Mayberry in the Midwest Returns to Danville, Indiana

Image via Hendricks County CVB.

**Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Last year, we had the pleasure of attending the first ever Mayberry in the Midwest Festival in Danville, Indiana! There has always been something comforting about The Andy Griffith Show and I was delighted to find a way that my daughter could experience that "Mayberry feeling." Life is definitely quite different than that in Mayberry. These days everything seems to go so fast and we are all constantly multitasking--so different than the calm pace of Mayberry.  Mayberry in the Midwest was a fun way for us to slow down a little bit and enjoy some nostalgic pieces of Americana.

This year's festival will be held in Danville for three days--May 15-17, 2015. The fun will include a Mayberry parade, Squad Car Nationals, Tractor Town, Opie's World, food vendors, crafters and more. Plus, The Andy Griffith Show will be playing at the gorgeous and historical Royal Theater. (My then 9-year-old loved watching The Andy Griffith show on the big screen in the old theater. Great memory!) Tribute artists will stroll around, sign autographs and participate in shows transporting you to Mayberry. Karen Knotts, Don Knotts' daughter will be visiting and will share hilarious stories about her father. Maggie Peterson Mancuso who played Charlene Darling and Rodney Dillard who played one of the Darling boys will also be visiting. Danville will truly be infused with a bit of Mayberry!

This year's festival is launching a few new activities including Mayberry After Dark which will be a blend of a scavenger hunt, pub crawl and walking tour with a unique keepsake and other surprises. Additionally, there will be Mayberry-themed game shows involving audience participation and a Mike Toomey Comedy Show featuring a Mayberry-centric stand up routine.

The weekend will certainly be full of old school fun! During our visit, we really felt away from it all! How could we not--we were in Mayberry! If you go, I also recommend visiting the Hendricks County Historical Museum where you can visit a jail and the Mayberry Cafe where home cooked meals abound!

For more on this year's Mayberry in the Midwest, check Downtown Danville or follow Downtown Danville Partnership on Facebook.