The state-of-the-art destination distillery at Southern Distilling Company has been a jewel in the crown of the Statesville region’s thriving craft beverage community since 2017, growing in popularity and gaining attention among locals and tourists alike.  However, there are big changes on the horizon for this craft distillery. Owners, Pete…

As the popularity of Hendersonville’s Main Street continues to attract a younger demographic, it was only a matter of time before this thriving Blue Ridge mountain getaway received its first rooftop experience. That time arrived Labor Day weekend as Shine restaurant debuted the city’s inaugural rooftop bar. The restaurant, which…

Summer is turning to fall which means one thing in Granville County…festivals and fun.  The Granville Haunt Farm is open weekends and is sure to add some fright to your Halloween.  The Chamber’s Fall Oyster Roast brings out the community.  And the success of the Tobacco Wood Brewery has spawned…

Carolina Craft Beverage Trail Post Cavendish steps outside the box and brings with it quirky events and Old World Beers. Would you not call a Game of Thrones event called “Winter is Coming” or an evening of Where are the Supers a little quirky?  The Cavendish Brewing Company is a…

Goldsboro, NC has been developing a burgeoning BBQ and Craft Beer scene over the past few years, and it’s one that has steadily been drawing attention, and visitors. Adding to the delicious Eastern NC Style BBQ at the legendary landmark that is Grady’s, are some more experimental styles of BBQ…

2019 marks the 45th continuous year of “Stokes Stomp Festival on the Dan”, the longest running North Carolina Arts and Music Festival held along the beautiful Dan River in Danbury. Stomp, the signature festival making the founding of local Stokes County Arts Council, is held each September on the second…

The Red Bull Pump Track World Championship heads to back to the USA – this time its Gaston County, North Carolina – in what is set to make for an epic day of pump track racing with some of the best riders in MTB and BMX ready to give it…

September 2, 2022 Head to Morganton this autumn for a unique way to view fall foliage. Once again, the Burke County Tourism Development Authority offers fall color tours aboard the Ridgeline Trolley. The tours begin in downtown Morganton and showcase spectacular fall color by traveling into the Blue Ridge Mountains…

The Blue Ridge Mountain town of Hendersonville is the latest North Carolina region to receive federal recognition of its vineyards and wineries. This past July, Crest of the Blue Ridge Henderson County became an American Viticultural Area, or AVA. Only regions that have distinctive soil, climate and elevation earn this…

The Granville experience is an alternative. An alternative to what you have. A yin, to the everyday yang. Yet this alternative is not far away, but in your own back yard – steps away. It is not a location, but a place. A place where you can gather, relax, inhale/exhale,…

Goldsboro, NC, Has The Tour For You. Goldsboro, NC, has got a busy calendar for you this Fall! Visit Goldsboro, Travel, and Tourism for Goldsboro, is running a Fall program of tours throughout September and October with something for everyone on the schedule. Read on to find the tour for…

Each Labor Day weekend for more than 70 years, Hendersonville and Henderson County have celebrated their place as the top apple-producing region in North Carolina. This year will be no exception as the North Carolina Apple Festival takes over downtown Hendersonville for four days, Aug. 30 to Sept. 2. Festival-goers…

As summer makes its last hoorah, settle into a Stokes County state of mind to watch as the rural tree line fades into beautiful autumn shades. As temperatures turn cooler, grass of green below your feet will lead to airwaves filled with sounds of good ole time blue grass, folk,…

Granville County is not like where you came from… we are “Uniquely Carolina”™ –  a Carolina that melds the endearing heart of hometown living with (individual) space, and easy accessibility – a rare fusion that allows you to define “experience” and “gathering” on your terms…. and compels you to come…

Join Anchored Soul for our 1st annual “Bon Temps Paddle Battle on Wylie” in Belmont, NC! Whether you’re a concert-goer, fun-seeker, or paddler, we have something for you. To start off the event there are 7, 3.5, & 1-mile paddle races plus a kids race which you can participate in…

The Beech Mountain Brewing Company Taproom and Grill and the Famous Brick Oven Pizzeria will be the venues for the Beech Mountain Throwback Music Weekend, August 2nd, 3rd and 4th. The family-friendly event takes place over three days. Friday and Saturday night performances at the Taproom are $10 each night…

The Beer Lab was an idea created from our R&D (Research & Drinking) Events at our original location, where we would unleash 7 new beers at a time and experiment with exotic ingredients, fruit, and yeast.  Limited by space constraints (storage, seating, taps) it was difficult to bring out new…

Situated atop a knoll outside Morganton with gorgeous views of the South Mountains is Silver Fork Winery. Owners Jennifer Foulides and Ed Wisnieski left corporate America behind in 2013 to move south and create a place to sip, nibble and relax. Silver Fork Winery is just that place. The wines…

Outdoor adventure abounds in the Blue Ridge Mountain town of Hendersonville, North Carolina. The town’s location — surrounded by hills and valleys covered in old-growth forests with rivers and streams flowing throughout — makes it an ideal destination to escape the indoor confines and reconnect with nature. The French Broad…

Breathtaking views along scenic vistas at 2,579 feet in elevation can be found in the Piedmont of North Carolina along the Sauratown Mountain Range in Stokes County. Outdoor enthusiasts, in for a challenge, can achieve this elevation as they summit Moore’s Knob in Hanging Rock State Park. Hike the 4.3…

Gaston County has a wealth of parks with countless activities for all ages to enjoy that are fun, affordable, and right around the corner.   Gaston County Parks are much more than swings and picnic tables. Fourteen parks on the  Park Hop Scavenger Hunt. Park Hop is a fun and…

Summer is packed full of events in Goldsboro, NC, and whether you’re into music, the great outdoors, some alternative spooky ghost stories or just good old fashioned al fresco drinking and dining in the sun, Goldsboro has got your summer sorted. The annual Center Street Jams are back, and every…

Rivermen Brewing Company Our story started out on the creeks and rivers of the southeast. The four original partners of Rivermen Brewing Company met on various paddling trips and adventures, lots of beer was enjoyed and friendships formed. We all share a love of paddling, outdoor adventures and beer. Over…

Some of downtown Hendersonville’s most beloved residents return this spring. Twenty colorful bear statues take their places along Main Street for the annual Bearfootin’ Art Walk & Auction.  The bears start as blank, white forms, and local artists decorate them with creative designs. The bears appear in May and stay…

Not as well known and heavily traveled as the Catawba River, the South Fork River is an under-the-radar destination that you’ll want to keep all to yourself. Paddling the narrow South Fork River Blueway from Spencer Mountain to Cramerton is just the right amount of Class I-II whitewater to get…

Beat the heat this summer, feel the mountain breeze rushes past you on a zip line or mountain bike adventure in the great outdoors of Stokes County, North Carolina. Take to Hanging Rock State Park trails on two wheels along single track, rock ledge berms, fast flows, stream crossings, and…

With summer weather on the horizon, now is the perfect time to plan your escape to the mountains and waterways of Stokes County, NC!

The water doesn’t get any cleaner than crystal clear mountain streams whose source is a federally protected wilderness area. No development of any kind is allowed in the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area near Morganton in Burke County.  Lake James is primarily fed from the Linville River which comes straight out…

Located just west of Charlotte, Gaston County offers families plenty of options for a weekend getaway. With museums, parks, nature trails, and some of the region’s best hiking, mountain biking, and paddling, it’s easy to plan an adventurous day trip or a quick vacation. You’ll also find lots of family-friendly…

The Town of Valdese will kick off their 2019 Family Friday Nights summer concert series on May 24, 2019 at 7pm in the downtown Valdese parking lot. The summer concert series is free for everyone, so bring a lawn chair and get ready to hear some great music! The May…

Whether you’re looking to grow your own vegetables, add an outdoor living space to your backyard or bring color into your landscape, Garden Jubilee is the place to be this Memorial Day weekend. Now in its 26th year, Hendersonville’s premiere lawn-and-garden show returns to Main Street May 25-26. More than…

Enjoy yourself, reward yourself. The Carolina Craft Beverage Trail is a reward program to nudge you to get off the well worn path and experience boutique craft beverage destinations across the State of North Carolina.

As the apple trees begin to bloom, Hendersonville celebrates the spring season and the hope for a bountiful harvest with the second annual Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend, April 25-28. The four-day event showcases local food and drink with nearly 50 happenings at cideries, wineries and tasting rooms throughout the…

The craft beer explosion that started in Asheville and Charlotte has finally made its way across the Catawba River into Gaston County. With an abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities throughout the area, Gaston is the perfect setting for embracing the brewpub culture, and visitors will find several taprooms where they…

The Hawg in the Holler Music Festival, inspired by Tim Cifers, is kicking off its 5th year celebrating music, family fun and local charity efforts. Featured bands for the day include (in this order): Brooke McBride, Who Shot John, Nantucket. This year we welcome Oxford’s own Carson Blakely, afternoon DJ…

Listen to the natural flow of the Dan River from the back deck of the Green Heron Ale House in Stokes County during #NCBeerMonth. Located in Danbury, the heart of the county, you can experience history, local arts, and many accesses to the Dan River for a leisure float during…

We often take a drive to the unknown and wind up somewhere fantastic. It’s what we do!  This time was a great surprise. Not only did we find an incredible brewery but we found awesome people like the staff at Tobacco Wood Brewing Co. and getting to meet and chat…

Coming April 1, 2019 to Morganton's Marquee Theatre: the return of the mysterious Brown Mountain Lights of Burke County. Movie Poster from Original Release             The lights, a natural phenomenon seen for centuries near their namesake mountain, play an integral role in Alien Abduction, a 2014 sci-fi thriller. Five years to the…

This April, get to Goldsboro where the month kicks off with Pig In The Park on April 5-6th in historical Waynesborough Village, where twenty cook teams will face off in a whole hog BBQ contest, making enough delicious food to satisfy over 5,000 festival goers.  Hot on its heels is…

Cool green mountains and crystal-clear lakes surrounding Hendersonville, North Carolina, create an ideal setting for summer youth camps, drawing thousands of boys and girls every summer from across the South. The first camp opened in 1910 and by 1921, the Asheville Citizen-Times dubbed Hendersonville “the center of camps in the…

Days are getting longer and the local calendar is filled with festivals, events, challenges, and fun experiences to put a little SPRING into your Step as you adventure and explore the mountain peaks and river banks of Stokes County, NC! So much to do around the ROCK this Spring, you’ll…

The 27-mile Catawba River Blueway is filled with scenic spots for a paddling adventure. Looking for one of the area’s best float trips? Check out the stretch of the Catawba River starting just below Mountain Island Lake in North Carolina and flowing to the border of South Carolina. You’ll paddle…

You know what an oasis is, right? That’s Goldsboro. A community that is bubbling up from the Coastal Plains of North Carolina, flourishing with art, culinary treasures, parks, planes, pickles, and locally crafted pints. The city of Goldsboro makes a great choice if you are looking for a destination that…

We all want the best experience for our wedding, right?  Finding the best fitting venue is just as important as the dress. Well… Almost!  Here you have it all scheduled for you to enjoy the adventure of choosing your perfect place in style. Are you planning a 2019-2020 wedding?  Well,…

Brides looking to get married in the Blue Ridge Mountains can plan their dream weddings at the Say I Do to Hendersonville Bridal Show on Saturday, March 23. Hendersonville is a popular choice for destination weddings. There are 65 venues in Henderson County to accommodate weddings of all sizes and…

There will be a new place to explore the outdoors in Gaston County. Mountain Island Educational State Forest, the latest of seven educational state forests across North Carolina will showcase the benefits of forest management in action. It will be a wonderful spot to take your dog for a hike…