Lindsay, Author at Laughing Lindsay

Tips for Visiting Mayberry in Mt. Airy, NC

August 10, 2023 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

As you may recall, I recently took a trip to Mt. Airy, North Carolina to indulge in everything about “The Andy Griffith Show”. So, I thought I would share some tips for visiting Mayberry to help other folks plan their trips.

Visiting Mayberry

For those who don’t know, Mayberry is the fictional town setting of “The Andy Griffith Show.” However, it’s based in part on Andy Griffith’s hometown of Mt. Airy, North Carolina. The town has leaned into this association and has branded itself a travel destination for Andy fans. It’s a great, relaxing place to spend a day or two. However, I think there’s a few things people should know.

Tips for Visiting Mt. Airy

Get an early start. I mentioned this in my Mt. Airy Food Guide. Nonetheless, lots of stuff closes early in Mayberry/Mt. Airy. In fact, Snappy Lunch closes before 2 PM. So, it’s best to get an early start here.
Skip Sundays. Several places are simply closed on Sundays here. Sunday is fine for a departure day, but I wouldn’t plan on doing much on Sunday here.

Take a squad car tour. This is a really unique experience that I’ve never seen anywhere else. You can actually ride around town in an old squad car (like the one on the show) for a tour of the town. It was neat because the drive doesn’t focus solely on the Mayberry aspect. In fact, they also drive over to the world’s largest granite quarry! It costs $50/car with up to 4 passengers and is well-worth the cost to see everything. It also helps you get a feel for the layout of the town.

Visit the Mayberry re-creation. Before or after your squad car tour, you should wander around the immediate area to see all of the amazing Mayberry re-creation details. You can even walk into the Mayberry Courthouse!

Spend time on Main Street. Mt. Airy has a lovely Main Street with lots of bustling stores and restaurants. I recommend taking some time to wander around and buy a souvenir or baked good.
Visit the Andy Griffith Museum. It costs $8/adult and is a must-see for any fan of the man or show. They have some original artifacts from Andy’s life and the show itself. It’s a pretty small museum, but gives a nice overview of the man’s life.

Having Fun in Mayberry

Visiting Mayberry or Mt. Airy, North Carolina is a pretty relaxing trip to be honest. It’s a fun, informative thing to do filled with nostalgia. You can even stay in Andy Griffith’s homeplace for the ultimate Mayberry experience. However, I think my biggest tip is just to enjoy it. So, have you ever visited Mayberry or Mt. Airy?

Fall in Orlando Theme Parks

August 8, 2023 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

While it may seem a little early for this post, the theme parks are beginning to celebrate the autumn season later this week! So, I thought I would do a fall in Orlando theme parks post to kick-off the fall season. If you are wondering about summer in the theme parks, here is my post on it from two months ago.

Fall in Orlando

Personally, fall is one of my favorite times to visit the theme parks! You can typically expect a bit cooler temperatures, which I consider a huge win. However, I would encourage you to keep an eye on the extended weather forecast if you plan a fall trip as it’s prime hurricane season. I’ve been lucky in that only one trip has been impacted by a hurricane. It is something to keep in mind though. On another note, I love fall and all of the theme parks have some fun/Halloween events to look forward to! So, I think it’s worth planning a trip during the fall months as long as you pay attention to the weather.

Epcot Food and Wine Festival

If you are visiting Walt Disney World in the fall, you can expect to experience the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival! Taking place from August 29th to November 23rd in 2024, it’s a fabulous festival with lots to enjoy for fellow foodies! I don’t drink much, but I love eating! I enjoy walking around this festival and trying different dishes. They also have some cool concerts planned as part of their Eat to the Beat series. If you are visiting during these months, I highly recommend a visit.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

If you are visiting Walt Disney World from August 9th to October 31, 2024, then on select nights you can attend the separately ticketed event Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom. I was supposed to attend last year, but the hurricane cut-off my WDW portion of the trip. Unfortunately, I haven’t attended this party since 2019. However, prior to that I attended it several times. It’s one of my favorite things to do at Walt Disney World! I love the special parade as well as fireworks! I’m hoping to attend this year’s bash. FYI: it’s not a scary event. It’s a family-friendly event including trick-or-treating for kids of all ages!

SeaWorld Orlando Halloween Spooktacular

Last year, I was lucky enough to visit SeaWorld Orlando and enjoy their Halloween Spooktacular event. In fact, you can read my SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular Halloween post from last year to get a better idea of what to expect at this event, including my review of the Count von Count Spooktacular Breakfast. This seasonal event takes place on weekends from August 31 to November 3rd. This is one of the few Halloween events included with regular park admission. It also takes place during the day, which has its pros and cons. It’s a family friendly event with mermaids and dancing scarecrows. You can also trick-or-treat around the park for an additional cost.

SeaWorld Orlando Howl-O-Scream

Now, we are moving on to the scarier, more adult Halloween events in Orlando. While SeaWorld is child friendly during the day, it takes a turn for the scary on select nights from September 6th to November 2nd with their Howl-O-Scream event. A separately ticketed event meant for adults, it features several haunted houses, scare zones, shows, roaming haunts, and themed bars. It is cheaper than the OG scary event at Universal, but seems to be in the same vain. I haven’t ever attended this one, but I’ve heard good things about it.

Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights

Lastly, we have the premiere Halloween theme park event, Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando. This is the top tier scare event. It features 10 highly themed haunted houses, including popular IPs. It will take place on select nights from August 30th to November 3rd.

As of May 2024, Universal hasn’t officially announced any IPs for this year’s event. If you are on the fence, I recommend reading my Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando: Tips for Anxious Folks post. I attended in 2023 by myself and did a post Halloween Horror Nights Solo Tips for anyone considering doing the same. I also booked a 2023 HHN Daytime Houses Tour and reviewed it. Lastly, I posted a separate Halloween 2023 at Universal Orlando Resort Guide to give you an idea of what to expect.

Orlando Theme Parks in Fall

As you can see, there are several fun events taking place in fall in Orlando theme parks. From the haunts to the scary good food, there’s something for everyone! So, which of these events are you planning on visiting this year? Or, which of these is your favorite to visit each year?

You can view my other seasonal theme park guides here:

Last Minute Disneyland Trip Tips

August 2, 2023 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

As you may know, I booked a last minute Disneyland trip a few months ago. Having done that, I thought I would share a few tips in case someone else decides to do the same.

Last Minute Disneyland Trip

I planned and booked my last minute Disneyland trip about 5 weeks out. Seeing as how the Wondrous Journeys fireworks show is showing for the last time this year later this month and Halloween starts next month, I thought now was the perfect time to create this post. I know lots of people plan their trips months in advance. That’s why Disney allows you to book dining reservations 60 days in advance. However, that’s not who this post is for. I’m talking 3-6 weeks out in this post. Here are my tips for planning your last minute trip!

Tips

Check park availability. As of 2023, Disneyland is requiring a park reservation to enter a theme park. So, before you book your trip, make sure that you can actually visit the park by checking their availability calendar linked above.
Book a room and buy tickets. If your dates at the parks are open, then you should get to booking your trip asap. You can stay at one of the Disney’s 3 official resorts or off-site. For my most recent trip, I stayed at the Sheraton Park Hotel, which you can read my review of there. You should know that the hotels closest to the parks (including Disney’s hotels) cost more. Additionally, there are homeless people around the Katella Avenue and South Harbor Boulevard corner. As soon as you buy your tickets, make the park reservations as well.
Book dining reservations. In my limited experience, only the most popular restaurants get booked up 60 days out. That includes Blue Bayou and Lamplight Lounge. Others may have availability a few days or weeks out. If you can’t get one you want, I recommend setting up a reservation finder. I’ve had some success with Touring Plans (more so with their WDW one, but still valid) and Mouse Dining. Additionally, you can continue to check back yourself. If all else fails, try some quick service locations for meals.
Book flights. Generally speaking, flights are cheaper 6-8 weeks out than they are 2 weeks out. So, book the flights asap as well.
Remain calm. Disneyland is typically seen as a locals park, versus the tourist parks of Florida. A Disneyland trip is typically more relaxed than a WDW one. Securing reservations is typically easier. Plus, the people at Disneyland are usually (not always) calmer than at Disney World.
Pack and enjoy the trip. A last minute trip can be stressful to figure out. However, you should make an effort to relax and enjoy the trip once you arrive!

Final Thoughts

In my opinion, it’s much easier to plan a last minute Disneyland trip than a Walt Disney World one. I had a much easier time getting dining reservations. Plus, Lightning Lane was very beneficial at Disneyland for skipping the ride lines. So, do you have any other tips?

Mt. Airy Food Guide for Mayberry North Carolina

July 27, 2023 By Lindsay 2 Comments

I have to admit, one of my favorite things about traveling is the eating! Having returned from my trip in which I stayed in Andy Griffith’s Homeplace, I thought I would create a little Mt. Airy Food Guide!

Mt. Airy Food Guide

Before I get into this guide, I think it’s important to point out a few facts. For starters, this will lean into the Mayberry experience in Mt. Airy, North Carolina. As in, I will recommend the restaurants on Main Street whenever possible. However, the area tends to keep limited hours. For instance, I do not recommend visiting on a Sunday as most places are closed on Sundays. Due to the limited hours of operation, I will be breaking this guide down based on meals.

Mt. Airy Breakfast

Breakfast can be a bit of a hassle to find in Mt. Airy, particularly on Sundays. My first recommendation is for a restaurant a little removed from Main Street. Rusty Rooster is open for breakfast and lunch everyday of the week! In fact, we had breakfast here on Sunday before heading home. My mom and I split an order of biscuits and gravy as well as a croissant French toast! The biscuits and gravy were tasty! It was definitely better than the theme park food we’ve been eating. The croissant French toast was a fun spin on a classic as well. Overall, it was a good meal at a neat restaurant.

Snappy Lunch and Barney’s Cafe are on Main Street and technically offer breakfast as well. However, they do not serve breakfast on Sundays. Fun fact: Snappy Lunch is the only real Mt. Airy business mentioned on “The Andy Griffith Show”! Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to sample either of their breakfast offerings this trip. However, they seem like great places to grab some!

Mayberry Lunch

If you really want the Mayberry experience, then you have to eat lunch at Snappy Lunch! Andy Griffith used to eat lunch here as a kid! In fact, the restaurant is celebrating 100 years in 2023! We were lucky enough to eat lunch here on a Saturday with no wait. We had to sample their famous pork chop sandwiches! I wasn’t really looking forward to it, but man was I surprised! It actually made me like pork chop! The addition of chili and coleslaw added moisture and depth of flavor to a typically boring meat! Plus, it was only about $5! My mom and I were both very impressed with Snappy Lunch. I feel like I must point out the limited hours of Snappy Lunch. They close at 1:45 PM on weekdays and 1:15 PM on Saturday. I recommend eating here early.

I’m sad that I didn’t have time to also try Barney’s Cafe on this trip. It seems like a quaint little spot with tasty dishes. However, it closes at 4 PM and we didn’t have stomach space by that time yet. If I ever go back and eat here, I will update this post to include pictures.

Dinner

Dinner can be another difficult meal to find in Mt. Airy. We ended up eating over by the mall for both of our dinners due to the timing. Our first night in Mt. Airy, we ate at Aunt Bea’s BBQ. I know it’s not the same Aunt Bee as from the show, but it was a nice start to the trip anyways. Once again, we were pleased with the affordable prices and tasty meal. The BBQ really hit the spot. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy macaroni and cheese or a biscuit! They are also open for breakfast and lunch, if you are looking for something to eat during those meals.

I don’t have pictures of it, but on Saturday night we ate at Libby Hill for dinner. Granted, this is a small local chain restaurant not related to Mayberry. However, it is a restaurant that my mom used to eat at with my grandma and dad. It features very affordable fish meals. I got baked shrimp skewers here and was pleased.

October 2023 Update: My husband and I visited the highly recommended restaurant 13 Bones for dinner and were pleased. They serve ribs, steak, and seafood.

Snacks and Desserts

Anyone who knows me knows that I can’t visit a location without knowing about their baked goods! This trip was no different. In fact, I had to restrain myself from trying or purchasing additional baked goods in Mt. Airy. Unfortunately, as of 2024, my favorite place closed. However, you can still purchase tasty baked goods come from Twilight Farm Shoppe at Pages Books and Coffee. Her cupcakes and bars were really good! My husband and I loved her lime bar, strawberry lemonade bar, and blueberry lemonade bar.

I can also recommend Anchored Sweet Treats & Savory Treats for a little snack!

If candy is more your thing, you can stop by Opie’s Candy Store. It’s a cute little old time candy shop with a nod to the show with the name.

Tasty and Affordable

While you will need to check store hours to enjoy a trip here, you can find lots of good and affordable food here. So, what do you think of my Mt. Airy food guide? Did I leave out your favorite place?

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Review

July 25, 2023 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is another one of the “value resorts” at Walt Disney World. I previously stayed there in 2019 on a solo trip. Today, I’m going to review it as I wrap up my look at the value resorts at WDW.

Art of Animation

Disney’s Art of Animation resort is across the lake from Disney’s Pop Century Resort, which I reviewed a few weeks ago. It’s basically a sister resort to Pop with highly themed areas corresponding to different Disney/Pixar films. It also has access to the Skyliner for transportation to Hollywood Studios and Epcot. While technically considered a value resort, it is usually the most expensive value resort on property. This is due to the popular animated film themes and the fact it has family suites. This is a fun resort to walk around and look at the huge statues in each area. The movies represented include: the standard rooms in “The Little Mermaid” and family suites in “Cars”, “Finding Nemo”, and “The Lion King”.

Pros

Movie Themed Rooms/Sections – This is probably one of the biggest perks of staying here. If you or your loved one is a big fan of one of these movies, then this is a huge reason to stay here. I stayed in “The Little Mermaid” section to celebrate my 30th birthday since the original animation came out the year I was born.
Family Suites – The family suites can sleep up to 6 people with a regular queen sized bed, a bed/table combo, and a pull out sofa bed. This is great for larger families or groups. It also makes it more expensive. I’ve not had the pleasure of staying in one of these rooms, but I hope to someday. If I do, I will be sure to do a separate review and link it here.
Large Pool – In fact, Art of Animation has the largest resort pool at Walt Disney World! The Big Blue Pool is themed to “Finding Nemo” and is very big!
Skyliner Access – My husband and I love the Skyliner. It’s so easy to use and we prefer to stay at resorts on the Skyliner just to use this mode of transportation.
On-site Perks – Just like staying at Pop or even Disney’s All Star Resorts, you get certain perks for staying on-site including 60 days advance dining reservations, early park entry, and free park transportation!

Cons

More Expensive – The standard rooms are the most expensive value rooms and the suites are sometimes comparable in price to a deluxe resort.
Beds in Suites – Again, there’s only one regular bed in the suites. So, I guess you can pull straws for the other beds in a group with multiple adults. Ha.
Noise – This is moreso in a standard room as those have outdoor corridors. The suites have interior hallways and should be quieter.

Is Art of Animation Worth The Money?

I think the question of value of this resort really comes down to preferences and budget. It may be worth it for a fan of one of the movies or for larger families. However, a couple would probably prefer the cheaper rooms across the lake at Pop.