Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Ararat, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Ararat and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Ararat
- Astronomy & Satellites ...
- Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
- To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Ararat:
- 36.404025, -80.560617
- Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
- The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Ararat
- Bird Watching ...
- We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
- The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Surry County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Surry County
- Since Ararat is near Stokes County and also Yadkin County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Stokes County
- eBird sighting report for Yadkin County
- Waymarking ...
- Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
- Waymark.com
Communities Also Named Ararat ...
We found six communities that share the name Ararat.
Within North Carolina, the name Ararat is unique.
Beyond North Carolina, we know of another six communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Louisiana
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Ararat ...
As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.
- Cedar Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Hill
- Cedar Hill is located in Surry County
- Combstown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north) - Flat Shoals ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flat Shoals have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Shoals
- Flat Shoals is located in Surry County
- Hills Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hills Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hills Grove
- Hills Grove is located in Surry County
- Holly Springs
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
- Holly Springs is located in Surry County
- Indian Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Grove
- Indian Grove is located in Surry County
- Level Cross
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Level Cross have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Level Cross
- Level Cross is located in Surry County
- Long Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east) - Oak Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the north) - Pilot Mountain
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Mountain
- Pilot Mountain is located in Surry County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,408 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pilot Mountain <3>
- Turkey Ford
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turkey Ford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkey Ford
- Turkey Ford is located in Surry County
How Far From Ararat to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Ararat to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Ararat and extending to:
- Dobson, which is the Seat of Surry County, lies just to the West.
- Raleigh, which is the State Capital of North Carolina, lies 115 miles [185.1 km]<1> to the east southeast (ESE). If you could drive a straight line from Ararat to Raleigh, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take about two hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 7 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 5 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 258 miles [415.2 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take four to five hours, a buggy would take 10 days and walking would take 15 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,155 miles [9,905.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,859 miles [11,038.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,736 miles [7,621.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ararat. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Surry County: www.co.surry.nc.us/
The official website for State of North Carolina: https://www.nc.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Ararat) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ararat. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.4040, Longitude: -80.5606 In this case, the coordinates for Ararat have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <4> | While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day. |
| <5> | The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Ararat to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 310.052 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.53 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.033 degrees. |