North Carolina

Saturday (October 11th) Jonas, Jeff and I flew to Charlotte, NC to start a week full of fun. Our first day was just a travel day. We left SLC around 1:00 p.m. and arrived around 7:00 p.m. that night. We found a yummy BBQ place to eat for dinner at the airport. You know me, I love experiencing food that is native to the areas we visit. I checked off most of my "iconic NC food" list while we were there. We enjoyed things like: BBQ, shrimp & grits, mountain trout, sweet potatoes (the state veggie), fried chicken, fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese, calabash seafood, and Moravian cookies. We also indulged in products created in NC like: Cheerwine, Pepsi, Texas Pete Hot Sauce, and Krispy Kreme donuts. Once we finished eating, we grabbed a few food essentials from Walmart then settled into the hotel. Sunday (Oct 12th) the fun began!

Sunday (October 12th) we headed into Charlotte. We started at the NASCAR Hall of Fame museum. Now none of us know anything about this world, but that didn't stop us from having fun!...and even learning a little more along the way. The museum was full of memorabilia from years passed and historic events in the sport's history. However, the highlight of the experience was the race track simulator. This is pretty much where Jonas spent the entire time we were there. (Jeff and I at least wandered through each room's display while he kept racing.) He did at least four different simulations and ranked in the top five drivers each time. The last time, he even ranked second! I was kind of surprised (since he's not a driver yet). Jonas was ecstatic! He probably could have spent the rest of the day there, but we had a football game to attend.

We left the museum and strolled through "uptown" Charlotte (their downtown but because it's on higher ground than the rest of the city, they call it uptown) as we headed to Bank of America stadium where the Carolina Panthers faced off against the Dallas Cowboys. Jeff and I have been trying to take Jonas to a variety of professional sports games. We've attended a professional basketball and baseball game; now we get to check off football. The game was intense. There were plenty of fans from both teams present, yet it was a fun vibe in the stands. There wasn't any angry people or offensive behaviors...even when the Cowboys lost. Yup! The home team won! It was a close game too. The final score was 30-27. The Panthers won by a field goal kick in the last minute of the game. Even the occasional rounds of light showers throughout the game couldn't dampen the excitement of the Panther fans. Everyone as chanting "Keep Pounding" as we filed out of the stadium. The parties on the street were electric. We made our way to our car and slowly out of the chaos. Thankfully, it was an afternoon game so we were able to get out and grab dinner (fried chicken, mac & cheese, banana pudding...classic southern food) before calling it a day. 

Monday (October 13th) we left Charlotte and headed west. By the end of the week, we made a full circle around the state - from the mountain side to the coast and back. This day was all about nature. By the end of the day, we had hiked over 12,000 steps and ascended more than 100 flights of stairs! Needless to say, we were just a little sore the next day...but the views were worth it. First stop was Chimney Rock State Park. This hike was pretty much all stairs, and we didn't cheat. There was an elevator option, but we hiked up to the top without it. The views of the valley below were incredible. The fall colors were starting to pop. The sun illuminated the vibrant oranges, reds, and yellows as it highlighted the luscious greenery below. Jonas wasn't the most excited about all the stairs, but he loved hiking to the waterfall below...and dipping his feet in it. I swear there wasn't a body of water that we were near that he didn't somehow stumble into. The waterfall hike was more of a woodland trail, which gave us a welcome reprieve from all the stairs. Not that I've seen the movie, but this waterfall was the backdrop for the final scene of the Last of the Mohicans. Moreover, once we left the park and headed to the next hike, we drove through the picturesque town of Lake Lure where Dirty Dancing (especially the lake scene) was filmed. Unfortunately, due to last year's hurricane (Helene), the lake was actually drained (not sure how they did that) to clean out all the silt and debris. There were many roads, houses, and businesses that were still trying to recover from the flooding devastation that hit western North Carolina during that hurricane. 

The next hike was Catawba Falls just outside of Asheville. These falls were gorgeous!...and yes, there were a few more stairs at the end of the hike. However, this was mostly a woodland trail with areas that we could access the river and the falls (and yes...Jonas's shoes got wet again). He actually found a walking stick that accompanied us up to the top of the falls where he tossed it off to watch it cascade down the rock face. I love watching him enjoy being a child. I love that he wanted to jump on the rocks in the water. I love that he found a stick that became a sword or a bo staff or whatever his imagination dreamed up. We took some time to enjoy our beautiful surroundings on this hike. We didn't rush as we soaked up the sounds and sights at the base of the falls.

Once we finally moved on, we headed to downtown Asheville for dinner and to explore before we called it a day. We enjoyed another classic southern dinner (biscuits and gravy, pecan pie, etc.) then hiked an urban trail around the downtown area. There was an online trail map that we could access that would give us a little history about Asheville and some influential people who lived there. We saw unique architecture and some historic plaques. One that I loved was to honor the author, O. Henry, who wrote short stores, including one of my favorite Christmas stories, The Gift of the Magi. 

Tuesday (October 14th) we left the outdoors to enjoy the opulence of the indoors of the Biltmore Estate. Full disclosure, ever since I saw a Hallmark Christmas movie filmed here, I have wanted to see it too. And it didn't disappoint! It was every bit as grand as the movie and pictures make it. We had the first tour of the day. We were able to get to the grounds before most people arrived. We had an unobstructed view of this massive mansion. We took some pictures and wandered the immaculate grounds before our tour time. Once our tour time started, we entered the home. Much to my surprise and absolute excitement, the house staff were already decorating for Christmas! Each room had an elegant Christmas tree in it. The Biltmore house was completed and was officially open to family and friends on Christmas Eve 1895. They go all out for Christmas. I loved it! We spent about an hour wandering through the house and listening to the audio self tour. After the tour, we browsed the shops and had lunch in the Stable Cafe (this time I got shrimp and grits, a favorite for Jeff and I throughout the trip). This cafe was actually housed in the old stables. We sat in a booth that used to be a horse stall where the horse would feed. It was a unique experience.

We finally left the house and drove through the rest of the grounds. We stopped here and there to get out and walk around as we made our way to Amherst at Deer Park (another part of the property) where there was an exhibit of King Tut's tomb. Everything we saw was a replica, but it was pretty interesting to learn more about the discovery of the tomb and the history behind the forgotten king. 

Once we finished, we left Asheville and headed to the small mountain town of Andrews. Honestly, this stop was way out of our way, but when we discovered a rail bike tour through the mountains, we had to make the detour. We arrived around dinner and found a local restaurant. It was average at best, which is a little disappointing because I enjoy our dinners. We eat breakfast at the hotels we stay at and make our own little lunches with meat, cheese, crackers, veggies, etc., so I look forward to finding fun places to eat at night. There weren't many choices and the food was ok; thankfully, our accommodations made up for the average dinner experience. Because this is such a small town, there weren't any hotels nearby, but I found a cute Airbnb. It was a little red caboose....literally! The owners had remodeled the train car to include a little living space, small kitchenette, bathroom, and bedroom. There was even a "cupola" that we could climb up and look out. The caboose was on at least an acre of property with a small stream. It was next to a working farm with beautiful gardens and a quintessential red barn. We unloaded our stuff then Jeff and Jonas grabbed the frisbee. They tossed it around as the sun set. It was one of my favorite evenings of the trip. 

Wednesday (October 15th) morning we walked over to the nearby station where the rail bikes were waiting. We were all pretty excited about this activity, and it didn't disappoint! We had a blast. We "biked" 5 miles before the cars were turned around and we biked back to the station. When we got to that end point, however, we all wanted to keep going. We could have gone another 5 miles or more! Jonas was loving it! He took it seriously. He never stopped pedaling. The portion of the rails that we rode were picturesque. We biked through several pastures and meadows before meeting up with a small river that wove under and around the tracks. We crossed several trestle bridges and finally came to a 323 foot long tunnel. It was pitch black in the middle of the tunnel as we pedaled through. On the other side, we stopped and exited our rail bikes while the tour guides turned them around. We ambled down to the river (and yes, Jonas got wet again) and took some pictures before we were ready to pedal back. On the way back, we picked up the pace and got the rail bike going almost 28 mph. Jonas was in heaven! He wanted to reach 30 mph, but there were other rail cars ahead of us so we had to slow down. We were all a little sad when our experience came to an end, but we are all determined to find another rail bike opportunity elsewhere (maybe the redwoods?!).

The next few hours were spent on the road as we headed north along parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This was another road that experienced significant damage from Hurricane Helene so parts of the parkway were closed. We joined and exited as we could as we wound our way through the Appalachian Mountains. The fall colors were in abundance on this drive. The colors were showing off. I love fall! We found a cute orchard that we stopped at. Unfortunately, many of their trees were damaged in the hurricane so they didn't allow any apple picking but we grabbed some yummy caramel popcorn and a Cheerwine to enjoy on our drive. 

We finally made our way to Grandfather Mountain (another film location this time for Forrest Gump). Here we hiked up to the suspension bridge that led to the top of the mountain. The hike was fun and no stairs!...until we got to the bridge. Haha! I guess stairs were inevitable. We crossed the bridge and enjoyed the views before making our way to Boone where we stayed the night. 

On our way, we stopped at the original Mast General Store. Jeff and I stumbled on this fun store the first time we went to Knoxville, TN. There are now several Mast General Stores in this region, but we discovered the original in a small town (Valle Crucis) outside of Boone. The building definitely shows its age (founded in 1883). This small store was the hub of life in this region. It was the post office, hardware store, grocery store, and even the place where community social events occurred. Today the store built an additional annex about 2/10 of a mile down the street to house all the merchandise. We actually started at the annex where the candy barrels were. This was, of course, Jonas's favorite part. We grabbed a few sweets to enjoy and went to the original store before making our way to Boone. 

Boone is a fun town. I didn't realize it was a college town. Appalachian State University is there. We got there and headed downtown where we found a local restaurant called The Local. This time we enjoyed some mountain trout (and more shrimp and grits) and more ice cream from Ben & Jerry's (again) for Jonas as we walked around the downtown before heading to the hotel for the night. 

Thursday (October 16th) was Jeff's actual birthday. We had celebrated it with all the kids before we left, but Jonas and I couldn't let the day go without acknowledging it. The funny thing was that Jeff didn't even remember it was his birthday until I wished him a happy birthday. I love celebrating him, but it's hard to do when he genuinely doesn't care (very unlike me!). Still, I try to do a family birthday dinner at the very least. He tends to buy his own birthday gifts, but I do like to get him a thoughtful card as well. We got a birthday treat from Krispy Kreme as our first stop of the day. Did you know Krispy Kreme started in Winston-Salem? The original brick-and-mortar store is no longer there, but we went to the one by the headquarters which had some original memorabilia. We indulged in a donut before heading to an original Moravian settlement. Along the way, we discovered an original Shell station. I didn't realize they were in the shape of a shell!

We made it to Historic Bethabara Park. This part of North Carolina was settled by a population of Moravian settlers during colonial times. These people came from modern day Czech Republic. They were a communal people that were highly religious. The park we visited held replicas of homes and work spaces as well as a church. There were also foundation stones and informational plaques all around. It was here that we bought some Moravian cookies - super thin, crispy sugar cookies. 

From colonial times to a revolutionary war battlefield, we continued on with our day. Thankfully, the government shut down didn't prevent us from exploring a few national park sites. We visited the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. It was here that a battle commenced between Nathaniel Greene and General Cornwallis. Ultimately, the "rebels" lost, but we inflicted enough casualties for the British forces that it hindered their ability to succeed in Yorktown which led to the ultimate surrender. We wandered around the park, saw the different statues, and read the history of the place. Jonas loved the cannons that were there. His imagination kicked in, and I'm pretty sure he transported himself to the battlefield that day.

Next stop was the Woolworth Store in downtown Greensboro. Here was a Civil Rights history stop. It was actually a really quick stop. We were trying to cram so many little things into the day that some stops were just that...a stop. I jumped out grabbed a couple of pictures, and we moved on as we read about the significant history of that site online. 

Finally, we made our way to Durham where we capped off our little history tour with a Civil War site, the Bennett Place. This little homestead was the site of the largest surrender of the southern troops at the end of the Civil War. We usually hear about Grant and Lee's surrender negotiations at Appomattox, but it was here that Sherman and Johnston met to hash out the terms of Johnston's surrender. The family that lived here didn't even know what was happening when these two men asked to meet in their living room. They allowed the men to meet in the house while they gathered in the outdoor kitchen area. Heck, Sherman and Johnston didn't even know where they were going to meet. They simply left their camps and walked towards each other until they met up. It was then that they found the closest homestead to hold their negotiations. It was an interesting nugget of history.

I think Jonas was done with our history quest at this point. I'm pretty sure this was his least favorite day although he didn't hate it either. It was here that we met up with Jessop Oliver. He moved to NC to attend Duke University for his Masters degree and has just stayed. We stayed with him that night and he gave us a little tour of the campus. We got to go inside the library and the chapel on campus. They were beautiful buildings. In the chapel, we found an altar celebrating El Dia de los Muertos. We got to write a deceased loved ones name on a slip of paper and attach it to an ever-growing chain. That was kind of cool. I just wished someone was there playing the organ. That would have been so cool!

Jessop then took us to a local reservoir tucked away in the pine trees. We met up with his friend, Jack, at this point. The hike was leisurely and the scenery was beautiful...and yes, we found a little river....and yes, Jonas got his shoes wet again! 

We ended the night at the Durham Food Hall. Now you know my (and Jeff's) desire for good dinner places so I was a little skeptical, but it was awesome! It's like an upscale food court. The vibe was super fun (they were even holding a trivia night) and the food was delicious. Jeff even found some seafood, which is what he wanted for his birthday dinner. I grabbed a burger with fried green tomatoes and Jonas got a yummy carne asada crunch wrap. We then headed to Jessop's house where we settled in and played a few games before we called it a day.

Friday (October 17th) and Saturday (October 18th) were our longest drive days. This is how we travel. We are constantly on the move. I think some people may find it odd, but if I'm going to pay to travel to a place, I want to maximize what I see there. I have wanted to explore North Carolina since the first time Jeff and I visited the state. We saw the Outer Banks, but there was more to explore. I think I can officially check the state off my list now. After leaving Durham, we headed to Roanoke Island, specifically Fort Raleigh National Park. It was here that the Lost Colony is said to have settled. We learned about this 100+ group of men, women, and children who resided there in 1587 and mysteriously disappeared by 1590. Not much is known about what happened to them. What we do know is that the first English child born in America was a part of this group, Virginia Dare. A few centuries later, this island was a refuge for slaves as well. Even though North Carolina was a southern slave state, this area was controlled by Union forces and provided a gateway for escaped slaves to head north.

Next, we headed to Kill Devil Hills on the Outer Banks. It was here that the Wright Brothers flew the first successful powdered, sustained, and controlled heavier-than-air flight in a machine called the Wright Flyer on December 17, 1903. At first, we weren't sure we were going to be able to access the National Monument site because the main gates were closed due to the government shut down, but after driving around to try to get at least a picture of the monument, we found another parking lot with access to the site. There were several other people already walking around so we headed in too. I was happy because this was a place I had missed the last time we were here, and I didn't want to miss it again. I didn't want to have something left on my list of things I wanted to see in NC. We walked around and read all about the determination and ingenuity of these brothers. I really liked the airstrip where the flights occurred; it was a visual representation of how far they flew that first day. And look at us now! We can fly anywhere in the world! It's pretty incredible.

We ended our day at the beach. Our hotel was right on the beach so we checked in, dropped off our stuff, and headed out. I think I will always prefer a mountain lake to a beach, but I do love visiting the beach in the off-season. I just like hearing the waves and feeling the sand under my feet. I'm not a huge fan of ocean swimming because I seem to find sand in every crevice of my body, but that didn't stop Jonas. He was more than willing to get wet. The wind was a little strong and the waves were a little intense so he didn't wade in too far, but by the time we left, he was wet from his torso to his toes. He mostly enjoyed digging in the sand. He loves the water...any body of water, but I think he particularly likes the ocean. Maybe it's because it's still a novelty, but he would spend hours there if we let him. As it was, we spent over an hour on the beach before it was cold enough to chase us indoors. We finished our day watching the sunset over the water at a local seafood restaurant.

Saturday morning, we woke up early enough to walk along the beach as we watched the sun rise. This was probably one of my favorite moments of the trip. There was hardly anyone else on the beach. We dodged the incoming waves and looked for seashells as the sky slowly woke up. The colors were amazing! At one point, Jeff was ahead of us and Jonas decided to try to catch up by only walking in his footsteps. I took a picture to capture that moment. I hope he always wants to walk in his dad's footsteps. Finally, the sun peeked over the horizon and we were ready to move on. 

We headed to the cute town of New Bern, where Pepsi was invented. Now we've been to all three major soda distributors - Dr. Pepper in Waco, TX, Coca-cola in Atlanta, and now Pepsi. We actually stumbled on a classic car show in the downtown area too! That was an added bonus. We enjoyed seeing the cars as we made our way to the Pepsi store...and that's all it really was, a store. Dr. Pepper had a museum and Coca-cola had a whole experience, but Pepsi just had a store. We found an ornament (which is something we like to do on trips), grabbed a drink, and moved on. New Bern would be a town I would explore more if I ever did return to NC.

Next, we drove to Wilmington to see the USS North Carolina Battleship. This was another experience that Jonas was anticipating. This ship fought in WWII, and Jonas loves WWII history. He was in heaven! We toured the entire ship, but he was most interested in all the guns and cannons on the ship. We were there for nearly two hours as he explored and imagined. 

Before leaving Wilmington, we decided to wander around the downtown area a little. We found a yummy ice cream shop and walked along the river for a bit before making our way to our final destination - Southern Pines. Along the way, we made a quick stop in Fayetteville to see where Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run and earned the nickname of Babe. Unfortunately, the city (or someone) had removed the sign, but I found the following picture online. The pole was still there, marking where the baseball field had been, but the sign was no longer present.

We spent our last two evenings and final day in Southern Pines visiting with Jeff's sister, Julie, and her family. Julie had been living in Germany for the past two years because of John's military assignment. They recently moved to Southern Pines so we took the opportunity to visit (just another excuse to go to NC). We met up with them at a fun food truck park. There was live music and a lot of yummy food options. We headed back to their house that night to hang out for a bit before we went to our hotel to sleep. The next day (Sunday, October 19th), we met back up with them in the morning for a leisurely stroll around a reservoir. I was amazed by how many pine trees there were! This area is known as the "Sandhills" so it seemed odd to have so many pine trees, but they were in abundance. After our walk, we headed to the downtown area to have lunch and walk around. I think what I liked about Southern Pines is that it felt so small and so local. There weren't big box stores or chain restaurants. They prided themselves in honoring the local businesses. After bobbing in and out of a few stores (and grabbing some more ice cream), we headed back to their house where we remained until dinner. Jonas and Jeff played ball with Alice while I chatted with John, Julie, and Sarah. They made us dinner then we had to say goodbye and head back to Charlotte for an early flight. It was nice to have a chill day to end the trip (especially since my next week was going to be anything but chill). And it was nice to spend time with them. 

We were gone for 9 days and it flew by! We woke up the next morning (Monday, October 20th) and flew home. We saw the sunrise over the Charlotte skyline as we headed into the airport. We haven't traveled since the Spring and it felt nice to embark on another adventure together. I love seeing new places and experiencing new things. I think traveling is an excellent way to broaden your horizons...even right here in our own country. I treasure these moments and these memories...and these two men I get to experience it all with.