Carolinas, Georgia & South Trips (Lonely Planet, 1st Edition) - Alex Leviton [68]
With a menu unlike any other in the state, head out of downtown to dine at the unique Rooster’s Wood-Fired Kitchen. From downtown, wend your way south towards the South Park Mall for a gastronomic excursion unique to North Carolina. Besides being decorated almost entirely in North Carolina-made furnishings, the menu is Mediterranean tapas, Carolina style: pan-fried corn (a recipe of the owner’s grandmother), duck confit BBQ, smoked charcuterie plates.
Or if you’re looking for something a little more down home, head north on I-85 to exit 87, where you’ll find fiery religion in a glass bottle with a screw-on red top. The most famous of the famed Lexington BBQ joints is Lexington Barbecue #1. Don’t let the line snaking out to the parking lot scare you off, since a) it’s always there and b) the joint runs like a Swiss clock. Known as the BBQ capital of the world, Lexington is famous the state - and world - over, so your booth neighbors might be Gladys from the church rectory, or Gunther, who read about the legendary meal in his Berlin newspaper. Wash down the pork fat at Childress Vineyards, recently named one of the top wine-tasting rooms in the country. The sumptuous Italian-inspired grounds were the brainchild of NASCAR legend, Richard Childress. Sip a Syrah or a Viognier at its restaurant or wander the grounds, pretending you’re at a NASCAR race in Chianti.
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NASCAR: BEGAT BY MOONSHINE
Before Prohibition, North Carolina had a thriving wine-growing and liquor-distilling business. Afterwards, some producers continued night deliveries, usually driving at high speeds to outrun the Feds. Certain drivers were well known for their impressive racing skills, and crowds began to gather on Sunday afternoons to watch the best bootleggers compete. Thus was born NASCAR.
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From the winery, take Hwy 52 into Winston-Salem to reach the historical village of Old Salem. To get to the Old Salem Visitor’s Center, take Sprague St from the highway, then turn right on Main St until it turns into Old Salem Rd. Here, you can pick up a map of the historic district, watch a film on the earliest Moravians and buy tickets for the museums and gardens. Then, wander through this living history village, through museums and gardens, and shops selling some of the many crafts the Moravians were famed for. The only accommodations within Old Salem is the romantic Augustus T Zevely Inn, where the furniture is authentically reproduced to mirror original pieces from early Moravian settlement. For dinner, stroll to Old Salem Tavern, where costumed waitresses don’t seem out of place serving enormously filling meals fit to nourish folks fixin’ to churn pounds of butter or chop cords of wood. Two-hundred-year-old recipes for red cabbage salad and Moravian chicken pot pie have been updated with menu items like gingerbread-crusted pork over sweet potato spaetzle. Make sure you don’t miss the classic Moravian gingerbread desserts.
If you want to veer away from arts and crafts, head east then south on I-74/I-73/Hwy 220 and visit the North Carolina Zoo. The first zoo in the country to feature animals in their natural environment, it’s just been named the country’s number one zoo. Wear comfortable shoes, as 5 miles of shaded walking trails pass by spectacular exhibits featuring mountain gorillas, polar bears and an African plains exhibit larger than most zoos.
Keep up the artistic tradition in Seagrove, an entire town dedicated to pottery and dating back to before the Revolutionary War. Even though the town is tiny, several families are on their ninth generation of potters, and to this day, more than 90 potters work within 20 miles of Seagrove. Get a taste of the area’s artistry and pick up a travel map at the North Carolina Pottery Center, a museum dedicated