Tom Petty Tribute Concert Coming to Yadkin Valley Wine Country in August

If you're going to drive out to Dobson this summer, make a full day of it. As listed on Eventbrite, the Surry Arts Council is bringing Petty Rewind to Blackmon Amphitheatre on Saturday, August 1, 2026, as part of their Summer Concert Series. Good music, outdoor venue, warm August evening in the valley. That's already worth the trip.

But there's a winery five minutes away that most people driving in for the concert won't know about. That's the part I want to fix.

A Winery Unlike Anything Else in the Valley

Surry Cellars sits on the campus of Surry Community College and operates as part of the NC Viticulture Center there. That makes it genuinely one of a kind. You're not just tasting wine, you're tasting what the next generation of North Carolina winemakers is learning to make. The academic setting gives the whole visit a different feel, and I mean that in the best way.

They work across a solid range of styles: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Seyval Blanc, Muscadine, and some sweeter fruit options. Something for everyone in your group, which matters when you're rounding up people for a concert day trip.

If you're new to wine tasting, or if you're bringing someone who is, this is a good place to start. The focus on education means the conversation naturally goes toward how wine is made, not just whether you like it. That tends to open things up for first-timers in a way that a busy tasting room doesn't always allow.

How to Build the Day

The timing works out well. Surry Cellars is typically open until 5pm on Fridays, which gives you a comfortable window to taste, walk the grounds, and take in the vineyard views before the evening show. The campus setting and the rolling Piedmont countryside behind it are worth seeing on their own.

They don't serve food on-site, so plan ahead. Either grab lunch in downtown Dobson before you head over, or pack a picnic and eat on the grounds. Dobson is a small town but it has what you need, and you won't deal with any real traffic moving between spots.

One thing I'd encourage: don't rush the winery visit. Give yourself at least an hour and a half. That leaves room for a real conversation with whoever's pouring, time to browse, and no scramble getting to dinner before the show.

About the Concert Itself

The Surry Arts Council has been running their Summer Concert Series for a while now, and Blackmon Amphitheatre is a good outdoor venue for it. Intimate enough that you feel close to the stage, natural setting, good acoustics for a tribute act. Petty Rewind does what these bands are supposed to do: play the classics the way you remember them.

For anyone coming in from out of the area, this is also just a solid introduction to what Dobson and the broader Yadkin Valley have going on. The wine culture here deserves more attention than it gets from people who haven't made the drive. An evening like this is an easy on-ramp.

If You Want to Make It a Weekend

Dobson puts you in the middle of the valley. If one day isn't enough, there are wineries within easy reach in every direction. A Saturday concert naturally becomes a wine trail weekend if you want it to, and that's a much better use of a summer trip than driving home the same night.

Check the Eventbrite listing for ticket details and any updates as August gets closer. Outdoor summer shows can move fast once word gets out.

Explore More of Yadkin Valley Wine Country

An August Saturday show makes for a natural weekend out here, and the lodging guide covers the right places to stay near Dobson. The reservation guide is the right read for which tasting rooms to call ahead for, and the Charlotte day-trip guide maps a route up if you're driving in from the south.

Use the ValleySomm trip planner to build a full day or weekend around the event.

Plan Your Visit

If you want help building the full day, use the trail planner at ValleySomm. Put in Surry Cellars, tell it you're working around an evening concert, and it'll lay out a route that makes sense. No guesswork, no wasted time on the road.