Moving toward the east, there are more great reasons to consider North Carolina’s abundant offerings for family fun when planning getaways and vacations.

11. Mountains to Sea Trail

From the very top of Clingman’s Dome near the Tennessee border to the sand dunes at Jockey’s Ridge State Park on the strand of the Outer Banks, North Carolina’s 925-mile long Mountains-to-Sea Trail offers an adventurous way to explore the state’s natural treasures and human wonders. This is an adventure a visitor can embrace in small chunks or in an extended all at once while experiencing the best of NC’s towns and cities, rural agritourism initiatives and natural preserves.

12. Waldensian Valdese

The rich history of the Waldensian sect is preserved in beautiful Valdese, NC in the foothills between Morganton and Hickory. With a world famous winery, a summer festival and outdoor drama, the finest Bocce Ball clay court anywhere and one of the best regional musical venues anywhere, Valdese is a fun and educational stop along the way for anyone wanting to experience some of the best of North Carolina’s homespun heritage.

13. NC’s Arts and Agriculture Trails

In a unique alliance between the North Carolina Arts Council and the NC Cooperative Extension Service, a total of 16 different, well-planned “Arts and Agriculture Trails” have been mapped out for a project called Homegrown Handmade. These trails meander through foothills, across the piedmont and around the coastal regions, allowing visitors to visit wineries, organic farms and dairies, art studios and sidewalk cafes in charming little towns.

14. Cosmopolitan Charlotte and the Sporting Life

From bustling Lake Norman and its posh golf courses and sailboat regattas through the home of NASCAR in “Race City USA” Mooresville, tothe Bank of America Stadium uptown to see NC’s Panthers play professional football, the Charlotte area boasts some of the finest sports tourism opportunities available anywhere. And while you’re there, do check out the busy Charlotte nightlife at famous regional brewhouses and musical venues offering a variety of musicians and styles.

15. Pinehurst – Home of American Golf

Farther to the east between Charlotte and Fayetteville in the rolling Sandhill region, Pinehurst offers golfers the largest collection of Donald Ross golf courses anywhere, and enjoys the distinction of being the “Home of American Golf.” In addition to 10 of the top 20 NC golf courses, the area’s resorts also offer world class tennis courts, spa facilities, exquisite dining and luxurious accommodations. While golf is a regular way of life here, there are also arts, history, botanical gardens, festivals and unique shopping on the smorgasbord of offerings.

Posts to This Series:
Part 1: Reasons 1 – 5
Part 2: Reasons 6 – 10
Part 3: Reasons 11 – 15
Part 4: Reasons 16 – 25

6. Ski Resorts and Summer Fun

North Carolina’s western mountains are home to a number of world-class ski resorts, most of whom offer summer fun as well. The chalets and cabins are as comfortable in summer as in winter, with easy access to Western North Carolina’s favorite recreational areas.


7. Mayberry, RFD

Just off the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway, right in the heart of the Yadkin Valley wine region, off the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway lies the little city of Mount Airy – birthplace of Andy Griffith and bearing a strong resemblance to Griffith’s fictional Mayberry. There is a “Mayberry Days” festival, a quaint downtown with great antique shops and galleries, and traditional bluegrass music at venues in and outside of town.


8. Wine Country

North Carolina’s wineries offer some tours and tastings most times of year. Home to the nation’s first cultivated wine grape, NC still ranks 12th in the nation for wine production. It seems like wherever you are in the mountains, foothills or piedmont, there’s a winery close by that your family will not want to miss.


9. Fine Furniture Capital of the U.S.

Hickory’s famous furniture markets showcase the fine wordworking craftsmanship of furniture manufacturers who have been turning out some of the world’s finest furnishings for generations. With names like Drexel, Thomasville, Ethan Allen, Lane, Broyhill and more, decorators and collectors will find a variety of styles from antique reproductions to the most modern designs available in Hickory.


10. Traditional Music Trail

Old time bluegrass music, Irish reels, gospel singing and traditional blues all have their homes in the countryside, hills and hollows of North Carolina. the Blue Ridge Music Trails organization offers a searchable database of traditional music and dance for music-lovers who visit the state.


Posts to This Series:
Part 1: Reasons 1 – 5
Part 2: Reasons 6 – 10
Part 3: Reasons 11 – 15
Part 4: Reasons 16 – 25

There is much more to North Carolina’s agritourism movement than just what was reported in Green Dreams, Green Schemes. There is also an alliance between the North Carolina Arts Council and the NC Cooperative Extension service called HomegrownHandmade that has mapped out “Art Roads” and “Farm Trails” in the foothills, piedmont and coastal regions that allow visitors to travel along back roads, sample fresh goat cheese and scuppernong wines, visit artists’ studios and sidewalk cafes in charming little towns. Each trail is unique, so check the links below of some HomegrownHandmade trails (their titles sort of describe the gist of what’s to see and do), and then explore at the pace you like best!

In the foothills:
Foothills, Vineyards & Old-Time Music
Rockingham, Stokes, Surry and Yadkin Counties. Travel through the “heart” of North Carolina’s wine industry, stop off in rural communities like Skull Camp or Beulah for some old fashioned fiddle, guitar and banjo bluegrass, or explore Hanging Rock and Pilot Mountain state parks..

In the Piedmont:
Potter’s Wheels & Organic Fields
Alamance, Chatham, Durham, Guilford, Lee, Orange, Randolph and Wake Counties. the Seagrove area attracts visitors from everywhere with its many talented potters who for generations have practiced salt-glazing to produce functional yet masterful works of art. There are two major pottery festivals in the region every year, and many working artist studios that welcome visitors. The rich earth that produces such fine clays also holds the largest concentration of organic farms in North Carolina. You can visit many of these and sample tasty goat cheese, herb breads and fresh-picked fruits and vegetables while learning all about the benefits of sustainable organic agriculture.

Pictures from the Piedmont
Alexander, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln Counties. The rich fields, covered bridges and fertile orchards of historic wagon road byways offer great opportunities around every bend for those who treasure the American landscape nearly unchanged since German and Scots-Irish settlers put down roots. Here you can tour farms, textile mills, historic parks, and the 450-acre Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. There are festivals, community theaters and regional museums as well, so take your time!

Scenes of the Sandhills
Anson, Hoke, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond and Scotland Counties. Golfers will love this trail, which includes the Pinehurst Resort, one of the most prestigious golfing destinations in the world. It also highlights the importance of North Carolina’s pottery tradition, where the fine clays of the piedmont are turned into useful things and works of art. There are studios to visit, workshops to attend, and peaches to eat!

Crossroads, PatriArts, and Native Ways
Bladen, Cumberland, Harnett, Johnston and Robeson Counties. Here in the agricultural heartland of North Carolina farmers grow some of the world’s best strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, cantaloupes, melons and squash. Visitors can buy while visiting the farms or shop at produce stands and farmers markets in all five of these counties. You’ll also find some of America’s tastiest cured hams – smoked, honey glazed, even wine glazed! In addition to the Scots-Irish settlers, this area was home to freed blacks and runaway slaves as well as still being home to the Lumbee, Tuscarora and Waccamaw Siouan tribes of Native Americans.

On the Coast:
Lights… Waves… Action!
Columbus, Brunswick and New Hanover Counties. This trail offers shimmering ocean views, picturesque lighthouses, sun-dappled pathways through graceful live oak trees, fragrant fields of flowers and herbs, and some really cool seafaring craft. There are riverboats, battleships, shrimp and fishing fleets as well as farms producing fruits, veggies and wines. Don’t forget to take in a NASpig race while you’re there…

There are so far 16 different Art Road & Farm Trails trails mapped out for your touring pleasure by the HomegrownHandmade agritourism alliance, each offering a fine, well thought-out mix of places to go, people to meet and things to do. Just pick some that sound good to you, and your family will be richly rewarded season after season with memorable experiences, historic knowledge and a new appreciation for the art and agriculture that makes North Carolina such a great and beautiful state!

Links:

HomegrownHandmade Criteria

HomegrownHandmade Trail Home

Foothills, Vineyards & Old-Time Music

Pictures from the Piedmont

Potter’s Wheels & Organic Fields

Crossroads, PatriArts, and Native Ways

Lights… Waves… Action!

Way back in the middle ages – 1174 to be exact – a French businessman from Lyons caught the radical gist of Jesus’ teachings in the gospels and committed himself to a life of voluntary poverty and itinerant preaching. His name was Valdes. He renounced his previous business practices, threw all his money into the street, and started a soup kitchen during the famine of 1176. He traveled the countryside preaching the gospel of Jesus and eventually creating a rift with the dominant Catholic Church.

Valdes inspired other wandering preachers including Peter Waldo, who established the Poor Men of Lyons sect that preached apostolic poverty as the way to perfection. They traveled to Rome around 1177 and received the blessing of Pope Alexander III, who at the same time forbade their preaching without authorization from local clergy. The Waldensias (as they became known) of course disobeyed the papal edict, and were formally declared heretics by Pope Lucius III in 1184 and by the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215.

More than 80 Waldensians were burned at the stake as heretics in Strasbourg in 1211, an act that signaled the beginning of centuries of persecution that very nearly destroyed the pious sect. The sect was granted refuge in Piedmont by the Count of Savoy, even though the House of Savoy remained staunchly Catholic. Persecutions continued through the 1400s until the only refuge left was in the Cottian Alps southwest of Turin. When news of the Protestant Reformation reached the Waldensians, the Tavola Valdese decided to seek fellowship with the Protestants. Their acceptance by German and Swiss Protestants put them firmly in the Calvinist camp rather than on a fringe of Catholicism, even though Calvin’s beliefs did not follow Peter Waldo’s original sectarian beliefs. Later Waldensians aligned with the Presbyterian Church.

While finally granted freedom of worship after the French Revolution, a group of Waldensians emigrated to North Carolina in the late-1800s to establish the town of Valdese in the western piedmont region. And there the Waldensians remain to this day, with a rich history, a great winery, and even an outdoor drama to depict their flight from persecution. They have a Waldensian Museum and a Waldensian Trail of Faith open to visitors, as is the Waldensian Heritage Winery which offers tours and wine-tastings to small groups during operating hours all year long.

There is a Waldensian Festival held every August, where a Bocce Ball tournament is held on the Waldensian packed-clay Bocce Court, and the Trail of Faith and Visitor’s Center offer historic information. The outdoor drama, “From This Day Forward” is staged every Friday and Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. during July and August every year at the outdoor amphitheater.

Check out some of the links below for further detailed information, and be sure to include a visit to Valdese on your North Carolina travel itinerary this year!

Links:

Visit Valdese: Tourism Site

Waldensian Heritage Wines

Anabaptist Network: The Waldensians