Mayberry Cafe

My husband and I have been longtime fans of the Andy Griffith Show. I can remember many days coming home after school and watching reruns of Leave it to Beaver and the Andy Griffith Show and I always longed to live in such idyllic times. 

After we were married if we were surfing through channels and came across the Andy Griffith Show, we always stopped there. And I'd whistle the theme song and escape to Mayberry for a half hour and enjoy the comedy of Barney Fife, the comfort of Aunt Bee, the mischief of Opie and the wisdom of Andy. Hubby has always wanted to find a "Mayberry" to move to - a small town where everyone is friendly and knows each other and the most exciting thing to happen crime-wise is someone jay walking. I may have on one or more occasions in raising kids contemplated WWAD - What Would Andy Do?

So with this intense affection for The Andy Griffith Show and the fictional town of Mayberry, I was thrilled to learn a couple years ago of the Mayberry in the Midwest festival and how it came about because of a restaurant in the town of Danville, Indiana in Hendricks County called the Mayberry Cafe. 

Last year we made the trip down to check out the festival and following the Mayberry-themed parade on the square, we made our way over to the cafe and endured the long wait so that we could sit in the dining room - where screens run popular episodes of the black and white series and items on the menu claim to be as good as Aunt Bee would make them.

I had to try Aunt Bee's chicken and it was as delicious as you'd expect. It was boneless and perfectly breaded and fried. Just thinking about it makes me want to hop in my car and hit the gas and head for Mayberry...I mean Danville.

If you're a fan of the show and a fan of good, ole home-cooking, this is a place you'll surely want to visit. And if you're a really big fan of the show, plan your visit during the annual Mayberry in the Midwest festival, which takes place each year in May. There are tribute actors playing the part of many of the show's characters, live music, a parade, contests, vendors and more and it's as much fun as sitting on the porch listening to Andy play his guitar. 

For more on the restaurant, visit the "Mayberry Cafe" Facebook page, or go to mayberrycafe.com.