About the Local Area
The Brushy Mountain area is home to many different attractions and a ton of orchards, farms, and distilleries.
It is within reach of many different cities including Winston-Salem (1 hr drive), Boone (<1 hr drive), Charlotte (2 hr drive), and Asheville (2 hr drive).
Annual Events
Brushy Mountain Apple Festival (October)
The annual Brushy Mountain Apple Festival is held to celebrate the apple harvest from the nearby Brushy Mountains. It is one of the largest single-day arts and crafts fairs in the Southern United States. The festival features music, dancing, artwork, crafts, and food traditional to the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
Merlefest (April)
MerleFest is an annual Americana music festival, which is held the last weekend in April. The festival, founded in 1988, now attracts crowds exceeding 85,000 in number, making it the largest folk music festival in the United States. The music is spread across 15 different stages and four days.
Restaurants and Bars
Dooley's Tavern and Grill
Located in Wilkesboro NC, Dooley’s is the restaurant where the locals go to dine, drink, and socialize. The menu features dishes assembled from the freshest ingredients, sure to bring bold and inspiring flavor into your life.
Anchor Coffee
Top quality sourcing followed by experimentation by a dedicated roaster. A team of tasters sample every bath to ensure you receive only the very best. You will find our atmosphere to be welcoming, comfortable, and a place where people can be themselves and connect with each other.
Merle's Cocktail Lounge
A cocktail bar located in a historic 152 year old cottage. This cozy spot offers thoughtfully curated cocktails, a diverse drink menu including zero-proof options. Home of the NCRLA mixologist of the year 2023.
Stardust Cellars
Nestled in the picturesque landscape of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, Stardust Cellars has carved a niche for itself in the world of mead-making. This exceptional meadery offers an authentic taste of the region by using local honey spontaneously fermented by indigenous microorganisms.
Attractions
Doc Watson Mural
The “Where the Mountains Begin” mural celebrates the colorful landmarks and legends of Wilkes County: Stone Mountain State Park, W. Kerr Scott Reservoir, and Doc Watson. Local artist Wes Gregory designed the mural of Doc Watson, a well known area musician who helped start MerleFest, in honor of his son Merle Watson. MerleFest is a world-famous 4-day Americana roots-music festival with more than 80,000 participants, including over 100 artists and bands performing on the festival’s thirteen stages.
Located in downtown Wilkesboro.
Wilkes Art Gallery
A 10,000 square foot facility featuring over 3,500 square feet of exhibition space, an education center with a complete ceramics studio, painting and drawing studios, two multi-purpose classrooms, and a gift shop with works from regional artisans.
“WAG” is a non-profit arts organization that believes art enriches our community and the lives of Wilkes’ residents. WAG offers a variety of classes, workshops, meet-the-artist events, and special outreach projects. WAG hosts exhibitions that offer community members a chance to show their work and admission is always free.
Stone Mountain State Park
Located in Alleghany and Wilkes counties 60 miles northwest of Winston-Salem, Stone Mountain State Park is home to the 600-foot granite dome that is a designated National Natural Landmark and the historic Hutchinson Homestead, a restored mid-19th-century farm situated at the mountain base. The park offers nearly all types of outdoor activity to experience a high country landscape adorned with beautiful waterfalls, winding creeks, and bountiful trout streams. A portion of the Mountains-to-Sea State Trail runs through the park near the backcountry campsites.