Surry Business

Sunday’s (Dec. 30) Atlanta Journal-Constitution features Pilot Mountain — both the mountain and the nearby town — in an article titled “N.C. retreat promises outdoor fun (and shopping, too).”

Reporter Bill Cissna writes, “In north-central North Carolina, an age-old geological protrusion and a small community that share the same name provide a nice mix of outdoor and retail attractions for an overnight getaway.”

“Pilot Mountain has been a state park for nearly 40 years, including a scenic area along the nearby Yadkin River, which was added in 1970 and is linked by a corridor of land. For the spectacular views on a clear day, take the winding road up the mountain to a site near the two peaks…. Even the most exercise-averse should find the trip rewarding.

“For the more enthusiastic outdoors traveler, the park has much more to offer,” he continues, mentioning more than a dozen trails in varying levels of difficulty and facilities for horseback riding, canoeing and fishing, primitive camping on an island in the Yadkin, rock climbing and rappelling, family camping and picnicking areas.

“But if shopping for clothes and antiques more closely fits your needs, the town of Pilot Mountain itself (population 1,300, established 1889) sits just one exit north and three miles east of the park. Unlike many small towns, Pilot Mountain has a lively, occupied downtown Main Street.”

“We’re very proud that, though they are not all retail stores, all of the storefronts along Main Street are rented and used,” Cook’e Jessup, co-owner of Mount Pilot Antiques, told Cissna, adding. “Not too many towns can say that right now.”

Cissna also interviewed and quotes Antiquity’s Kristin Rutherford, 92-year-old clothing store owner Clyde W. Fulk and Sherie Holden, owner of Pilot Mountain Peddlers, who encouraged Georgians to come for Mayfest (on Mother’s Day weekend) and the monthly cruise-ins held downtown on the first Saturday of each month, May through October.

“If a few hours away from the urban hurly-burly is appealing,” writes Cissna, “whether you spend your time outdoors or with a credit card in hand, a visit to ‘Mount Pilot’ would fill the time nicely. Given the rural, laid-back nature of the area, spending a night at one of several bed-and-breakfasts” — he specifically mentions Dr. Flippin’s Bed & Breakfast and the Pilot Knob Inn — “or taking in a nearby Yadkin Valley winery or vineyard could expand the stay, and the relaxation.”

Atlanta is about 300 miles (a 5-1/2-hour drive) from Pilot Mountain.