event: Each
October, tens of thousands of people flock to this three-day
festival. Main St. is crowded with folks
eying and buying the many regional craft items for sale, sampling the
tempting foods available from vendors, and enjoying the old-time,
bluegrass, and gospel music. The
music, performed at the bandstand almost continuously throughout the festival,
is broadcast live over WPAQ 740AM.
The festival offers something for all ages.
History of Site/Event: The Autumn Leaves Festival began in the late
1960s as a celebration marking the end of the apple and tobacco seasons
in the area. Over time, it has
evolved into a celebration of the region’s gorgeous fall foliage.
Description of Site/Facility: Historic downtown Mt. Airy typifies small town America as exemplified by native
son’s Andy Griffith’s TV show. The “Mayberry” theme is
evident in various shops and restaurants along the town’s
charming Main St.
Significance of Site/Event to the Community: This popular event is a source of pride,
revenue, and exposure for Mt.
Airy and
vicinity. Its success has
inspired the development of other festivals in the area.
Reference Source: Julie
Pharr; Blue Ridge Music Trails
by Fred C. Fussell; Blue Ridge Music Trails Music Inventory for North Carolina
by Sally Council.
|
