KENTUCKY ROAD TRIPPERS: Andy Griffith Fans…Get Thee to ‘Mayberry’, North Carolina [PHOTOS]

On this website, I've written about my love of visiting movie sets. I'm a movie fan and if there's a location close by (or even NOT close by, really) where a film was shot, I'll try to go there. And it helps immeasurably if I enjoyed the movie, because otherwise, well, duh.

VISITING MOVIE SHOOTING LOCATIONS

Anyway, I made an entire vacation around a trip to the Field of Dreams movie set. I've been on a covered bridge in Iowa that was used in The Bridges of Madison County. Last summer, we took a walk through the house that was the setting for A Christmas Story. I even kind of jazzed being in downtown Memphis because production crews did location shooting there for 1993's The Firm starring Tom Cruise. And, certainly, there are other reasons for being "jazzed" in Memphis.

Oh, I almost forgot this one...like many of you, I LIVE in a town where a movie was partially filmed. It was 1955's The Kentuckian and Owensboro was a shooting location.

Now, let's flip the script.

MOUNT AIRY BECOMES MAYBERRY

How fun would it be to visit a town that was the INSPIRATION for a now-iconic FICTIONAL town? Since you can see the headline, you know I'm talking about Mayberry, North Carolina. It doesn't exist, but Mount Airy, North Carolina DOES exist. It's the late Andy Griffith's hometown, and, well, you know the rest.

What you may not know is that the town 100% embraces its somewhat iconic status. While it does seem to be a bit bigger than I always imagined Mayberry was, you DO forget you're not in that fictional community.

And you will find the reasons you'll forget you haven't really stepped through your television when you check out the gallery below.