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

New life for Tweetsie

It looks like North Carolina tourist and cultural attraction Tweetsie Railroad can be removed from the "endangered" list.

"Watauga County commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to spend $3.15 million to help resolve a land dispute that threatened the future of the theme park between Boone and Blowing Rock," said the Asheville Citizen-Times.

"The train runs across some land it only leases and two minority owners of the property wanted to end the agree and get more money by selling or developing the land.

"The Winston-Salem Journal reported that commissioners will spend the money to buy a minority interest in the land and then lease it to Tweetsie. The family-owned theme park will eventually repay the county's cost, plus interest and expenses. ..."

Ghost Town re-opens this Friday

As mentioned before, some of my favorite childhood memories involve the chronically quirky mountain theme parks Tweetsie Railroad and, to a lesser extent, Ghost Town in the Sky. It appears that both parks -- recently on the cusp of extinction -- have received reprieves. Tweetsie now has a life of at least a few more years. And good things appear to be in store for Ghost Town.

"Hard times closed [Ghost Town] in 2001, and it instantly went from an average seasonal attendance of 163,500 tourists, to one lonely security guard," writes the Charlotte Observer.

Several buyers presented themselves in that five years, but park creator R.B. Coburn refused one after the other. "I preferred to sell it to someone who would keep it a park, not tear it down for houses," says Coburn, 87.

On Friday, his stubbornness pays off. Ghost Town in the Sky will be back in business, with new owners and $7 million in renovations. Tourists longing for the romance of the Wild West will once again ride chairlifts to the peak of Buck Mountain and see saloon doors swing open, outlaws gunned down in the dust, and cancan girls flipping their skirts and kicking their legs.

Even better for the valley: These played-out fantasies are expected to draw 200,000 in the first season. That's an economic bull's-eye.

"A lot of people didn't realize how important the park was till it closed," says Louise Price, a 30-year park employee who was recently re-hired. "Since it has been gone, motels closed and were torn down, restaurants went under. It was bad."

Read the rest of the article here.

Tweetsie gets a reprieve

We've discussed the evaporation of "Americana" before. The good news is that at least one vestige will remain -- at least through 2010: Tweetsie Railroad.

"A landmark Wild West theme park nestled in the mountains of Western North Carolina will remain open through 2010, despite skyrocketing land prices that threatened to shutter its doors," writes the Associated Press.

"The Tweetsie Railroad theme park was up against a 2007 deadline to renew land leases or close, but owners negotiated deals so the family-run park could operate for at least a few more years at its current location in Blowing Rock. The park will celebrate its 50th season of entertaining families when it opens May 4. ...

"The park has identified and secured a site in neighboring Wilkes County for possible relocation if additional long-term agreements on the current leases don't work out. ...

"About 250,000 visitors are expected at the park this year. ...

"The park also has historical roots in the mountains. Tweetsie No. 12, one of two steam engines used on the excursion railroad, is the last surviving engine from the 50-mile, narrow-gauge Eastern Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad that ran through the mountains from Boone to Johnson City, Tenn., beginning in the late 19th century.

"Locals named the train the 'Tweetsie,' after the shrill steam whistles that echoed through the hills."

Personally, I'm pleased to read this. I've got a 4-month old; I've always looked forward to taking my kid(s) to Tweetsie. Now, I may just get that chance.