With beer and barbecue, celebrated chefs and restaurants, and festivals of flavor, North Carolina offers a bounty of dining and drinking destinations in its cities, among its majestic mountains and along its magnificent coastline.
‘Beer City USA’
With more craft breweries per capita than any city in the nation, Asheville takes craft beer so seriously it adopted the title “Beer City USA” after winning an online poll.
Living up to the hype, the leafy mountain town that might soon grow to 90,000 people is suddenly the site of two huge new state-of-the-art brewery complexes, built by two of the top U.S. craft brewing companies, Sierra Nevada from Chico, Calif., and New Belgium from Fort Collins, Colo.
Located in Mills River, 20 minutes from downtown, Sierra Nevada is perched atop a forested ridge, where the stone and timber brewery appears Oz-like at the end of a winding road. Sierra calls it "a temple to craft beer." It boasts an innovative 200-barrel production brewhouse, a 20-barrel pilot brewery and a beer geek's dream of a taproom and restaurant. There are also a 600-seat live music amphitheater, a beer garden and a 220-seat outdoor taproom extension. Tours range from 90 minutes to three hours and must be booked in advance. 100 Sierra Nevada Way, Mills River. 828-681-5300, www.sierranevada.com/brewery/north-carolina/brewery-tour, @SierraNevada.
New Belgium is set to open its new brewery for tours in summer 2016. Situated in the heart of the burgeoning River Arts District across the French Broad River from downtown, it will feature a 200-barrel brewing system, a tasting room and a rooftop beer garden. The tasting room, called "Liquid Center," opens May 2 at 21 Craven St. www.newbelgium.com/community/ashevillebrewery.aspx, @newbelgium.
Right now, beer trekkers can take in the charms of the city and its burgeoning culinary scene while stopping in at a range of breweries for tastings and tours, including sour and barrel-aged mecca Wicked Weed (91 Biltmore Ave., Asheville. 828-575-9599, www.wickedweedbrewing.com, @wickedweedbeer), recently expanded Hi-Wire (197 Hilliard Ave., Asheville. 828-575-9675, http://hiwirebrewing.com, @HiWireBrewing) and long-running Green Man (27 Buxton Ave., Asheville. 828-252-5502, www.greenmanbrewery.com, @GreenManBrewing). A short drive away, Asheville's first craft brewery, Highland (12 Old Charlotte Highway. 828-299-3370, www.highlandbrewing.com, @HighlandBrews), continues work on its multifaceted, multimillion-dollar expansion that will soon include new entertainment areas and a rooftop bar.
Asheville Brewery Tours (828-233-5006, http://ashevillebrewerytours.com, @avlbrewerytours) offers guided visits to local and area breweries, either on foot or in passenger vans, including day trips to Oskar Blues (342 Mountain Industrial Drive, Brevard. 828-883-2337, www.oskarblues.com, @oskarblueswnc) and Pisgah Brewing (150 Eastside Drive, Black Mountain. 828-669-0190, www.pisgahbrewing.com, @PisgahBrewing). Oskar Blues also runs its own tour trolley between downtown Asheville and Brevard. The Asheville Ale Trail (http://ashevillealetrail.com, @AvlAleTrail) is a good source for self-guided brewery tours and information on beer events, such as the annual Asheville Beer Week (http://avlbeerweek.com, @AVLBeerWeek). For craft beer to go, Bruisin' Ales (66 Broadway St., Asheville. 828-252-8999, http://bruisin-ales.com, @bruisinales) has an array of rare and local selections, knowledgeable staff and daily tastings.
Of course, Asheville's best known and most popular attraction is Biltmore Estate (1 Lodge St., Asheville. 800-411-3812, www.biltmore.com, @BiltmoreEstate), where guests can tour America's largest privately owned home, take in 8,000 acres of lush gardens designed by America's foremost landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, and enjoy all sorts of culinary experiences, including lunch, dinner and high tea.
September is North Carolina Wine Month, and visitors may be surprised that the Biltmore Winery (www.biltmore.com/wine/visit-the-winery), which turned 30 this year, is America's most-visited wine-making operation. Winery tours at Biltmore are complimentary with an estate ticket, but to get the full wine experience, take the (seasonal) Vine to Wine Tour, which includes a trip to the vineyards and a walking production tour.
Visit Asheville like the Obamas and many other presidents and celebrities with a stay at the historic Grove Park Inn (290 Macon Ave., Asheville. 800-438-5800, www.omnihotels.com/hotels/asheville-grove-park, @OmniGrovePark), which recently underwent a $25 million transformation. Built in 1913, the rock-clad, Craftsman-era monument overlooks the city skyline with views of the surrounding mountains and features an array of resort amenities.
Tastes of the Triangle
The Triangle area boasts some of the best dining in North Carolina. Celebrated chef Scott Crawfordo opened Standard Foods (205 E. Franklin St., Raleigh. www.standard-foods.com) in fall 2015. The restaurant remains, but Crawford is moving on.
At Mandolin (2519 Fairview Road, Raleigh. 919-322-0365, http://mandolinraleigh.com/home, @MandolinNC), Raleigh native Sean Fowler takes the commitment to using home-grown ingredients seriously, sourcing vegetables from the restaurant's own garden in North Raleigh. Fowler was previously chef at Pittsboro's Fearrington House Restaurant (2000 Fearrington Village Center, Pittsboro. 919-542-2121, www.fearrington.com/fearrington-house-restaurant, @FearringtonNC), an idyllic farm property that's also home to a renowned inn and spa.
James Beard Award-winning chef Ashley Christensen of famed Poole's Downtown Diner (426 S. McDowell St., Raleigh. 919-832-4477, http://ac-restaurants.com/pooles, @poolesdiner) and several other downtown Raleigh restaurants continues to expand her presence with her newest concept, Death & Taxes (105 W. Hargett St., Raleigh. 984-242-0218, http://ac-restaurants.com/death-taxes, @deathandtaxesnc), which focuses on wood-fired cooking techniques.
Another James Beard Award winner, chef Andrea Reusing of Chapel Hill's Lantern (423 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill. 919-969-8846, http://lanternrestaurant.com, @LanternNC), is known for her marriage of Asian flavors and North Carolina ingredients. Now Reusing has partnered with the developers of the Durham, a boutique hotel in Durham with a new rooftop bar serving food and drink in the evenings and a restaurant (315 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham. 919-768-8830, http://thedurham.com, @TheDurhamHotel).
The Carolina Inn (211 Pittsboro St., Chapel Hill. 800-962-8519, www.carolinainn.com, @CarolinaInn) offers guest rooms and suites on the campus of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The iconic hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a favorite for weddings and special events. And its Carolina Crossroads Restaurant and Bar is the subject of many rave reviews. On Fridays from April through October, "Fridays on the Front Porch" is the inn's festive showcase for live bluegrass bands from around North Carolina.
N.C.’s other beer city
Right now, there are more than 20 breweries in the Charlotte area, with more in the works, prompting some to declare that North Carolina’s largest city could soon challenge Asheville as the capital of craft brewing.
NoDa (www.noda.org, @NoDaNews), Charlotte's historic arts and entertainment district, has become a major hub for pubs, growler shops and small breweries. Birdsong Brewing (1016 N. Davidson St., Charlotte. 704-332-1810, www.birdsongbrewing.com, @birdsongbrewing), Free Range Brewing (2320 N. Davidson St., Charlotte. 980-201-9096, www.freerangebrewing.com, @FreeRangeBrew) and NoDa Brewing (2229 N. Davidson St. & 2921 N. Tryon St., Charlotte. 704-900-6851, http://nodabrewing.com, @NoDaBrewing) are within blocks of one another on North Davidson Street. Not far away, Unknown Brewing Co. (1327 S. Mint St., Charlotte. 980-237-2628, www.unknownbrewing.com, @UnknownBrewing) boasts Charlotte's biggest production brewery and taproom.
Dining options include Amelie's in NoDa (2424 N. Davidson St., Charlotte. 704-376-1781, www.ameliesfrenchbakery.com, @AmeliesBakery), a funky French-style bakery and cafe. Chef Clark Barlowe's Heirloom in the Coulwood/Mountain Island Lake community (8470 Bellhaven Blvd., Charlotte. 704-595-7710, www.heirloomrestaurantnc.com, @HeirloomRestNC) offers farm-to-fork fine dining. The Ritz-Carlton's Punch Room (201 E. Trade St., Charlotte. 704-547-2244, www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/charlotte/dining/punch-room, @RitzCarlton) is an intimate setting for handcrafted cocktails by favorite local mixologist Bob Peters.
The museums on South Tryon Street in Charlotte's burgeoning city center are meccas of high art, history and culture. Opened in 2010, Bechtler Museum of Modern Art (420 S. Tryon St., Charlotte. 704-353-9200, http://bechtler.org, @thebechtler), designed by the Swiss architect Mario Botta, is the terra-cotta-tiled home to works by Picasso, Miró, Ernst and Warhol. The nearby Mint Museum Uptown (500 S. Tryon St., Charlotte. 704-337-2000, www.mintmuseum.org/visit/mint-museum-uptown, @TheMintMuseum) is a five-story, 145,000-square-foot facility featuring contemporary art, crafts and photography, including works by Robert Henri and Ansel Adams. The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture (551 S. Tryon St., Charlotte. 704-547-3700, http://ganttcenter.org, @HBGanttCenter) is home to the Hewitt Collection, which includes important works by Romare Bearden and Ernest Crichlow.
Eating around the Outer Banks
Across the Outer Banks, visitors experience restaurants close to the sand and surf. With views of the Currituck Sound and its spectacular sunsets, Kimball's Kitchen at Sanderling Resort (1461 Duck Road, Duck. 855-412-7866, www.sanderling-resort.com/restaurants-and-bars/kimballs-kitchen, @thesanderling) serves prime steaks and handmade pastas along with local oysters and seafood dishes. In Buxton, Café Pamlico at the Inn on Pamlico Sound (49684 N.C. 12, Buxton. 252-995-7030, http://innonpamlicosound.com/CafePamlico/Restaurant) features a wide variety of local seafood and a breakfast menu recognized as "Best on the Outer Banks" by National Geographic Traveler. Kitty Hawk's Trio (3708 N. Croatan Highway, Kitty Hawk. 252-261-0277, http://obxtrio.com) is a local favorite bistro/bottle shop with 24 wines by the glass, 24 craft beers on tap and more than 50 artisan cheeses. Duck Donuts (https://duckdonuts.com) has several locations along the Outer Banks. The Outer Banks Seafood Festival in Nags Head (6800 S. Croatan Highway, Nags Head, http://outerbanksseafoodfestival.org) will host more than 20 food and drink vendors as well as cooking demos and other events on Oct. 15.
Festivals of flavor
TerraVita Food & Drink Festival (http://terravitaevent.com, @TerraVITAfoodie) takes over the Triangle every October for a celebration of culinary excellence with top chefs, sommeliers, baristas, brewers and more from across the Southeast. For a much more casual dining experience, the May-October Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo along Fayetteville Street (www.downtownraleighfoodtruckrodeo.com, @raleighfoodtruc) attracts vendors from across the state.
World Beer Festival Durham (http://allaboutbeer.com/gather-for-beer/world-beer-festival/durham-nc, @worldbeerfest) returns in October, offering samples of more than 250 beers, a cheese and beer pairing and the Belgian Bier Festival within the larger fest. Asheville's annual Brewgrass Festival (http://brewgrassfestival.com, @Brewgrass) is Sept. 17, featuring a lineup of live musicians and more than 50 breweries. Charlotte will celebrate its Oktoberfest (www.charlotteoktoberfest.com, @CltOktFst) annually, with more than 100 breweries from across the Southeast and around the world serving some 350 beers, plus a variety of food vendors.
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