Featured
Wilkes County Is Exciting for Outdoor Enthusiasts
Get out! Get outdoors, that is.
Outdoor adventure is easy to find in Wilkesboro, with plenty of places available to enjoy a variety of activities. Here is a quick overview:
Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest
The Educational State Forest is home to miles of trails for hiking‚ mountain biking and horseback riding‚ and there is an excellent 360-degree panoramic view from the fire tower. A Talking Tree Trail also informs visitors about trees and the forest history with a push... Read More »
Wilkes County Cultural Scene Is Entertaining
Several crowd-pleasing sites and sounds grace Wilkes County, with plenty of eye- and ear-candy attractions to go around. Here is a brief background:
Downtown North Wilkesboro
Downtown North Wilkesboro is enjoying a resurgence these days. It began when developer Mark Pegram and his partners decided to transform the 90-year-old Tomlinson’s Department Store building on Main Street into a retail‚ entertainment and office complex collectively known as R20. Several other changes are... Read More »
Wilkes County Restaurants Offer Slice of the Good Life
A slice of the good life is available to diners whenever they frequent a restaurant in Wilkes County. There are plenty of chain restaurants and numerous independent eateries as well.
Here are some examples of independent restaurants worth sampling:
6th and Main
This fine dining establishment in North Wilkesboro is actually in a quaint home. The menu at 6th and Main features gourmet dishes and there is a full service bar.
Amalfi's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria
Amalfi's is an award-winning... Read More »
Festivals Celebrate Life in Wilkes County
Wilkes County boasts a ripe atmosphere for festivals‚ the largest of which is the Brushy Mountain Apple Festival. The event on the first Saturday of October draws more than 160‚000 visitors to downtown North Wilkesboro and features arts and crafts vendors‚ musical performances‚ delicious foods and of course‚ an abundance of apples. The annual festival is one of the biggest in the Southeast and is the primary fundraiser for the Brushy Mountain Ruritan Club. Another popular component of the... Read More »
Whippoorwill Academy and Village Provides History Lessons in Wilkes
There is a lot to see at Whippoorwill Academy and Village, all adding up to provide visitors to the site a better understanding of 19th century history.
The interesting attraction in Ferguson is owned and operated by Edith Ferguson Carter, a history devotee who started the village by purchasing and then moving a number of abandoned historical buildings to her family farm many years ago. Even though its several old buildings make it a current-day attraction, Whippoorwill still remains a working... Read More »
Wilkes Playmakers Convey Local History Through Outdoor Dramas
Moonshine, fast cars and the law provide all the makings of a great story – and it’s the true tale of Wilkes County’s colorful past.
Today, people share in the area’s history as a moonshine capital and witness the origins of local moonshine runner turned NASCAR racing legend Junior Johnson at the riveting outdoor drama, Moonshine & Thunder – The Junior Johnson Story, staged by the Wilkes Playmakers at the Forest’s Edge Amphitheatre in Fort Hamby Park.
Not one, but two shows bring the county... Read More »
Youths Flock to State-of-the-Art Skateboard Parks
Skateboarders have excellent opportunities to indulge their high-rolling ways at Wilkes County’s state-of-the-art skate parks.
Every day, the area’s two parks, with high-flying ramps and half-pipes, beckon to skaters of all ages, sending parents racing to local sporting goods stores.
At the North Wilkesboro Skateboard Park, skateboarders enjoy a “street skate” environment complete with railings, grinds, ramps and a picnic table and bench installed exclusively for skateboarding.
Located in... Read More »
Wilkesboro Celebrates Music and MerleFest
Celebrate Americana music at MerleFest. Held every spring in Wilkesboro, MerleFest started in 1988 as a tribute to banjo player Merle Watson, and has since become a venue for artists across many genres and a way for fans to celebrate the evolution of Americana music. For four days each summer, a dozen stages across Wilkes Community College hold concerts featuring blues, folk, bluegrass, jazz, and other music. Between shows guest can enjoy a nature walk through the forests of the WCC campus,... Read More »
Mozelle Howell's Fried Pies Delight Brushy Mountain Apple Festival Attendees
Mozelle Howell first learned how to make fried apple pies when she was 6 years old. That was over 75 years ago.
The Moravian Falls resident has built up quite a reputation for herself because her pies are always a culinary hit at the annual Brushy Mountain Apple Festival, which occurs in downtown North Wilkesboro every first Saturday in October. She operates a booth fittingly called Mozelle Howell’s Fried Apple Pies, and sells her dessert delights for $2.50 apiece.
“A customer can only eat but... Read More »
