Every North Carolinian must ______

 

I don't recall what it was that spurred this thought, but the other day I wondered, "What are the quintessential things that every North Carolinian MUST do at least once?" 

It may have been an article about the dunes at Jockeys Ridge that had me thinking about it. Or it may have been a discussion about Sliding Rock. Regardless, what do you think are the things that should be givens if you are to call North Carolina home?

Here are a few off the top of my head, in addition to the aforementioned ones:

• Attend an ACC basketball game
• Visit the Biltmore House
• Enjoy barbecue at one of the holy cathedrals of 'cue
• Spend a day (or half-day) at Tweetsie Railroad
• Test out if the legend about The Blowing Rock is legit
• Pay a visit to Old Salem
• Enjoy a pork chop sandwich and the Mayberry sites in Mount Airy
• Watch an outdoor drama like "The Lost Colony," "From This Day Forward" or others
• Play Pinehurst No. 2 (or any other great course)
  

 

What else would you include on this list? Please share in the comments.

Sliding Rock image from Blue Ridge Mountain  Life

What's the most important building in North Carolina?

 

NC State's student newspaper, Technician, celebrated its 100th anniversary this past weekend. (Congrats!) One part of the festivities included a tour of William Neal Reynolds Coliseum on campus.  I was not able to make the tour (I've seen the renovated "Old Barn" a number of times in recent years), but some friends of mine did. One comment that was made during the tour was this: Reynolds Coliseum is the most "historic" building in the state of North Carolina based on all of the major events that have taken place there and the presidents and cultural events that have taken place within those walls.

This got me/us thinking: What IS the most historic, or maybe the most important building in this great state? Maybe it is Reynolds. Basketball-wise alone it hosted the old Dixie Classic, the first years of the ACC Tournament, NCAA tourney games and so many great State-Carolina/State-Duke games, etc. It has also hosted Presidents Reagan, Obama and Clinton; has welcomed the Rolling Stones, Louis Armstrong, Elton John and more; and numerous other musical events and student events.

What other buildings could be in contention? One could argue the Greensboro Coliseum. One could possibly make the case for Biltmore house, which is one of the most visited homes in the United States. Or perhaps the state Capitol, or the Legislative Building. You could also make a case for the Woolworth location in Greensboro, which is today the site of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum.

What are your thoughts? What is the most "historic" building in the state? 

Reynolds photo courtesy of wikimapia.org; Woolworth's photo courtesy of americanhistory.si.edu

The Pink Lady of the Grove Park Inn

Our family was in Asheville this past weekend for a lacrosse tournament, and though we didn't actually stay there, we visited the Grove Park Inn on Saturday night just to walk around a bit. The kids had never really been to it, so they just enjoyed the ambiance of the place. It is a majestic place; it feels like how the Titanic must have felt before, well, you know.

As we walked around and marveled at the giant fireplaces and stonework, I mentioned to the kids about infamous "Pink Lady," the ghost who is said to "live" in one of the rooms of the Grove Park Inn. Needless to say, they were intrigued --  and a little spooked.

Fast forward to Monday, when a fairly innocuous tweet about it led to a conversation with Jen (aka @Hattiechicken). Turns out, she was at the Grove Park last week ... and even stayed in room 545!  Here were her comments about her, uh, experiences in the room:

We had 3 weird things happen. I was alone the 1st 2 nights. Talking to @MBERaleigh on the phone, opened the very heavy blinds opened the windows. Walked around the room getting ready for my conference. Turn back to the windows. Blinds are completely closed. 

...

@MBERaleigh arrives Friday. Closes the windows. ... Locks them -- they have these thumb screws u have to turn to get them to stay open. We go out. Come back & windows are wide open. Thumb screws turned. Asked staff, they didn't do it.

...

The staff has all kinds of stories. I was told the window being open was a compliment bc I wanted them open, so she opened them.

Jen also said that at one point her room key went missing, they searched all over, and five minutes later it was sitting on the desk.

Discussing the Pink Lady reminded Charity and me about the time we stayed at the Lake Lure Inn about 14 or 15 years ago. It was off-season, so it was very quiet and desolate. At one point during the night, I woke up to see what looked like a small boy tip-toeing around the food of our bed. Then he was gone.

Now, to be completely honest, it could have had something to do with the news clippings at the hotel's front desk that chronicled the haunted inn that played with my minds. In addition, both the Grove Park and the Lake Lure Inn are from an era that makes them, well, "Shining-esque."

As mentioned before, I've long been intrigued by N.C.'s plethora of ghost stories. Just as varied the state is geographically, so is the variety in supernatural ... things. From the mountains to the coast and everywhere in between, there are creepies and spooks and things that go bump in the night. But, I gotta say that, to me, at least, the mountains have the best ghost stories. (Heck, according to this site, 5 of the 7 top haunted hotels in the state are in the mountains.) The Pink Lady and the Brown Mountain Lights alone may take the cake. (And not far from the Grove Park Inn is Biltmore Estate -- one can imagine that place has some stories, too!)  But there is also Helen's Bridge in Asheville, several spots at WCU, the demon dog of Vale Crucis, and many more.


And though not a ghost story per se, it's hard to be the mystery and intrigue of the Ferry Crosses of western N.C.

What are your favorite N.C. ghost stories?

Where to see Christmas lights

North Carolina has long been known as the "Variety Vacationland." It could also be known as the "Christmas Lights Variety Land." No matter where you are in the state this time of year, there are noteworthy light displays for your enjoyment.

I am biased toward the Meadow Lights because I grew up not far from there and we tend to make an annual pilgrimage with the kids due to its close proximity to Raleigh.  

"Out west," McAdenville, N.C., is actually known as "Christmas Town, U.S.A."  And then there is Biltmore Estate in Asheville, which has established itself as a national draw when it comes to holiday decorating.

What are some other notable Christmas light displays we should all be aware of? VisitNC.com offers some potential places to visit. Among the list are Chetola's Festival of Lights in Blowing Rock, Speedway Lights in Concord, Beary Merry Christmas in New Bern, and much more. 

Images courtesy of Mcadenville-christmastown.com and Biltmore.com.

Once again, Biltmore leads the way

Asheville's Biltmore Estate is sure hard to top. The site once again leads the list of most visited North Carolina museums and historic attractions, and for the sixth consecutive year attracted more than a million visitors.

The largest private home in America drew 1,101,413 guests during 2011, according to a press release.

"We are always honored to be recognized as a favorite destination for visitors to the Carolinas," said Bill Cecil, President and CEO of Biltmore. "Despite the tough economic conditions of the last few years, people are continuing to travel and we are honored when they choose Biltmore as a destination. We believe the variety of things to do at the estate, including Biltmore House, our gardens, the winery and Antler Hill Village, makes the visit fun and memorable."

Fort Macon State Park in Atlantic Beach placed second in the annual survey conducted by Carolina Publishing Associates with 757,000 guests. Rounding out the top five most visited museums and historic attractions were Discovery Place of Charlotte, with 745,060 visiting, the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh with 712,313 and the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro with 694,929.

Biltmore is state's top historic attraction

Asheville's Biltmore Estate is the state's top historic attraction, according to Carolina Publishing Associates' annual survey.

Following Biltmore on the list were Fort Macon in Atlantic Beach, the N.C. Zoo in Asheboro, the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh and Fort Fisher at Kure Beach.

Some good news: Biltmore Estate growing, adding jobs

Sure there's all sorts of bad economic news out there these days, but here is some good news.

"Biltmore Estate will create up to 120 jobs with its new Antler Hill Village visitation site, which opens this spring with an ice-cream shop, a tavern and a new exhibit hall," says the Citizen-Times.

"The estate is expecting strong visitation as it celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Biltmore Winery and its Festival of Flowers event.A job fair is planned for next week while work continues on the village, a 15-acre multivenue visitor site for estate guests that will open in late March, with a grand opening in May, estate spokeswoman LeeAnn Donnelly said."

Biltmore tops the list

Asheville's Biltmore House topped the list of most-visited museums and historic attractions in the state last year, according to a survey conducted by Carolina Publishing Associates. (Thanks to the Triangle Business Journal for the snippet.)

"The Asheville estate saw 1.12 million visitors in the year. It was the only state attraction to top the 1 million mark."

Coming in at No. 2 was Discover Place in Charlotte, with 792,500 visitors. The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro was No. 3 with 752,000 visitors. The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences ranked No. 4 with 694,800 visitors. And Fort Macon State Park's 620,000 visitors earned it the No. 5 spot in the survey.

The Matthews-based Carolina Publishing Associates publishes the annual Carolina Heritage Guide.

Three from the Old North State (two from Asheville) among T+L's 500 Best Hotels in the World list

The Inn on Biltmore Estate (Asheville), Richmond Hill Inn (also Asheville) and Fearrington House Country Inn (Pittsboro) are three of the top 500 hotels in the world, according to the "global team of reporters and editors" at Travel + Leisure magazine. This is the sixth year that the magazine has compiled such a list.

T+L "has culled the 500 highest-rated hotels from our World's Best survey, identified what differentiates them from their competitors, sussed out the best rooms to book—and determined what services, amenities, and perks not to miss. It's this year's definitive hotel guide, and it's just for you."

Quick hits: Good news, bad news and 'More good news

Emerald Isle plans new pier
"A year after its bid to buy the Bogue Inlet Fishing Pier fell through, the town of Emerald Isle is working with the N.C. Aquariums for a new structure at the site of a pier wiped out by storms in 1996," writes the News & Observer.

"State and local officials Thursday announced a joint effort to build a 1,000-foot concrete pier that eventually would be one of three state-operated piers along the coast. Plans call for the $12.2 million project to be completed in five years.

"The town had tried to buy the existing pier near Bogue Inlet last year, but the deal fell through, Town Manager Frank Rush Jr. said. ..."

Hollywood strike could script trouble for Wilmington
"It's the ultimate game of 'hurry up and wait' for local filmmakers," wrote the Wilmington Star-News.

"Today is the final day of negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and the group that signs its members' checks, the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. The two groups have until midnight to work out a new deal covering, among other things, residual pay for films and TV shows sold through iTunes and other nontraditional media outlets. If, as expected, no settlement is reached, the WGA membership has authorized a strike.

"Threat of work stoppage has temperatures running high in Hollywood, but workers in Wilmington's production community are playing it cool. ..."

Biltmore Estate among top destinations for 'alternative' Thanksgivings
"You can celebrate Thanksgiving with a horse and carriage ride at the landmark Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C., which will already by decorated for Christmas by then," writes the Associated Press. "For meals, you have a choice of venues—Bistro, Deerpark or Stable Cafe, or, if you're staying at the Inn on Biltmore Estate, you can have your turkey at The Dining Room. Three-night packages at the Inn start at $1,760 for two; details at http://www.biltmore.com."

Quick hits: Bluegrass pioneer honored, as is Biltmore's Inn

Bluegrass great low-key about N.C. Heritage Award
"George Shuffler is the first to admit he doesn't move as fast as he used to. But he still gets around his farm pretty well, even though he has to lean on a cane," writes our good friend David Menconi of the News & Observer.

" 'My hips are just about wore out,' Shuffler says, showing a visitor around the farm. He has lived on this Burke County spread 180 miles west of Raleigh for all of his 82 years -- except for the decades he spent on the road playing guitar behind the Stanley Brothers, Don Reno and other legends of bluegrass. ...

"Standing in the bright autumn sunshine, lamenting a farmer's hardships, Shuffler could be any other old-timer. For long stretches of his life, that's who he has been. A visitor would likely never guess that Shuffler is one of the most influential bluegrass guitarists to ever hoist a pick.

"That will be discussed at some length today in Raleigh, where Shuffler will be feted with an N.C. Heritage Award.

"He'll attend the ceremony, and he'll probably enjoy it. But like another famous Tar Heel guitarist, Doc Watson, Shuffler isn't entirely comfortable with people making a fuss. ..."

The Inn on Biltmore Estate one of the Top 10 resorts for parents & kids
The readers of Travel + Leisure have voted for the Top Resorts for Parents & Kids. Making the list - which includes properties from the U.S., excluding the states Hawaii and Florida -- is Asheville's Inn on Biltmore Estate.

Writes the publication: "Some grounds! 8,000 acres of field and stream surround George Vanderbilt's 1895 Biltmore mansion. Kid magnet: the on-site River Bend Farm, which re-creates rural life in the 1890's."