=
Directly on the Parkway
|
|  -
Handicapped accessible (call for level of accessibility) It is
always a good idea to make advanced arrangements prior to your visit to these
sites.
$-
Admission Charged
FREE-
No admission charged
|
| YEARLY
FESTIVALS
& EVENTS |
"Tom Dooley: A Wilkes County Legend"
July and August
Wilkes
Playmakers perform "Tom Dooley: A Wilkes County
Legend" every year. For information on our season contact us
at 336-838-7529 or www.wilkesplaymakers.com
MerleFest
April
One of the largest
bluegrass/country music festivals in the US. Named for Doc Watson's late son,
Merle. 800-343-7857 or www.merlefest.com
Wilkes
Arts & Heritage Festival
June
Featuring music,
crafts and history about the people of Wilkes County.
www.wilkesnc.org
|
|
|
Points
of Interest |
|
|
The
Lump Trail MP 264.4 to hill top view;
.3 Mile, Easy FREE |
|
| Cascades
Trail MP 271.9 self-guiding loop to view of falls;
.5 Mile, Moderate FREE |
|
| EB
Jeffress Park MP 272 Picnic area, comfort station,
trail to Cascades Waterfall. FREE |
|
| Tompkins
Knob Trail MP 272.5 to Jesse Brown Cabin;
.6 Mile, Easy FREE |
|
| Old
Wilkes Jail - 30
min. - The historic Old Wilkes Jail was completed in 1860
and used as a jail until 1915. Located behind the old Wilkes County Courthouse
in Wilkesboro, it has been restored and now contains a museum filled with memorabilia.
Folk legend Tom Dooley was one of its infamous inmates. FREE |
|
| W.
Kerr Scott Dam & Reservoir - 1
hr to a whole weekend! - Camping, swimming, fishing, boating.
Enjoy Bandits Roost and Warrior Creek Park featuring paved access roads, campsites
and shower facilities. Small-game hunting and fishing are permitted in restricted
areas.
$
| |
| Tom
Dooley Art Museum at Whippoorwill Academy- 1
hr - 45 paintings and drawings by
Edith F. Carter on the life of Tom Dooley (Dula) who was convicted and hanged
for the murder of his girlfriend, Laura Foster. Included in the museum are Tom's
original tombstone, his war records, the door handle to his home and a lock of
Laura Foster's hair. |
|
| Wilkes
Playmakers, Inc. - 20
miles from Milepost 276.4 - 300 D
Street, N. Wilkesboro-Wilkes Playmakers is the home of "Tom
Dooley: A Wilkes County Legend" performed each year in July
and August. For information on our season contact us at 336-838-7529 or www.wilkesplaymakers.com
| |
| Overmountain
Victory Trail
- 2 hrs.
-
The historic trail follows the route of assembly of the American Patriot army
which defeated an American Loyalist army at the battle of Kings Mountain in South
Carolina. The trail, which covers about 220 miles from Abingdon, VA, through Eastern
Tennessee, over the mountains of NC, across the Piedmont of NC and SC to Kings
Mountain. A 70-mile branch from Wilkes-Surry joins the main rout near its center
at Quaker Meadows in Morganton.
FREE |
|
| MerleFest
- All
Weekend! - Held the last weekend
of April each year, MerleFest is one of the largest country music/bluegrass festivals
in the United States. Named for Doc Watson's late son, Merle, MerleFest features
big name talents like Doc Watson, Ricky Skaggs and other well-known artists and
draws more than 65,000 music enthusiasts for the four day festival each year.
800-343-7857
$
| |
| Rendezvous
Mountain
-
1-2 hrs. -
Follow the "Talking Tree Trail," where the trees talk and tell their
own story and the story of the forest's history...or take the Forest Demo Trail
to learn about forestry practices. Also learn about logging at the sawmill exhibit.
Picnic areas and amphitheater available for groups.
FREE
| |
|
| Facts
& Folklore | |
Did
You know that Chang and Eng, the original Siamese twins spent much of their adult
life in Wilkes County?
After touring
Europe and the US for 10 years, the brothers decided to settle in Wilkesboro,
and in time, became farmers. They married local sisters Sallie and Adelaide Yates
and the couples lived for many years in the same house in Traphill in northern
Wilkes County raising 21 children between them! |
The
Legend of Tom Dooley
The legend
of Tom Dooley (Dula) made famous by the ballad, "Hang Down Your Head, Tom
Dooley," took place in the Ferguson Community in the 1860's. Dula was convicted
and hanged for the murder of his girlfriend, Laura Foster. His homesite and grave
are located on Tom Dooley Road overlooking the Yadkin River. The Tom Dooley Art
Museum at Whippoorwill Academy houses his tombstone, war records, the door handle
to his home, and a lock of Laura Foster's hair, in addition to nearly 45 paintings
by Edith F. Carter on the life of Tom Dooley. |
The
Moonshine Capital?
While today Wilkes County is a very modern
mountain area, once upon a time,
(during Prohibition) Wilkes was one of the most widely publicized centers of illicit
moonshine making. In 1935, a raid
on one house yielded 7,100 gallons of white whiskey--the largest inland seizure
of moonshine ever made in the United States. |
Giants
Among Them?
A closer examination
of Stone Mountain reveals water-worn tracks that are almost parallel with small
potholes in between them. These tracks and potholes are rumored to be left by
a giant and his oxen cart who were visiting the area. |
| Wildflowers
You Might Spot From MP 264-276.4S | | Buttercups
- Mar-June | | Wild
Strawberry - Mar-June | | Crested
Dwarf Iris - Apr-May | | Flame
Azalea - May-June | | Fraser
Magnolia - May | | Catawba
Rhododendron - June | | Mountain
Laurel - June-July |
| Birds
You Might Spot From MP 264-276.4S | | Red-tailed
Hawks | | Chestnut-sided
Warblers | | Canada
Warblers | | Slate-colored
Juncos | | White-breasted
Nuthatches | | Rose-breasted
Grosbeaks | | |
