Passing Through: Stokes envisions economic benefit in extension of scenic byway

The byway offers a vista of mountains and red barns on N.C. 66.

FRANCISCO - Jennifer Pettitt said she has gotten used to people stopping in her driveway to take a look at the stunning view from her front yard.

Pettitt lives on N.C. 66 in Stokes County, across from a group of small barns in the middle of an old tobacco field lined with newly blooming Bradford pear trees. Just beyond the field, the twin profiles of Pilot and Sauratown mountains rise into view.

"We absolutely love it. It's gorgeous," she said. "Everybody knows the red barns."