In Mount Airy, North Carolina, the Andy Griffith Museum preserves the life and career of Andy Griffith in his hometown, near his childhood home and beside the Andy Griffith Playhouse. Opened to the public on September 26, 2009, after more than twenty-five years of planning by Emmett Forrest and the Surry Arts Council, it grew from a collection Forrest assembled as Griffith’s lifelong friend. Its holdings, described as the world’s largest collection of Andy Griffith memorabilia, include personal family items and objects tied to The Andy Griffith Show, Matlock, Don Knotts, and Betty Lynn. Later preservation work and a 2017 upgrade helped sustain this link between Mount Airy and Griffith’s legacy.