Mayberry, music, yard sales in May on Lookout Mountain

FORT PAYNE – As winter turns to spring in northeast Alabama, it is the perfect time for friends and families to get out and enjoy the outdoors, fresh air and some free family fun. Along with warm temperatures, the month of May welcomes three annual events not to be missed in DeKalb County.

On May 6, locals and visitors are invited to a day of fun at the annual Memories of Mayberry festival in Valley Head. Enjoy antics from Barney Fife, Floyd the Barber, Ernest T. Bass, Otis and other Mayberry characters in a real life Mayberry as live music fills the air. Additional activities to enjoy throughout the day include arts and crafts, a cruise in, a pie baking contest, a homemade dill pickle contest and a variety of children’s entertainment including pony rides, train rides, slide and bouncy house and a balloon artist. The day-long event gets underway at 9 a.m. and admission is free. Proceeds benefit the Valley Head Volunteer Fire Department. For more information, call 256-899-3776 or 256-635-6814 or visit the Facebook page at Memories of Mayberry Festival.

Make plans to be in Henagar on May 13 for the annual May on the Mountain, a bluegrass music festival featuring local favorites and some surprise guests. Music gets underway at 9:30 a.m. and continues all day with the final act taking the stage at 5 p.m. Slated to perform are The Tatums, Keith Prater and Lacy Creek, The Baileys, Carl Towns and Upward Road, Eric McKinney and Friends, Backwoods Revival, Deadwood Drive, Heritage, Southern Reign and New Home. Festival goers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and picnic blankets. Admission is free.

For a scenic shopping experience, visitors can take the back roads through the Appalachia region for a shopping excursion like no other. Set for May 18-21, 2023, sunrise to sunset, the U.S. 11 Antique Alley Yard Sale offers 502 miles of roadside sales from Meridian, Miss. through DeKalb County, and ending in Bristol, Va. Hundreds of yard sales offering treasures, unique finds and southern hospitality can be found along U.S. Highway 11 through Hammondville, Sulphur Springs, Valley Head, Fort Payne, Colbran, Portersville and Collinsville, all located in DeKalb County. For more information, visit https://visitlookoutmountain.com/antique-alley-yard-sale/.

To extend a visit around the two above-mentioned events, pack a suitcase and plan a trip centered on the outdoors. The Lookout Mountain area is home to two of Alabama’s State Parks – Buck’s Pocket State Park and DeSoto State Park – where waterfalls, wildflowers and wildlife are plentiful. For some spectacular views, travel along Canyon Rim Drive and enjoy the drive along the Little River Canyon Nature Preserve. The 11-mile stretch offers eight overlooks providing outstanding vistas of the canyon as well as picnic areas, restroom facilities and interpretive displays on the natural history of the park.

Take a break from exploring nature and plan a stop in Mentone, a mountain village nestled atop the west brow of Lookout Mountain, and indulge in delectable cuisine not found anywhere else in Alabama. Check out DeKalb Tourism’s guide to a long weekend in Mentone by visiting https://visitlookoutmountain.com/a-guide-to-a-long-weekend-in-mentone/.

For more information, visit www.VisitLookoutMountain.com or call DeKalb Tourism at 888-805-4740.