A Good Saturday in June: Live Music at Blackmon Amphitheatre and Wine at Surry Cellars

I've driven through Dobson enough times to know it doesn't get the attention it deserves. Quiet town, good people, and it sits right at the edge of wine country in a way that makes a well-planned Saturday feel almost effortless. The Surry Arts Council's Summer Concert Series is back, and as listed on Eventbrite, The Konnection Band opens the run at Blackmon Amphitheatre on Saturday, June 6, 2026. Free outdoor concert, early June weather, and Surry Cellars less than ten minutes away. That's a day worth planning around.

Why Surry Cellars Is Worth the Afternoon

Surry Cellars is not your typical tasting room stop. It operates as part of the NC Viticulture Center, which means the people pouring your wine are also the people learning to make it. There's a hands-on, educational quality to a visit there that you don't find at most wineries. If you've ever wanted to understand what actually goes into a bottle of North Carolina wine, not just taste it but understand it, this is the place. It's welcoming for people who are new to wine and genuinely interesting for people who aren't.

The lineup runs from dry whites like Seyval Blanc and Chardonnay through red varietals including Cabernet Sauvignon, and they carry sweet muscadine options as well. Something for whoever you're bringing. The campus has rolling Piedmont views and the kind of unhurried pace that makes a two-hour afternoon visit feel like a good investment rather than a rushed stop. It's picnic-friendly too, so if you want to bring lunch and settle in before heading to the show, that works.

One thing I'll say plainly: call ahead or check their current hours before you go. Hours at smaller wineries shift with the seasons and the schedule, and I'd rather you confirm than show up and find a closed sign on concert day.

What the Concert Looks Like

Blackmon Amphitheatre is an intimate outdoor venue. It draws from the local community in a way that gives it a different feel than a big festival setup. You're not in a crowd of strangers; you're in a crowd of neighbors. The Konnection Band opens the summer series on June 6, and the whole thing is free. Show up, find a spot, enjoy the evening.

The natural sequence here is simple. Spend the afternoon at Surry Cellars, head into Dobson as the evening cools down, and catch the concert. June in the foothills can still carry some warmth into the night, but early summer evenings out here are usually just right for being outside. That combination of a long afternoon and a free outdoor show is what makes a day like this stick in your memory.

How to Put the Day Together

I built ValleySomm specifically because piecing together a day like this used to require too many browser tabs and too much guesswork. Good information about these wineries was scattered or just missing, and people were either over-planning or showing up without enough to go on. Neither one makes for a great trip.

If you want help laying out the timing and the route for concert weekend, or if you want to add a second winery to the mix while you're already out in that corner of the valley, use the trip planner.

Plan Your Day

Head to ValleySomm's trip planner and put together your June 6 itinerary. I'll help you map the route, work out the timing between Surry Cellars and Blackmon Amphitheatre, and flag anything else worth knowing about that stretch of wine country. The planning part should be easy. The day itself should be the good part.