“Shake it like a Polaroid Picture”, post it on Social Media to claim bragging rights for finding some of the most photographed locations often seen when scrolling past or following local hashtags on Instagram. There’s a certain challenge in searching out and recreating the view of most popular selfie opportunities in Stokes County. Sometimes the illusion of a daredevil photo capture, too good to be true, is the inspiration but where does one start? An insider’s guide for finding most shared locations and strange, slightly odd roadside attractions known to stop folks in their tracks.
“I did it for da Gram” You’ve seen it, the photo that looks too good to be true, is it photo-shopped? Did my friend lose their mind? The view of someone sitting on the edge, feet dangling, or body suspended under a rock by lose hand grip, thousands of feet in the air. A point of view that looks strikingly similar to the actual peak of “hanging rock” protruding out over trails below from rock outcroppings of the Sauratown Mountains. This tricky photo op is only a few feet, in walking distance, due right of the 1.3 mile trail endpoint. Hidden behind a rock outcropping and trees, you step across a dip onto another rock, at which point a “mini” hanging rock is visible and in easy reach above you. Hand your phone to a friend, make sure they’re ready to snap the image by omitting the rocky base just below where you use upper body strength to suspend in the air.
“Smarter than the average bear?” You’ll spot a bit of above average “strange” and guaranteed “double take” when driving Main Street through historic downtown Danbury, NC. Just outside of The Arts Place of Stokes meet face to face with a 9 foot tall BEAR attraction named Rocky. Mascot to a new homemade ice cream and coffee shop by the same name. The struggle is real to frame a perfect selfie or group photo with this gargantuan before enjoying a cold treat. Inside friendly faces welcome you, serving various Ice Cream creations from another Piedmont favorite “Smitty’s of Burlington. Shop the retail art market or enjoy a gourmet coffee.
Oddities continue in Germanton outside Creekside Supply with a “Sasquatch in the Wild” – Harry and his bright pink pig “Wilber”. Both serve as a friendly welcome into Stokes County from the south when entering on Highway 8. Travel through the City of King, just south of the Sauratown Mountains, for a scavenger hunt of sorts. Locate one or all of the wall murals, quickly becoming an attraction, on once empty walls of Main Street buildings. Various murals depict likenesses of the village at Five Forks, so named because of five roads that converged there. Or the Dalton Train Depot, where if not for a few locals building a Depot, the area would have only been a whistle stop on the line. Don’t forget to proudly share and tag your captures #StokesROCKS.
The perfect mountain getaway, closer than you think. Experience hiking trails, waterfalls, rock climbing, mountain biking, horseback riding, camping, fishing and more. Enjoy a leisurely float down the Dan River by canoe, kayak, paddleboard, or tube. www.hangingrock.com
