The Yadkin Valley | Largest Wine Valley in NC

The Biggest Wine Valley in North Carolina

We set out on yet another road trip on December 27.  Our plan was to taste a lot of wine and visit downtown Mount Airy, NC, which is known as modern day “Mayberry“. This area is known as the Yadkin Valley of North Carolina…and if you like wine then you NEED to visit! This is the largest wine valley in North Carolina; There are roughly 25-30 wineries in a 30 mile radius. You can rent a house on Airbnb and spend a long weekend exploring small towns and wineries. That is my favorite kind of mini vacation!

With that said, on our way down the road, we stopped at a few different Wineries. Westbend Winery, Windsor Run Cellars, and Shadow Spring. They were all very impressive and had excellent wine. We did quick tastings at the first two and then sat down for a while and enjoyed a glass and some snacks at Shadow Spring (pictured below).

Ps: read what is written on my very extra shirt 🙂 I linked on similar here! Plus more outfit deets:
Me: Sweater: Loft.  Jeans: StitchFix.  Shoes: Target. Sunglasses: Blenders. (use code katiechur20 to save) James: Oakley Sunglasses / On sale for $99!!

We stayed in an awesome Airbnb in Elkin, NC.

Our house was small, but clean and perfect for what we needed. James and I brought his parents on this trip as a Christmas present. I highly recommend  staying in a local house when traveling, versus a hotel. You have so much more space and privacy in a house. Airbnb has tons of houses to choose from all over the world. (Sign up yourself through my link and save $40 on your first trip).

After arriving at our home, we unpacked and relaxed. We then went out to explore a little and ended up in a small pub in downtown Elkin, NC called the Fiddle’s Pub. We enjoyed a drink here and then set out to dinner.

Outfit Deets: Jeans: StitchFix.  Shoes: Target. Earrings: Stella and Dot. Coat: Target.

We had dinner at a neat “touristy” Seafood and Steakhouse called Pirates Landing. It was literally built like a pirate’s ship. The food was average; but considering I got popcorn shrimp, there is not much you can do to that. HOWEVER, the service was some of the worst that I have ever seen in my life. They were no where near full and our drinks were always empty. One time, we actually refilled out drinks ourselves. So, I don’t think I am going to recommend going here on your visit.

On the second day, we headed for downtown Mount Airy, NC

which is the home of Andy Griffith. This is why many people call this town “Mayberry“. Not going to lie, I have never actually watched a whole episode of Andy Griffith, but I know its a classic. The town is very small, but the downtown area is up and running. We had breakfast at a small place called Barney’s Restaurant. I had a fabulous western omelet!

We spent the entire day strolling through shops and antique stores. We went through the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History. This was a huge museum that took you from native american time, through history, and ended with more recent times. It took us over an hour to go through the entire museum, but it was worth it.

It was more interesting to us than it might be for some people, because it is located not too far from where we live, making some of the history much more relatable. We even saw an old Belk-Leggett box with Danville, Virginia printed on it (pictured below).

Afterwards, we went to a local winery that was located downtown called Old North State Winery. We went inside and did a tasting. I only tasted their red wine, but it was all excellent. They also have a restaurant on site and we heard several people say the food was good! We actually tried to come back and eat lunch here, but they random shut down the kitchen from 3-4pm.

Therefore, we decided to have lunch at The Loaded Goat. James and I split an order of chicken quesadillas and a bacon pimento cheese burger and OMG YUM.

Outfit Deets: Clutch: Stella and Dot. Jeans: American Eagle. OTK Boots: Target. Choker: Gilt. Sunglasses: Blenders. (use code katiechur20 to save). Coat: Target.  Striped Shirt: Target. Sweater (not available anymore so I linked a similar one): Target.

We went in a few more store that we did not hit earlier in the day and then soon headed back home to regroup. We got refreshed and then went back out for dinner at a local brewery called Angry Troll Brewing. The pizza was excellent. The service was almost not great again. However, once someone actually waited on us, all was good. I did not try their local beer, so I can’t comment on that.

On day three, we set out to explore downtown Elkin, NC.

We went to a small general store that sold bulk candy and grains, similar to an amish store. We also went in numerous stores and antique shops, much like Mount Airy, except Elkin is even smaller than Mount Airy. However, it was fun. I love exploring any downtown area of small towns. I am thrilled that our downtown is starting to grow and thrive again where I am from.

 Outfit Deets:  Clutch: Stella and Dot. Jeans: American Eagle. OTK Boots: Target. Choker and Long Sleeve Thermal: StitchFix. Sunglasses: Blenders. (use code katiechur20 to save). Vest: Nordstrom.

We had lunch at a super cute Ma and Pop old school soda shop called Royall’s. They made their own pimento cheese (and a lot of other condiments and sides) so of course I got another pimento cheese burger. Sorry not Sorry. I highly recommend eating here!

Lastly, we visited a small boutique chocolate store, Blue Ridge Chocolates, in downtown Elkin, NC. I bought an assortment of 12 different flavors of truffles. We were about to head to some wineries, so I thought they would pair and a nice treat.

After we finished up, we started heading towards some more wineries. We went to Adagio Vineyards, Elkin Creek Vineyards, Menarick Vineyards & Winery, Raffaldini Vineyards, and Piccione Vineayards.

All had great wines, but Raffaldini blew everyone out of the water. First of all, their building and their view makes you want to sit around and drink even if you hate wine. Take a look.

Sadly, they were closing right as we got there, so we only had enough time to do a tasting and take these pictures. I would love to come back here and sit outside for the day when it gets warmer.

Later, we ended up having dinner at a restaurant in downtown Elkin called Southern on Main. It was TO DIE FOR. It was an upscale local place. Everything from the drinks to the salad to the steaks was excellent. We finally had a 5 star dinner with excellent service. I high recommend eating here if you are in the area.

We finished the evening by going to the grand opening of the Reave’s Theater in downtown Elkin, NC. They had a few local bands playing and they were all really good! We did not spend a ton of time here. However, it is a beautiful restored theater for small shows!

The next morning, we had to head back home. While packing up the truck, we finally saw the local dogs that live near our Airbnb. I had read reviews for the house we chose that said dogs were likely to show up (and I am all about that). I was glad to be able to see them, I only wish they would have shown up earlier.

We said our Goodbyes to our beautiful Airbnb (save $40 on your next trip) and headed home. We saw some beautiful sights, had some great family time, and visited 9 beautiful wineries (we didn’t even visit half of what we could have if we had more time). I am sure we will be returning to this area on another mini vacation. Let me know if you have any questions about the wineries or the area. Id love to talk with you!

XOXO

Katie