Yadkin Valley Meet-up

08 May 2025

Our first camping trip of 2025 was a fun two night stay in Jonesville, NC.

We camped at Riverwalk RV Park, in order to meet-up with Beth's sister and brother-in-law.  It's a private, full hook-up park with pull-through sites that are great for big rigs.

A bluebird perched on the park road sign portended a good visit.

A big draw of this park is proximity to the Yadkin River Greenway.  The gravel path passes along the back side of the RV park.

Good signage made finding our way along the river easy.

Lots of spring rain had turned the Yadkin brown.

Gracie offered a good excuse to explore the Greenway. She liked the path until she noticed "Bigfoot" in the woods.

Approaching the sculpture closer, we could see the creative use of branches.

This cute covered pedestrian bridge became our turnaround spot.

Elkin, NC is just across the river. We were enchanted by the vintage storefronts and fun restaurants.

Just like on the greenway, helpful signs pointed the way to local attractions.

This 1941 art deco theater is now a live music venue. Unfortunately there weren't any groups playing the two weeknights we were there. 

Tile work in the sidewalk made it easy to identify the theater.  Here's a link for more on the Reeves Theater. It's on our list of places to come back and visit.

Several buildings had nice murals depicting area sights. Beth and Judy looked at home in this vineyard scene.

Elkin is on the north side of the Yadkin, while Jonesville lies to the south.

We made it simple and ate out during our stay. The first night was Theo's Italian Restaurant within walking distance of the RV park. It was very reasonably priced with friendly service.  Lunch the next day was at the Angry Troll* in Elkin.  

*I was thinking this might be a sister restaurant to one in Wisconsin, but that troll was only Grumpy. 

Another reminder of Wisconsin was this Unity Tabletop Game store, similar to our daughter-in-law's game shop in Verona.

Dinner was at Southern on Main where we made friends with a very gregarious Golden Retriever. She belonged to a regular patron, but wanted to meet everyone dining on the patio. They didn't have as good a logo as the Angry Troll, but this was our favorite food on the trip.

Most readers know that I can't resist trains. The little town of Elkin has, what appears to be, a Union Pacific SD70M engine. Checking it out more closely, it is marked for the Yadkin Valley Railroad, a shortline that operates 93 miles of track from Winston-Salem to Elkin and Mount Airy.

We didn't just eat, but drove around the Appalachian foothills through pretty farmland in search of an easily accessible waterfall.

Widows Creek Falls in Stone Mountain State Park fit the requirements.

With a short trail following a clear creek to a pretty waterfall, everyone was happy.

At least Judy was smiling.

About twenty-five feet tall, the water slides down granite boulders before dropping to a pond below.

Thanks to Judy for capturing a rare shot of me.

Back at the our sites we checked-out what else the park had to offer.

While one side borders the riverwalk, another is bordered by farm fields. Not recognizing the plants, I asked one of the staff members and he said it was usually corn, but for the first time it is Broccoli.

The bath houses were spotless and didn't look like those of a typical chain campground or state park.

Showers even had sliding glass doors.

The RV Park owners have funded a public dog park adjacent to the RV Park, so there is plenty to keep furry friends occupied.

It was a little chilly to sit at the cute man-made beach, but it would be inviting in the NC summer heat.

While not our usual kind of camping choice, we can see why so many people recommend this RV park.

It is nice to see what care Marcia and Jim Neese have put into their unique RV Campground.

We said goodbye to Judy, Gracie, and Gary and hope to see catch up with them later this summer in Northern Michigan.

Thanks for meeting-up with us!

Bonus Photo

Gracie meets a turtle