Take a step back in time in a third generation, family-owned general store. Built in 1888, Priddy’s General Store is a historic landmark packed with some of everything from the past and present. It’s also a great place to stock up on provisions for the day. Fresh baked bread, in season fruits, snacks and soda pops a plenty, along with jams, jellies and pickles you may want to save to give as gifts. Stop by and see why there is so much nostalgia attached to this general store and if you are lucky, you will find something cooking in the big black pot and music on the lawn.

An endless staircase, a fire tower, a trail by a lake. You’ll need that backpack full of snacks and a full water bottle for this nearly five-mile hike. This trail takes you to the highest point in the Sauratown Mountains. The former fire tower, now an observation deck, sits at 2,497 feet above sea level. Take in the 360-degree views that only you and the hawks get to see. The trail continues down 684 stone steps before passing behind the campground and bringing you around Hanging Rock Lake. It’s strenuous, but well-marked and worth it.

A music venue with drinks, not a bar with music, Green Heron Ale house offers an unbeatable atmosphere, music,and craft beers. Stokes County’s first ale house is a great place to relax after taking on the Moore’s Wall Loop Trail. Behind the bar they’ll pour you a taste from 20 taps of ales, beers, cider and wine. Grab your favorite and head out to the deck overlooking the Dan River. Not a bad spot to catch your breath.

Southern food is made with the heart and soothes the soul. Here at the Hillbilly Hideaway Restaurant, the process starts in the kitchen. “Home trained” cooks hand off that delicious country cooking to some of the most gracious waitresses in the county. Try a hoe-cake biscuit next to your country ham and green beans. Or heck, go for the all you can eat lunch, ‘cause you’ll be wanting seconds for sure.

Sleep is like a time machine to breakfast. With that, good morning and welcome to the Dan River Family Restaurant. Get ready to dig into eggs any style you’d like, a side of bacon and mile-high stacks of pancakes. Get full, go to bed and come back for more. See, time machine.

Standing on the banks of the Upper Dan River, Jessup’s Mill is Stokes County’s most unique outdoor recreation destination. It’s a 100-year old restored grist mill just 30-minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkways. Toss out a line and try to reel in a big one. Or hop in the river to cool off as you tube down stream amongst the forest. The views are tree-mendous.

Hike. Paddle. Eat. On the hill between Hanging Rock State Park and the banks of the beautiful Dan River, you’ll find River Rock Cafe. When you’re coming off a paddle on the river or coming down from the peak of Hanging Rock or Moore’s Wall, this is the place you go. Sit back, grab a snack --enjoy a grilled sandwich, a homemade soup, or fresh brownie (you worked off those calories already). Talk about your day and plan your next trip back.

The centerpiece to Moratock Park on the Danbury River is the Iron Furnace. Built around 1843, this massive 28 square-foot granite block oven was used to produce bar iron. During the Civil War, it’s where Confederate swords were forged, until General Stoneman’s raid through Stokes County in 1865. One of the best preserved structures remaining from the antebellum period in North Carolina, the furnace is a hallmark to Stokes County history as an iron ore supplier.

Visit the reconstructed log cabin of the first settler to King, North Carolina. The state awarded a 100-acre land grant along the Yadkin River to Johann Jacob Spainhour and his wife Anna Catherine in 1774. They built this cabin and raised six sons and seven daughters on the farm. That’s a lot of togetherness. Descendents of the Spainhours still live in the community today. Tours are available by appointment.

A 31-acre property of rolling hills and grape vines provides the perfect setting to relax for the day or overnight. Stroll the upper and lower vineyards. Picnic in the rolling meadows. Or just kick back in a couple of adirondack chairs and enjoy a glass of award-winning chardonnay as you watch the sun go down behind Pilot Mountain. Now that’s a social post waiting to be liked.