Andy Griffith Museum

The small town life of Mt Airy, North Carolina, where Andy Griffith grew up, was a big influence on the way he portrayed Sheriff Andy Taylor in the Andy Griffith Show which ran from from 1960–1968. The Snappy Lunch, Mount Airy Newspaper, local towns, and street names all were mentioned or made appearances on the show. Today Mt Airy plays up on the nostalgia and welcomes tourists to take a tour in an early 1960s Ford Galaxie squad car or buy souvenirs at Wally’s Gas Station. 

We know Griffith from his TV appearances as Sheriff Taylor and Matlock but we weren't aware that he was also an accomplished comedian, television producer, singer, and writer. Although the museum is small it features a large collection of artifacts and memorabilia and covers Griffith's childhood and 70 year career which included roles on Broadway and over a dozen feature films. 

The lower level of the museum has a mishmash of related items. The main exhibit is a collection of memorabilia from the career of Betty Lynn who played Barney Fife's girlfriend, Thelma Lou. There are also cutouts of some of the characters on the show. 

Both floors of the museum are accessible. Follow the sidewalk from the parking lot past the Andy Griffith Playhouse to the museum entrance. To see the lower level exit the museum and follow the sidewalk down. 

Parking is in the lot of the Andy Griffith Theater which is large enough for most RVs. Museum  36.49764, -80.60921

Blue Ridge Parkway

 

 With still perfect weather and no strict schedule we decide to continue our ridge running south on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Although the Parkway and the Shenandoah N.P. both travel along the Appalachian Mountains ranges there are significant differences between the two parks. The Parkway is free and has many more access roads. Unlike the Shenandoah, which is surrounded by national park and wilderness land, the Parkway runs through national forest and private land. It's not unusual to see farms and houses next to the parkway. Shenandoah NP was mainly built by the young men of the Civilian Conservation Corp and while the Blue Ridge Parkway was also built through New Deal programs much of the work was done by private contractors. The Blue Ridge Parkway runs for 469 miles compared to only 105 miles for the Shenandoah. 

We've been careful to avoid areas that are still cleaning up from hurricane Helene's destructive rain and wind. The southern half of the parkway suffered washouts and landslides so our plan was to drive 200 miles on the parkway and exit at Fancy Gap. After driving about 100 miles we got off at Roanoke for the night because the campgrounds were already closed for the season. Our journey along the parkway ended there when our truck starter developed a weird problem. It wouldn't shut off after the engine caught. Before taking it to a shop, Tony tried an easy fix by disconnecting the battery and reconnecting it. Apparently there was a glitch in the programing and it needed to reset because it's been fine since. :) We were still uneasy about being far from service shops and continued our trip in the valley.

So the first 100 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway:

 Some of the overlook parking lots on this section are very small with no turn around room and may have No Trailers signs.The elevation along the north end of the parkway is low so there's less haze than on Skyline Drive. At this time of year foliage ranges from nothing to classic fall colors depending on the elevation.

Humpback Rocks Visitor Center - this is a small visitor center with a few exhibits about life in the mountains. It is accessible. Historic buildings have been relocated to form a mountain farmstead. The first part of the trail to the farmstead is paved and accessible. The gravel section is accessible to the cabin after which it becomes steep and rocky. The buildings are not accessible. The parking lot is small and does not have any long spaces however it may be possible to park along the side of the loop road.

James River Visitor Center  - the visitor center was closed for the season but we tried walking/rolling along the short trail that leads to one of the few remaining locks from the Kanawha Canal. The trail is very steep with steps at the end of the pedestrian bridge so it's not accessible. The visitor center parking lot does not have long RV spaces. Shorter RVs may fit if backed up over the grass.

Peaks of the Otter Visitor Center - this visitor center was closed for the season too. The parking lot is small with no RV spaces but shorter RVs may fit if backed up over the grass. We backtracked 1/3 a mile to the Peaks of the Otter Lodge where there are RV/bus spaces and walked/rolled on the paved loop trail around the lake. The trail is in good condition and fairly level although the access trail from the parking lot is pretty steep. An accessible parking space is located near the entrance to the lot where the trail access is not as steep.

RVs can be driven on the parkway but be aware that parking is limited at the overlooks and visitor centers, at least in the northern section that we drove along plus there are twenty five tunnels, some less then twelve feet high at edge of the lanes. Sections of the Parkway are closed from late fall through early spring due to snowfall in the high elevations. Parkway     38.03072, -78.85773

Shannandoah National Park

Driving along Skyline Drive is the way many visitors experience the park. The drive follows the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains with numerous overlooks on both sides of the road for expansive views of the mountain ranges, valleys, farmland, and towns far below. It follows the same path as the Appalachian Trail, in fact the trail was in existence before the road and had to be rerouted, so there are plenty of opportunities to hike a portion of the trail. Over 400 miles of addition trails wind along the mountain hills and valleys. 

    

We visited in late October, spent three days driving along the 105 miles, stayed at three of the campgrounds, stopped at the two visitor centers and almost all of the overlooks. The fall colors were a little past peak but some spots were still glowing with backlight leaves as we drove south. The terrain means the park is largely inaccessible but the drive is beautiful and there are things to see and do so don't skip it. Most of the views from the overlooks can be seen without leaving your vehicle. Some overlooks have accessible spaces that are near the interpretive signs.

Here's what we encountered as we drove south from Front Royal, VA to Rockfish Gap, VA.

The Dickey Ridge Visitor Center has a small exhibit area with a topographical relief map of the park and a theater with continuous videos. A short paved trail leads downhill to an overlook. The center is accessible and the view can be seen from the visitor center porch. 

 

Matthew Arms Campground - reservations were not necessary so late in the season so we chose to go with first come/ first serve. We were given one of the two accessible sites (also first come/first serve) which was fairly level with a paved parking pad, high fire ring, and a table with an extended top. Most of the other sites look usable.

 

Massanutten Lodge - the lodge is not accessible and was not supposed to be open when we visited but we tried the door, it opened, we went it. An alarm sounded but nobody can so we checked out  the exhibits. The lodge was part of a private resort that predated the park. It's a little hard to find. Take the road to Skyland then follow the signs to the Conference Hall. Park across from the Hall and walk/roll through the parking lots to get a view of the back of the lodge. The front entrance is up a steep hill. 

Limberlost Trail - this is the only trail designated as accessible. It's a 1.3 mile loop and surfaced with finely crushed stone. It passes through evergreen forests, mountain laurel shrubs, a small wetland, and an area where huge hemlock trees were killed by an invasive insect. The trail goes downhill and back up for the return trip. The grades are 9% and 10% so most wheelchair users will need assistance.   

Byrd Visitor Center  - the park was authorized in May 1926 by Congress and President Calvin Coolidge but due to a lack of money and the need to relocate hundreds of people who owned and lived on the land, construction was not started until December 1935. The visitor center has great exhibits about the founding and construction of the park by the young men of the Civilian Conservation Corps plus the stories of the families forced to move from their homes and the racial segregation of the facilities that didn't end until 1950. The center is accessible.

Big Meadows Campground - the sites in this campground are by reservation only. The five accessible sites were all taken so I chose a site by looking through the information and photographs on the Recreation.gov website to hopefully get one that was fairly level. C-138

More pretty views as we meandered along to Loft Mountain Campground. Again we did not need to make a reservation and were given an accessible site - G 187.

 

This site was made accessible by adding a narrow strip of asphalt along the edge. It's close to the restroom and has a table with an extended top. We walked/rolled along the campground roads and found many of the roads steep and the sites very unlevel. Loops A and B seem to be the best loops. 

And out of the park the next morning.

While the park road is opened all year - as long as it's passable - the campgrounds, visitor centers, stores, and lodges close in late fall. The speed limit is 35 MPH. and the roads are twisty. Large RVs can be driven along the road but the overlooks may be too crowded to pull in. There's a gas station about halfway along and two places to exit the road at about 1/3 and 2/3 from the north end. Phone access is spotty. Park  38.90627, -78.19976