Wilkesboro Area Attractions Featured in 2021 Visit NC Travel Guide

Every year, Visit NC, the state of North Carolina’s tourism department, creates a travel guide to help bring attention to all the wonderful places to visit throughout our state. It’s a great way for North Carolinians to learn about new and different places to visit close to home, and also a way to educate people from out of state on the great ways to explore North Carolina.

It’s no surprise that Wilkes County locations were highlighted throughout the magazine. From outdoor activities and fun festivals to wineries, distilleries and restaurants, Wilkes is full of great attractions for a quick getaway or a long vacation. Here’s a sneak peek at what made the magazine for 2021, along with the page where you can find the write-up in the print version of the magazine.

Drink Up

Want you want to start your day with a hot, steaming cup of coffee or give yourself a refreshing treat of a cappuccino after a long day at work, you’ll find plenty of delicious options at Talia Espresso. Our local gem made the list of just seven other coffee shops from the entire state. (page 32)

For an adult beverage of a different sort, Wilkes County offers homegrown spirits to quench your thirst. Two Ronda wineries grabbed the spotlight in this year’s round up of North Carolina Vineyards, Piccione and Raffaldini. (pages 85-86) And of course you can’t mention Wilkesboro without thinking of the moonshine history. Call Family Distillery carries on the family legacy producing moonshine and spirits with a one-of-a-kind direct steam injection distillation technique. (p. 89).

Get Outdoors

Whether it’s fishing on the shores of Kerr Scott Dam, floating down the Yadkin River or walking along the greenway in Wilkesboro, there’s plenty of outdoor activities throughout Wilkes County. This year, Stone Mountain State Park was highlighted in the outdoor section of the Visit NC travel guide, with it’s unique rock face making quite an impression among the many North Carolina landmarks. (pages 103-104). If you haven’t visited this state park in a while, it’s worth a trip to explore some new trails or share the beauty with out-of-town visitors.

Travel and Visit Safely

As more people receive their COVID-19 vaccinations, travel and tourism throughout the state of North Carolina is looking toward a resurgence in 2021. Part of that success will come from helping people feel comfortable visiting new places by assuring them the businesses and attractions are doing all they can to keep visitors safe and healthy. Count On Me NC is a statewide initiative created by a group of government and health officials across the state, including Visit NC, to provide businesses with additional training and help in implementing new procedures in light of COVID-19.

All Count on Me NC businesses have pledged to:

• Ensure staff wear cloth face coverings if they cannot keep six feet apart.
• Ensure safe sanitation practices are followed.
• Administer health checks to all staff prior to shift start.
• Make sure indoor and outdoor seating meets all physical distancing guidelines.
• Provide hand sanitizer or handwashing stations at all entrances.
• Clean and sanitize common areas, bathrooms and high-touch surfaces regularly using the CDC recommendations.
• Clean and sanitize all tables and hard surfaces after every use.
• Clean settings, utensils, menus and condiments after every use or provide single-use options.

You can find a list of businesses who have taken the Count on Me NC pledge here.

For Wilkes County businesses, it’s not to late to join! Visit this page to learn more about the program and start work on the training modules to be able to claim your Count on Me NC badge.