Ashe County Cheese is located in West Jefferson, NC. It was established back in 1930 by Kraft…read moreCorporation, making it the oldest cheese plant in the state. It is the only commercial plant left in the state. Ashe County Cheese produces 30,000 to 40,000 pounds of cheese a week. The Blue Ridge Mountains were chosen for the facility by Kraft as there was a surplus of milk in the region from all the dairy farming. The lush high-altitude pastures were great for dairy cattle. Kraft bought up many smaller dairy farms and made a more modern, centralized facility so the cheese could be distributed and sold outside of the mountains. West Jefferson was the chosen location to collect the milk within a 50-mile radius. Ashe County Cheese Factory has a viewing room where you can watch cheese being made. This was the highlight of my visit as I got to watch most of the cheese curd process from separating the whey and curds to draining the whey to mixing and agitating to testing the batch to adding the salt. I left at that point to allow others to view, as the viewing room was on the small side. The retail shop is across the street, and you can buy all types of cheese, including the curds. I bought some butter cheese and white cheddar trims besides the curds. They have insulated bags to buy with ice packs so you can keep it cool and refreeze the ice packs. It stayed cold for the three days I needed it to, with time in a hot car and some time in a refrigerator. Besides cheese, they sold fudge, jams, crackers, candies and wine. I found great postcards too. If West Jefferson is too far to travel to buy some squeaky cheese curds, you can order online from their website.

Very neat experience going here! On one side of the street where they make the cheese, they allow…read morevisitors to view the process. We happened to make it just after they had finished, but it was still cool to see! Across the street is their store. They carry so many kinds of cheeses they make, along with an assortment of candies, fudge, snacks, and even wine. The shop gives a quaint, general store type of nostalgia that makes for a wonderful, quiet shop. The staff were friendly and very helpful in helping us find what would suit our tastes best.

Wow glad they are not close, I would be there everyday. Ordered chocolate covered oreo's and they…read morewere absolutely the best ever. They were packaged very well. Nothing broken. Very fresh and just delicious. I will be ordering more items from them. Thank you Bear Creek.

One of the many cute stores on Main Street in Mt. Airy (Mayberry) - something for everyone - candy,…read moresouvenirs, and gifts. I really enjoyed my pickle flavored popcorn. Staff were friendly and helpful, as well. In the area, Check them out!

My favorite sweet gem of downtown WS! They sell candied apples, baked goods such as cupcakes,…read morechocolate covered goodies like pretzels, flavored popcorn, and customized apparel. I've only had their Italian ice and cupcakes here which is always delicious! They have a good selection of ice flavors and a medium is $3.25 for up to 2 flavors (pictured) and enough to share between two people. They also have a smaller size (1 flavor) and large (3 flavors), I don't remember the pricing but it's all under $5! The flavors are so accurate, fruity, and not overly sick and the quantity is amazing for the price. Watermelon is my absolute favorite. Their cupcakes are also my favorite. Light fluffy cake base with whipped sweet frosting. They sold out today so I wasn't able to see or remember their flavors but they usually offer a range. My only wish is that they were open for longer hours during the week, sometime it's hard to stop by!

Every time I go in there, I'm always ready to grab my favorite treats and they're always so good…read more Mr. Shannon is great people!

Walking by Prudence McCabe, you might not step in because you are not in the mood for sweets, but…read morebelieve me don't let this opportunity pass. Go in there and buy a few bakery goods, you will not be disappointed. Surry County is know for a regional dessert called Sonker. This is the craziest word, it makes me think someone was calling it something else and the Southern tongue made it sonker. But I have no proof of this or even heard anyone saying, just my theory. A sonker can be made differently, but I had three from three restaurants, because once you try it, you are ready to try more because they are most delicious! At Prudence McCabe it is like a thinner cobbler, with equal parts fruit and crust. The most intriguing part, she says they bake the sonkers and then grate cold butter on it with a sprinkle of sugar. Stop you had me at hello. What I really enjoyed was that it wasn't sticky sweet, call ahead and order some so you can choose your flavors, and it can be ready when you arrive. Or buy some to heat up later. There are many other treats, don't overlook the caramel and candid apples, the handmade chocolates, scones and there were bags of oyster crackers when we were there. Super friendly staff too.

Amazing bakery with a variety of dairy-free options! Best around and we are happy to travel there…read morefor the taste and selection!

My brother and I stopped in for a quick visit while out for a ride with our daddy and as soon as we…read morewalked through the door, we knew we'd be leaving with something. A lot of something. If you are in the Meadows of Dan area and you have a sweet tooth, this place is a must! They had so many kinds of candy that I swear I gained a pound just imagining all I'd be eating. Lots of chocolate, lots of fudge, lots of different candies that will definitely satisfy what you'd want. Go check this place out. The employees were so friendly and engaging, they definitely made me feel appreciated for being there. Thanks!

If you are coming off of the Blue Ridge Parkway or have any other reason to be in Meadows of Dan,…read moreyou have to stop at Nancy's. They make the candies locally and there is so much variety. Service is good despite the lines. One bite of the Orange creamsicle fudge made me feel like I had jumped in a Time Machine taking me back to 1980 when I would patiently wait on the ice cream truck in the summer. The sea salt caramel fudge gives you both the salty and sweet fix while the maple nut fudge is like eating maple nut goodies which were my Dad's favorite treat at Christmas. If you're lucky you may see them making all of this yummy goodness. Definitely stop in!

We shopped in the general store before we ordered lunch. Delicious deli sandwiches!! Tasty pickle!…read moreRefreshing iced tea! And Excellent service!!

I was looking for some unique jellies and hot stuff found shelves of jelly's and Jake and Amos hot…read morepepper relish . Store was clean and well organized .

Out on a Sunday drive about an hour and half from home and wanted to try something local to the…read morearea so after reading the Yelp reviews I wanted to check this place out and even though Yelp was showing it as being OPEN, it was closed. I thought it looked run down and couldn't believe this building is the same building in the Yelp pictures. I just ran a Zillow search for the area to see what properties are for sale in the area because it's so beautiful and here sits the Rockford General Store up for sale $700,000.00 with pictures of the interior and this place is sitting empty. Yelp...please do better. I wasted time and gas getting here.

What a cool experience! We were out and about exploring the area and when we left Elkin my wife…read moresuggested we stop at Rockford General Store. She has seen several positive reviews over the course of the past several months and had it bookmarked. The drive into Rockford is rural and charming. Upon arriving in Rockford there are a few small businesses and park with the general store being at the center of the very small town. Rockford was founded around 1790 to be the county seat of Surry county. The Surry county seat was later moved to Dobson. The exterior is rustic with vintage signs and a small covered porch which offers a few places to sit and enjoy your meal. We stepped inside and were immediately impressed with the smell coming from the kitchen area, the aroma of hamburgers filled the air. To the left there is a bulk candy area with a variety of offerings including chicken feet gummies, that was a new one for us! The store has a few simple offerings including candles, t-shirts and décor related items. There are also vintage/antique items but they appear to be part of the décor and not for sale. The young lady at the grill was friendly and helpful, the menu consisted of hotdogs, hamburgers, fries, chili, chicken tenders, etc. We asked if the chili had beans and when we were told it did not we quickly made our decisions. My wife chose chili fries without the cheese and added onion. I chose the chili dog with onions. My wife also decided to try one of their apple turnovers which she could see were freshly baked on site. The prices are VERY reasonable! They also offer soda by the can or bottle and feature flavors not normally found. Our food was ready in a timely manner and we decided to eat outside at one of the tables. We opened everything up and it looked delicious. We both really enjoyed the flavor of the chili and thought it tasted great. My wife enjoyed the freshly chopped onion atop the crispy crinkle cut fries as well. I thought the chili dog tasted very yummy too. The hot dog bun seemed fresh baked. It was not a normal hot dog bun. My wife used the restroom and told me that I needed to see the faucet and sink area, which I've taken a video of. Overall, this was a great stop and we will absolutely stop in again when in the area or we may just decide to take another drive out to Rockford. They are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays each week. We also learned they are one of the stops within Surry County for Sonker. We did not try one today but took the brochure which features places within the county that offer this cobbler type dessert which varies by featuring seasonal fruits. It sounds delicious and we are adding this to our future road trip itinerary, www.sonkertrail.org. There is even a Sonker Festival which takes place the first Saturday of October in Mount Airy.