Southeast travel:
North Carolina

By Hope S. Philbrick
For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
September 17, 2017
Asheville, North Carolina, gorgeously situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Contributed by Jared Kay for ExploreAsheville.com

History and progress live side by side in North Carolina (visitNC.com), where you can find the nation’s oldest cultivated grapevine and a brand-new way to cruise down the Ashley River. Delve into the nostalgia of fictional Mayberry in Mount Airy or check out the new, swanky retro hotels in Durham. There’s plenty to see and do in the Tarheel State.

The past looms large in Asheville, starting with America’s largest home: Biltmore Estate (1 Lodge St., Asheville. 1-800-411-3812, biltmore.com, @BiltmoreEstate). Constructed from 1889 to 1895, the 250-room French Renaissance-style chateau is George Vanderbilt’s dream home. Admire the architecture as well as original furnishings, art and antiques. The sprawling 8,000-acre estate includes manicured gardens, a winery and farm, equestrian center, several restaurants, the four-star Inn on Biltmore Estate, the new 209-room Village Hotel opened in 2015, and more. This fall, Sept. 1-Oct. 31, Taste of Biltmore offers specials like complimentary Reserve wine tastings. In 2018, Feb. 9-May 13, the first exhibition of 45 costumes from the Oscar-winning movie “Titanic” will be on display.

Opened in 1913, Omni Grove Park Inn (290 Macon Ave., Asheville. 1-800-438-5800, omnihotels.com, @OmniGrovePark) is a 513-room resort that showcases Arts and Crafts furnishings from Stickley and Roycroft. Now a member of Historic Hotels of America, the inn served as an internment center during World War II and has welcomed famous guests like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Edison and 10 U.S. presidents. It boasts a historic golf course, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, four restaurants focused on local ingredients, and a subterranean spa with a new Relax Well Treatment Pod, a multi-sensory technology with 12 different programs including whole body massage vibration and gem therapy. All 204 guest rooms in the 1984-era Sammons wing have been renovated this year.

Reynolds Mansion Bed & Breakfast Inn (100 Reynolds Heights, Asheville. 828-258-1111, thereynoldsmansion.com, @Reynold_Mansion) is one of fewer than 10 brick houses from before the Civil War still standing in Western North Carolina — and the only one open to overnight guests. Built in 1847, the 13-room home with a wraparound porch opened as a B&B in 2010. The home retains 80 percent of its original furnishings, and the 5-acre property (what remains of the original 1,500 acres) also boasts a carriage house and pool built in 1919. Each three-course breakfast showcases whatever is new from the meticulous garden and uses formal china and lace.

The new AC Hotel Asheville Downtown (10 Broadway St., Asheville. 828-258-2522, www.marriott.com) opened in August, replacing a 1960s-era parking deck. Marriott’s new upscale boutique hotel brand is aimed at millennial travelers. All 132 guest rooms feature sleek contemporary furnishings and works by regional artists. Drinks and tapas are served up on the rooftop at Capella on 9.

The French Broad River, the world’s third oldest river, is older than the mountains it flows through! On it, you can ride a Bellyak (828-231-7469, bellyak.com, @Bellyak), the newest watercraft invented in Asheville by Adam Masters. Ride on your stomach and wear webbed gloves to paddle for a feeling that combines whitewater swimming and freestyle kayaking. The peaceful experience has been used as PTSD therapy and makes the river accessible to folks of all abilities. New classes, tours and events are offered. Also, Wai Mauna (828-808-9038, waimaunaashevillesuptours.com, @WaiMaunaSUP) offers stand-up paddle boarding with new lessons plus a new six-person board.

Photo: The Emerald Outback is a 7-mile adventure trail park with elevations that range from 4,700 to 5,400 feet. CONTRIBUTED BY TODD BUSH

Beech Mountain

The pace of Beech Mountain is relaxed, as may be expected in a town with no stoplights. Towering 5,506 feet above sea level, the highest incorporated town east of the Rockies is also home to the highest ski area in the eastern U.S., Beech Mountain Resort (1007 Beech Mountain Parkway, Beech Mountain. 1-800-438-2093, beechmountainresort.com, @BeechMtnResort), which this winter celebrates 50 years of skiing. With 17 total trails and eight lifts, Beech Mountain Resort boasts terrain suited to beginner as well as expert skiers plus a freestyle terrain area for snowboarders that was updated this past winter. A snow-tubing park debuted two winters ago. In recent summers, the resort began operating lift service for downhill mountain biking on the slopes.

At the top of Beech Mountain Resort is 5506’ Skybar, a haven with 360-degree views. Constructed in 2013, the glassed-in yurt and surrounding deck offer respite to skiers and snowboarders in winter as well as mountain bikers, hikers, disc golfers and folks looking for an excuse to ride the lift in summer. The food and drink menu includes selections of Beech Mountain Brewing Co. beers, produced in the resort’s Alpine Village, the only ski resort in North Carolina with an on-site brewery. The brewery produces a variety of tasty beers and has become so popular that renovations are underway to double production capacity.

Designed for mountain bikers, hikers and trail runners, the Emerald Outback (emeraldoutback.com) is a 7-mile adventure trail park that opened in 2011 and was updated in 2014 with wider trails, better draining and new signs. Free and open every day, the main trailhead is across from the Visitor Center/Town Hall. Elevations range from 4,700 to 5,400 feet, making it one of the highest such systems on the East Coast; several lookout points offer 50-mile views of the North Carolina High Country. Most trails are rated intermediate to advanced, but there’s also beginner terrain. Find a mix of single- and double-track trails plus a few grassy roads and a gravel road. In all, Beech Mountain boasts 28 miles of trails, all of which are available for hiking and several also are open to mountain biking.

The town’s communal living room is Fred’s General Mercantile (501 Beech Mountain Parkway, Beech Mountain. 828-387-4838, fredsgeneral.com). The store carries such variety that its tongue-in-cheek motto, “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it,” makes perfect sense. Opened on Feb. 9, 1979, by Fred Pfohl, who served as the community’s first mayor, the store is actually older than the town of Beech Mountain, which was incorporated in 1981. The store has been open daily for 38 years. Its Backside Deli serves familiar comfort foods.

Atop Beech Mountain Resort, 5506’ Skybar sells food and drink to skiers in winter and mountain bikers in summer. CONTRIBUTED BY SAM DEAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Durham

Home to Research Triangle Park, the nation’s largest research park, since the 1960s, Durham is known as a hub of innovation. It’s also rich with history.

With a focus on enslaved African-Americans, Historic Stagville (5828 Old Oxford Highway, Durham. 919-620-0120, stagville.org) offers a view of the past. One of the pre-Civil War South’s largest plantations, in 1860 the almost 30,000-acre property was home to approximately 900 enslaved people. It’s free to tour the 18th- and 19th-century houses, slave quarters, and barn.

In April 1865, the largest surrender of the Civil War occurred at Bennett Place (4409 Bennett Memorial Road, Durham. 919-383-4345, bennettplacehistoricsite.com) when Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to Gen. William T. Sherman. Today, it’s free to visit the historic structures and living history presentations of 19th-century farm and military life.

Founded in 1934, Sarah P. Duke Gardens (420 Anderson St., Durham. 919-684-3698, gardens.duke.edu, @DukeGardens) is a spectacular 55-acre public garden on the Duke University campus. Free to all and open 365 days a year, it features Italianate terraces, an Asiatic arboretum, a native plant garden, a white garden, a certified organic food garden and more. There are also a cafe, a gift shop and special programs including classes.

West Point on the Eno (5101 N. Roxboro Road, Durham. 919-471-1623) is a free city park along the Eno River. The 404 acres boast three historic buildings, including what was once the largest grist mill on the river; now rebuilt, products are sold on-site. You can also fish, paddle rapids and hike 5 miles of trails.

Opened this summer with a retro midcentury vibe, Unscripted Durham (202 N. Corcoran St., Durham. 984-329-9500, unscriptedhotels.com) is a 74-room boutique hotel redeveloped from the Jack Tar Motel, an iconic Durham fixture from the 1960s. The developers retained the original charm and funk of the space along with the rooftop pool. This is the third adaptive reuse of a historic building in downtown Durham following the 2015 opening of the Durham (315 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham. 919-768-8830, thedurham.com), in a midcentury modern savings and loan, and the 21c Museum Hotel Durham (111 N. Corcoran St., Durham. 919-956-6700, 21cmuseumhotels.com), in a bank building whose designers are also credited with the Empire State Building.

The Museum of Life + Science (433 W. Murray Ave., Durham. 919-220-5429, lifeandscience.org, @lifeandscience) offers a variety of hands-on learning opportunities with attractions such as one of the East Coast’s largest butterfly houses, a dinosaur trail with more than a dozen true-size replicas, a 2-acre nature discovery environment with eight treehouses, and more. It’s also home to baby lemurs and red wolves, born this year.

Mount Airy

Mount Airy may be best known as the birthplace of Andy Griffith and the inspiration for the town of Mayberry on “The Andy Griffith Show,” but there’s more to the story. Since 1743, the town has been home to the world’s largest open face granite quarry — visible from space!

A gateway to the state’s Yadkin Valley wine region (yadkinvalleync.com, @VerySurry), Mount Airy and the surrounding Surry County claim a unique culinary delight: Sonker, with origins that can be traced back several generations to the early 1800s. A cousin to cobbler but with rolled rather than dropped dough, sonker can be made with fruit or sweet potatoes sweetened with sorghum cane molasses or sugar. The 38th annual SonkerFest is set for Oct. 7, 2017, at the circa 1799 Edwards-Franklin House (4132 Haystack Road, Mount Airy. 336-786-8359), which is known for its decorative painting and opens for tours just 12 times each year. Sample sonker made from a variety of family recipes; admission is free though there’s a nominal charge for sonker and beverages. The Surry Sonker Trail (sonkertrail.org) debuted in 2015 and features eight places to taste the local dessert throughout the year, including Miss Angel’s Heavenly Pies (153 N. Main St., Mount Airy. 336-786-1537, missangelsheavenlypiesinc.com), where sonker is dubbed zonker since Miss Angel adds moonshine to her recipe.

Speaking of alcohol, Mayberry Spirits (461 N. South St., Mount Airy. 336-719-6860, mayberryspirits.com, @MayberrySpirits) is now open. Billed as the first legal distillery in Mount Airy since Prohibition, the distillery produces several different whiskeys plus extracts and is open for tours and tastings on Fridays and Saturdays.

For pure nostalgic fun, head to the art deco Earle Theatre (142 N. Main St., Mount Airy. 336-786-7998, theearle.org, @SurryArtsCo), home to one of the Southern premieres of “Gone With the Wind.” After converting to digital in 2015, it continues to host a variety of screenings and live performances including Saturday mornings’ WPAQ “Merry-Go-Round,” which debuted in the 1940s and is the second-longest-running live radio show in the U.S. The focus is on bluegrass and old-time tunes. The theater is also home of the Old-Time Music Heritage Hall, open daily.

Outer Banks

The Outer Banks, a 130-mile chain of four barrier islands, is an alluring mix of land and sea. Five lighthouses dot the border. Among them, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (46379 Lighthouse Road, Buxton. 252-995-4474, nps.gov), first lit in 1803, is the nation’s tallest and arguably the world’s most recognized lighthouse. It’s located on Cape Hatteras, the nation’s first national seashore with the largest tracts of undeveloped beaches on the East Coast.

Lighthouses help sailors track location to stay safe. The waters in this region are so treacherous they’ve earned the nickname the Graveyard of the Atlantic since so many shipwrecks linger under the waves. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum (59200 Museum Drive, Hatteras. 252-986-2995, graveyardoftheatlantic.com, @NCMaritimes) houses the oldest shipwreck found off the coast of North Carolina among its exhibits and offers educational programs plus diving adventures.

On Roanoke Island, find the Mothervine (themothervine.com), America’s oldest cultivated grapevine. Though it’s not known whether the credit for planting it in 1584 belongs to Native Americans or colonists, the vine continues to bear sweet scuppernong fruit.

The 513-acre Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (1401 National Park Drive, Manteo. 252-473-5772, nps.gov) preserves portions of Great Britain’s first attempt at permanent settlement in the New World from 1585 to 1587. New archaeology is adding clues to understand the colonists’ ultimate fate.

Opened in 1866, Burrus Red & White Supermarket (57196 Kohler Drive, Hatteras. 252-986-2333) is the oldest grocery store on Hatteras Island. The family-owned business offers fresh deli selections, a salad bar, fresh ready-to-eat hot dogs, fresh meats, produce and other specialty items. The store’s leisurely pace feels like a step back in time.

Waves Village Watersports Resort (24502 N.C. 12, Rodanthe. 1-866-595-1893, wavesvillage.com) is North America’s top kiteboarding resort. Learn to kiteboard or try the Outer Banks’ newest water craze, stand-up paddle boarding. Added in 2016, the resort’s Hatteras Island Ropes Course features three levels with 15 climbing elements designed to challenge all ages and skill levels.

The Outer Banks’ newest attraction, H2OBX Waterpark (8526 Caratoke Highway, Powells Point. 252-491-3000, www.h2obxwaterpark.com, @H2OBXwaterpark), opened in July on 20 acres. It boasts 30-plus rides and slides in varied themes such as pirates and aviation, plus shopping and dining amenities. The park offers several first-to-market experiences like “Deep Six Adventure Lagoon” with climb, crawl and balance soft mat obstacles and swim zones.

The Mothervine on Roanoke Island is America’s oldest cultivated grapevine. CONTRIBUTED BY OUTER BANKS VISITORS BUREAU

Winston-Salem

From its Moravian, tobacco and textile roots, Winston-Salem has blossomed into a city of arts and innovation, perhaps best symbolized by its penchant for selling art through retired cigarette machines (artomat.org). In spring 2018, that 20-year phenomenon will be celebrated with a new Art-O-Mat Trail, a collection of 19 Art-O-Mat locations throughout the city.

Old is often made new here. The Kimpton Cardinal Hotel (401 N. Main St., Winston-Salem. 336-724-1009, kimptonhotels.com , @Kimpton) and on-site restaurant the Katharine are housed in the 1920s R.J. Reynolds Building, the art deco prototype for the Empire State Building. It’s the only Kimpton property with adult rec space — think twisty tunnel slide, pingpong tables, basketball courts — and the first and only one currently in the Carolinas. Coming spring 2018: The Pepper Building (circa 1928, 104 W. Fourth St.) will become Hotel Indigo.

The Reynolda House Museum of American Art (2250 Reynolda Road, Winston-Salem. 1-888-663-1149, reynoldahouse.org, @CurateReynolda) is celebrating the estate’s 100th anniversary and the museum’s 50th with landmark exhibitions this fall and next spring plus a Christmas celebration. The former home and country estate of tobacco baron R.J. Reynolds now displays a collection of works by some of the nation’s most noted artists. The grounds also boast formal gardens with walking trails, wetlands, plus several shops and restaurants.

Among the treasures awaiting discovery in Old Salem Museums & Gardens (oldsalem.org), the historic district of Salem dating back to 1766, is the nation’s oldest continuously operating bakery: Winkler Bakery (521 S. Main St., Winston-Salem. 336-721-7302), circa 1800, still uses a wood-heated oven. Bakers in period costumes greet you at the door with fresh baked samples of Moravian sugar cake, rosemary bread and Moravian cookies, “the world’s thinnest cookie.”

The nation’s oldest known medicinal garden, Hortus Medicus, can be found at Historic Bethabara Park (2147 Bethabara Road, Winston-Salem. 336-924-8191, bethabarapark.org), which dates back to 1753. Founded in 2016 with the philosophy “Know It, or Grow It,” Colony Urban Farm Store (1100 Reynolda Road, Unit B, Winston-Salem. 336-331-3961, colonyurbanfarm.com) is run by a family that thinks that food should come from known sources or be grown at home.

A new half-acre art-themed park, ARTivity on the Green (630 N. Liberty St., Winston-Salem. 336-723-4444, theafasgroup.com), is open downtown. It features an art gallery, an amphitheater, and a wall upon which several murals by local artists are painted.

The Reynolda House Museum of Modern Art celebrates its 50th anniversary as a museum during the home’s centennial year. CONTRIBUTED BY VISIT WINSTON-SALEM