Things to Do in Mount Airy

From tents perched on either side of Main Street, 15 local vineyards dispense wine samples to festivalgoers during the annual Budbreak festival, now in its third year. Guests amble from spot to spot, pausing between tastings to peruse glass art, sculpture, and custom jewelry crafted by local art vendors. Pleasing sips can be paired with grub from food vendors including 13 Bones and Maples Restaurant at Olde Mill. Guests can stand up and shake their tail feathers to live music, or take in the tunes from a shady seat while sampling a favorite bottle. Among the festival's performers are veteran Rolling Stones saxophonist Bobby Keys, known during his touring days for fermenting an entire orchard of pinot grapes with a single magnificent C note.

Inspiration can be found in many places—at Café Elie, it frequently nestles at the bottom of a mug. Part coffeehouse, part art studio, and part home for wine lovers, the café welcomes budding artists and watercolor aficionados alike to classes aimed at students of all skill levels. While practicing upon canvases, patrons whet their whistles with the studio's caffeinated offerings or sip on wines they supply themselves.

The café's owner, accomplished artist Elie Bou Zeidan, leads students through the finer points of acrylic and oil painting, imparting knowledge he's gained through his studies and travels throughout the United States and France. Zeidan regularly displays his artwork alongside that of his students, easily viewed in monthly wine tastings, regular exhibitions, and by squinting really hard through the window.