Winston-Salem is a metropolis located toward the northern region of North Carolina. A group of artisans, the Moravians, founded Salem in 1766.  Nearly a century later, the city of Winston was established by settlers of Quaker and European decent.  They named Winston after the Revolutionary War hero Joseph Winston.  In 1913, Winston was merged with Salem and is commonly known as “Camel City”, reflecting the cigarettes made locally. Other city nicknames include the “Twin City” and “The Dash,” referring to the hyphen between “Winston” and “Salem”, this is also the name of the areas minor league baseball team.

Originally known for furniture, textile and tobacco manufacturing, Winston-Salem has more recent industries including pharmaceutical, bio-tech and high tech.  Winston-Salem is also home to the headquarters of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Sweet!

The Winston-Salem, NC metro area contains historical buildings and dozens of stores, galleries, restaurants and museums that welcome locals and visitors alike.  One impressive structure in Winston-Salem demonstrates the prominence of tobacco in the area is the 22-story R.J. Reynolds building, which was reportedly used as a model for the Empire State Building in New York.

You can shop, browse and bargain hunt for days on end in Winston-Salem and still have more territory to cover.  Start with Hanes Mall (the largest in the Carolinas) for a myriad of options or try historic Reynolda Village and its specialty shops . . . or many of its other features such as an art museum, sprawling gardens and restaurants, all located on an expansive estate.

Arts and culture in Winston-Salem are alive and well. Wake Forest University contains a Museum of Anthropology, displaying artifacts from the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania. Winston-Salem State University contains Digg’s Gallery, an art museum whose collection includes works by African, African-American, European and American artists.

The Winston-Salem metro celebrates hundreds of years of history and culture with many events and festivities like the River Run Film Festival (April), the  Dixie Classic Fair (October), and the Tanglewood Park Festival of Lights (November). The Winston-Salem Downtown Arts District hosts monthly, first Friday “Gallery Hops”, where store and gallery owners extend operational hours in the evenings from 7PM to 10PM. Visual arts displays, food and live entertainment combine to promote art and culture through education, interaction, entertainment and trade throughout Winston-Salem.

Many noted celebrities once lived in Winston-Salem. The poet Maya Angelou, actress Angela Bassett, musician Ben Folds, sportscaster Howard Cosell and golfer Arnold Palmer all called Winston-Salem home. Writer and current Winston-Salem resident, Angus MacLachlan wrote the screenplay for Junebug, a quirky movie set and filmed in North Carolina.

From art to sports, history to fine dining, Winston-Salem has something for everyone.  Winston-Salem offers much for singles and young families, yet many choose Winston-Salem for a retirement locale for everything the city is.  You may find it easy to call Winston-Salem a home away from home, even if you are only visiting.  Explore and enjoy Winston-Salem!

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Thomasville is located in the central part of North Carolina, and was established by John Warwick Thomas in 1852. Mr. Thomas was a politician and served in the state senate. He was an advocate for women’s rights and deemed it necessary for women to acquire an education.

The “chair city” is well known for the Thomasville Furniture Company, which started in 1904 with one chair design. In commemoration of the town’s industry, a giant chair was constructed. A giant chest of drawers and a giant tallboy dresser are also on display. The Duncan Phyfe chair stands 30 feet tall. The seat alone is 10.5 feet wide.

Thomasville consists of buildings and homes constructed from 1887 to the early 1930′s. Self-guided walking tours take visitors past Gothic Revival churches to homes designed with Victorian, Colonial Revival, Dutch Colonial, American Foursquare to Art Deco styled architecture. The buildings are constructed with many unique features including embellished cornices, turrets, towers and colored glass, making your tour of Thomasville well worth the time.

In line with the local woodworking trade, the community in Thomasville hosts a special event, the ECHO Chainsaw Sculpting Invitational, whereby over 60 works of art sculpted out of pine logs will be created, auctioned off and various finished pieces will be located around the town. The friendly, welcoming community hopes to bring guests far and wide to visit their slice of Americana.

Washington schedules many celebrations and hosts the annual Everybody’s Day Festival, which is the oldest celebration in the state. The festival, slated for the last Saturday in September, is an all day event that includes food, live entertainment, athletic events, arts, crafts and family activities.

During the Civil War, many of the town’s citizens served under General Robert E. Lee. Thomasville residents pulled together and the city became known as a refuge and hospital for war torn civilians and soldiers from both armies. Confederate and Union soldiers are buried side by side in the local cemetery. Thomasville annually commemorates the military with a Memorial Day Parade and Celebration.

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Hickory, North Carolina, is a city that almost everyone would enjoy visiting. It offers opportunities for sightseeing, shopping, sports and recreation, cultural activities, and fun for the whole family. There are numerous attractions available for you and your family to enjoy.

The Hickory Museum of Art was founded more than sixty years ago in 1944. It is the second oldest art museum in North Carolina. There was excitement last year when the Hickory Community Theater received the Community Theater Award for the state of North Carolina. You may want to attend a play there during your visit.

For sports fans, there is the Hickory Crawdads Minor League Baseball team. They are the Texas Rangers’ affiliate team.

For those who enjoy the out-of-doors, the Ivey Arboretum, established in 1936, contains more than 400 species of shrubs and trees. All are labeled. There are good fishing, boating, and hiking trails at Lake Hickory. It has picnic tables, a playground, and restrooms. This 4223-acre lake is a great place to spend an afternoon.

Hickory is best-known as the place to shop for furniture. At one time, 60% of all furniture made in the USA was manufactured in and around this city. Even today, it is the premier location for purchasing furniture at discounted prices. The Hickory Furniture Mart has almost 100 stores and galleries in an enormous four-story complex. Over 500,000 people shop there each year. Prices are discounted up to 80% off retail.  It’s worth the trip!

Any season of the year is a good time to visit Hickory, but it is especially beautiful in the fall. The trees and foliage present a multitude of different shades of fall colors.

The people of Hickory are proud of their city and welcome visitors to enjoy it with them. It has been named an “All American City” three times.

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The metro Burlington, North Carolina area is a beautiful place to spend a day, a week, or even a lifetime. With a true down-home sense of hospitality and a community that embraces one another like members of their own family, Burlington is a favorite of tourists from all over the nation. Located approximately 20 miles from Greensboro, Burlington is a central location where many people from neighboring counties come to enjoy themselves and have fun.

Burlington is also known for its wide variety of tourist attractions, which have some longstanding history that sets them apart from surrounding areas. The Burlington Historic District on Washington St. is a trip back in time to the late 1800s when the city was just beginning to realize the potential of the town they had inhabited. When touring the Historic District, you will want to take in the history behind all of the Victorian and Colonial Revival-style homes that line the streets.

Visitors interested in cultural entertainment need look no further than The Paramount Theatre with its wide selection of features including musicals, Broadway-style plays, exhibits, expos, and concerts. The Paramount sits up to 400 people in an intimate setting that allows the full ambiance of the production to overtake and engross the audience.

For those seeking fun for all ages is Burlington’s own Dentzel Carousel.  The marvelous carousel dates back to the early 1900′s and has 46 hand-carved wooden animals, including horses (of course) and a whole menagerie of rabbits, pigs, deer, giraffes, ostriches and cats of all sorts.

The downtown Burlington area epitomizes the industrial nature that the city has come to be associated with throughout the years. With over 60 buildings lining the streets, the area has become known for both its retail shopping and their sidewalks that are lined with stories about the transformation of the town from its once historical standing of being a main railroad hub of the United States. If you’re hungry, you are welcomed in not only by the plethora of national chain restaurants available but also by some of the best home-style, family cooking that you will ever eat.

Burlington, North Carolina is also home to Minor League Baseball, as the Burlington Royals (affiliate of the Kansas City Royals) call the city their home. The crack of the bat can be heard throughout the summer night sky and Fairchild Park is always alive with activities for children and adults alike.

The next time you’re going through North Carolina, you might want to give yourself enough time to explore everything that the quaint city of Burlington has to offer. From the warm, friendly atmosphere in O’Charley’s Restaurant to the Burlington Outlet Village filled with retail shopping, the hospitable citizens of this charming community will make sure it’s an experience that you will never forget.

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First established by German Moravians, Charlotte is situated along the south central border of North Carolina. Charlotte is named for the German princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg, who became queen

consort to King George III of England, which gave rise to one of Charlotte’s nicknames, “Queen City”. The “Hornet’s Nest” nickname was obtained during the Civil War when General Cornwallis was ousted from Charlotte by enraged residents. He later conveyed in writing that Charlotte was “ a hornet’s nest of rebellion”.

The Charlotte, NC metro area is home to numerous corporate companies with Bank of America, Lowe’s, Family Dollar, the Goodrich Corporation, Time Warner Cable and the Lending Tree among the ranks. Charlotte is second only to New York in the banking industry. Being a leader in the finance world has created a large and diverse population in the city. Many Charlotte residents have migrated from all over the world.

Charlotte hosts many events and festivities throughout the year and upcoming events include the Food Lion Speed Street, which celebrates NASCAR and includes race cars, live entertainment and refreshments; the Beer, Bourbon and BBQ festival where visitors sample locally manufactured beer and bourbon while feasting on Southern BBQ; and a Taste of Charlotte which showcases foods from local diverse restaurants that include Italian, Greek, Asian, Brazilian, New Zealand and Southern home-style cooking, among other culinary specialties.

Charlotte is host to a vast array of restaurants, museums, entertainment facilities and historic sites. The Mint Museum of Art encompasses 81,000 square feet and houses displays of paintings dating from the 16th century, costumes dating back to the 17th century, prehistoric crafts from 2500 years ago and a mix of modern glass, photographs and paintings. Historic sites include the Latta Plantation which was constructed in the late 1700′s and the Hezekiah Alexander House which was built in 1774, and is the oldest home in Charlotte.

With so many transplants from myriad cities, both here and abroad, Charlotte offers a great variety of culture, cuisine, retailers, and amenities that one can generally only find in far larger metropolitan areas.  Conversely, Charlotte still has parks, horse farms, farmers markets and the like that more rural areas are better known for.  That said, visitors and residents alike, have the choice of playing a round of golf on a premier course, picking strawberries at a local farm, attending the symphony, catching an NFL or NBA game, touring historic mansions, going water skiing, boating or white water rafting or enjoying either a 5-star gourmet  meal or a down ‘n dirty barbecue . . . all without leaving the Charlotte city limits.  How’s that for variety?  It’s no wonder so many people choose beautiful Charlotte as a vacation destination or a home.

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Durham is a great place to live; but, for those who don’t reside there, it is a wonderful choice for a vacation. One of the reasons Durham is special is because there are so many fun things to do.

One of our favorites is the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. These gorgeous gardens have five miles of walks and pathways. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and take your camera.

If you have children, the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science is a must see. The Dinosaur Trail, the many interactive exhibits, and the sheer size of the place set it apart. Plan to spend an entire afternoon.

Duke Chapel is Gothic beauty on the Duke University campus. It is an awe-inspiring chapel that you will enjoy visiting. There are so many more attractions than there is space to describe them.

For sports fans in North Carolina, and college basketball fans across America, the most famous resident is Mike Krzyzewski, coach of the NCAA champion Duke Blue Devils. Also, the Durham Bulls won the Triple-A baseball championship last year. Their stadium is on the edge of downtown Durham.

When you get hungry, Durham is a good place to be. Six

Plates Restaurant is moderately priced buthas a good atmosphere and excellent food. Barbeque is like a religion in North Carolina. The Q Shack usually has a line of people waiting to get in at meal time. Some call it the best barbeque in Durham.

Durham is a good place to go shopping. The shops at Brightleaf Square are unique and popular with tourists. The Streets at Southpointe is an upscale, fairly new, huge shopping center. It is the best place to do serious shopping.

If you visit Durham, you will be glad you did.

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For a small town, Albemarle, NC has a lot going on.  Just ask Albemarle’s own country music star, Kellie Dawn Pickler, who pays tribute to the town in her song, ‘Small Town Girl.’

Only an hour from Greensboro and Charlotte, this close-knit community works hard to give its citizens and visitors lots of great ways to enjoy the place.  Albemarle has no less than 6 public parks, a large soccer complex, a greenway and bike path through town. That’s a long list of community facilities for a town of less than 16,000 people.

If you’re lucky enough to be there in April or May, you might get to see the Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver Bluegrass Festival, the Albemarle Kite Festival or take the City Lake Kayaking Tour. At other times of the year you can participate in things like the Annual Harvest Festival and Grape Stomp (October), the Stanly County Winter Wine Festival (February), and the Stanly County Antique Power Festival (June). There’s a brand new Arts Council which promises to organize lots of art classes and exhibits. The town already has its own theater troupe, The Uwharrie Players.

Incorporated in 1857, Albemarle has a beautiful and historic downtown area. It was a National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2005 National Main Street City thanks in part to their revitalization efforts. The citizens’ more recent movement to save their 1920’s era high school has also gained the attention of the National Trust.

One charming downtown attraction is a great farmer’s market open every Saturday from May through October (during the summer months it’s also open on Wednesday.) The open-air market is located outside Albemarle’s historic train station and is the best place in town to find local seasonal fruits and vegetables along with bedding plants and cut flowers.

Albemarle is the quintessential small southern town with loads of charm and hospitality. You’ll feel so welcome and comfortable there that you’ll want to go back again and again.

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The rain ceased and the clouds parted just in time for our First Annual Carolina Beach Bash . . . and it was all fun and games from that point forward. The scent of smoky goodness wafted through the ‘backyard’ of the Aloft Charlotte Ballantyne hotel, mingling with hot tunes and the sweet sounds of people pulling together for a great cause.

The little ones rocked out and ran amok, playing with the beach balls, flopping on the bean bag chairs and bouncing inside the Aloft’s irresistible, signature wicker hatch shell.  Mine were no exception.  They had fueled up on the leanest barbecue imaginable, topping off with healthy portions of Charlotte Cafe‘s juicy fried chicken, slaw (2 kinds!), golden hush puppies and baked beans.  Zach Goodyear spent a full 24 hours smoking those pigs (the ‘Q, not the kids) and the tender pork revealed his magical touch to all who sampled it.

Lips smacked, then washed it all down with Newk’s refreshing tea.  Smiles abounded.

The DJ and musical guests were phenomenal – what a treat it was having Billy Scott, Peter Renato

and Lionel Cornelius perform live. They danced with the crowd, sang to the ladies, and entertained the kids. They did it all. And we thank them!  ‘Fessa John Hook spun the wax (yes, I’m taking some liberties here) and kept the people swaying, singing and dancing well into the evening.

For those who preferred a mellow and cooled space, just inside from the summery festivities, was the wxyz bar.  The team from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation took turns manning their station and selling cookbooks (“I Can’t Cook But I Know Someone Who Can”) written by JDRF supporter

and WBT radio show host, Stacey Simms.  Nearby, among the BestofNorthCarolina.com fans sampling the bar’s tasty creations for our party, the Shag-on-the-Beach and Southern Spiked Tea, was the raffle table chock full of prizes that I would have loved to win.  They ranged from gift certificates from top notch restaurateurs and photographers to vacations, hotel rooms and even a cigar humidor (my husband lusted after it).

For $25, I could have had a full arm’s-worth of raffle tickets, but alas, I was ineligible to win.

At the end of the evening, plenty of others heard their ticket numbers called.  Our two grand prize winners were notably pleased.  Warren Smith, winner of the 3 night/4 day condo stay on the Outer Banks from Seaside Vacations, had been urged by his wife to purchase some tickets and use his ‘luck of the Irish’ – I guess she was right!  Kelly Kerr won the in-home dinner for 4 prepared by Ratcliffe on the Green’s Executive Chef, Greg Balch.  She can hardly wait to go to the farmer’s market with Greg and see what sort of meal they can dream up together!

Let’s not forget what started the old beach ball rolling on this party . . . the BestQuest for the Best Beach in North Carolina.  Well, our party guests and community members voted for nearly 30 different beaches (not including any of the beaches outside of our fair state that received a few of your votes).   It is abundantly clear that you are PASSIONATE about North Carolina beaches.  And we love that so many of you offered your personal experiences and reasons for your votes – that is, afterall, one of the primary reasons BestofNorthCarolina.com is the place to come for honest information that only an insider can provide. Okay, okay, I’ll get to the point . . .

And the Best Beach in North Carolina, according to our community, is Wrightsville Beach! Wrightsville received more than ten percent of your votes.  What, you might ask, makes Wrightsville so spectacular?  Some of you offered some answers: Wrightsville is a “beautiful, clean beach”, great for “surfing, swimming, shelling.”  It’s the “best place for families with young children,” there are “no jellies;” and, all-in-all Wrightsville is” just a cool place to hang out!!”

Due to a number of ties, the other beaches rounding out the top 3 vote recipients, include Emerald Isle, Ocean Isle, Topsail, Atlantic and Oak Island.

You might be thinking I’m forgetting something important, and you’re right.  You’re on the edge of your seat wondering who the one lucky voter is who won the $500 drawing.  Am I right?  Since I am lacking a drum, I won’t delay any longer. Congratulations go to Jerry Carraway, our $500 winner!  Jerry may not have voted for Wrightsville (he actually chose Atlantic Beach), but he’s one of us and we’re happy to give him a little extra something to spend at the beach this summer.

Actually, congratulations go to all of you for helping us to have a successful event and raise awareness for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

We also want to give a very special shout out to our partner, Z 730 AM, Charlotte’s Home For Classic Hits. In addition to promoting the event to their radio listeners, Ken Conrad, host of “Mornings with Ken” from 6 AM -10AM, broadcast from the party with updates throughout the day and interviewed the talent and all of our sponsors who were generous enough to donate to JDRF. In addition to Ken Conrad, we’d like to thank Montressa Barbee, Lanny Ford, and Charles Heggen of Z 730 AM for lending a hand to the BestofNorthCarolina.com staff to help pull off a wonderful day of fun and philanthropy.  Make sure you listen to Z 730 AM every Friday morning for the BestofNorthCarolina.com “Peek of the Weekend” where we will share what people are buzzing about in the community and things to do around our great state.

What do you want the next BestQuest to be?  Mountains? Resort? You name it, we’ll consider it!

Carolina Beach Bash pictures by Len Weinstein / Genesis Photo

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Hi all!  We’re getting really excited about our first annual BestofNorthCarolina.com “Carolina Beach Bash,” and, in case you haven’t heard, YOU ARE INVITED!  The event, where we will reveal The Top 10 Beaches you voted for in the state, will be held at Aloft Charlotte Ballantyne, 13139 Ballantyne Corporate Place, in Charlotte on Saturday May 22nd, 2010 from 3PM-Midnight. Beside this being a fun way for us to announce our second “Best Quest,” it’s all for a great cause – all funds we raise at the event will benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The party itself is open to everyone, so tell all your friends, family and neighbors.  Let them know that there will be a real down home pig pickin’ with all the fixins’ supplied by BestofNorthCarolina.com columnist and Charlotte restaurateur, Zach Goodyear; and Jimmy Roupas, owner of the Charlotte Café, will provide his famous fried chicken.  We will also have sweet tea provided by Newk’s Express Café and drink specials from The Aloft’s  wxyz bar, including our secret recipe Shag-on-the-Beach and Southern Spiked Tea. In addition to the food and beverages, there will be plenty of games, fun and classic Carolina beach music.

For entertainment, we’ll be taken away by Chris Beachley, our MC. Chris has been owner of the world renowned Wax Museum oldies record store for over 38 years.  He has filled in as host for the “Sunday Night Hall of Fame” radio show on WBT and is also in the Beach Music DJ Hall of Fame. Through Chris, we have been able to secure noted DJ and beach music historian, Fessa John Hook.

Not that anyone need more than a fabulous DJ, but we will also have live performances from Billy Scott, of Billy Scott and the Prophets, Dr. Peter Renato, a classic jazz singer who has opened for the Drifters, Temptations, and sung with the Glenn Miller Band, and Lionel Cornelius, Sr., from The Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose. The music will get you moving, so there will be Shag lessons for those who want them and dance exhibitions throughout the afternoon and evening.

In addition, the first 500 attendees will receive a gift bag* that includes a number of prizes as well as a $100 coupon towards a beach house rental on the Outer Banks courtesy of our partner, Seaside Vacations, of Kitty Hawk.

We will have some additional guests, including Cigar Czar, Larry Good, owner of Charlie’s Premium Cigars , who will be offering discounted cigars and, Stacey Sims of WBT will be signing copies of her book, “I Can’t Cook, But I Know Someone Who Can,” which features 25 Charlotte chefs, 70 recipes and stories of Stacey’s many kitchen disasters. Both Larry and Stacey will be donating all proceeds to JDRF.

Along with the stellar line up of entertainment and food, there will be two major prize events. The first will be a drawing where one lucky member of the BestofNorthCarolina.com community will be selected at random to win a $500 cash prize*. You don’t even have to be at the event to win . . . but you do have to enter! If you are not a member of BestofNorthCarolina.com already and wish to enter the drawing, please either click on the Facebook connect icon (see image, left) on our home page, or click this link.  It’s free to join, and in addition to entering the drawing, you will become eligible for additional prize drawings, be able to write reviews, post Squawks, and get VIP specials and coupons.

The second major prize event will be our raffle where attendees can win multiple prizes donated by businesses throughout North Carolina. We have two Grand Prizes.** Our first grand prize is a 3 night/4 day stay in a 2 bedroom condo, on the Outer Banks courtesy of Seaside Vacations.  The second grand prize will be an in-home dinner party and wine tasting for four by Executive Chef, Greg Balch, of Ratcliffe on the Green.

In addition to the Grand Prizes, here are some of the other prizes you can win at the raffle**:

Home powerwash courtesy of Smittys Painting & Powerwash
Gift basket courtesy of SAS Cupcakes
Glass barrel Q-Midor of Premium Q Cigars, aged in Jack Daniels courtesy of Charlotte Cigar and Collectibles
Two season tickets courtesy of The Ballantyne Chamber Orchestra
Gift basket courtesy of Aloft Charlotte Ballanytne
PO Box for a year courtesy of Postnet (Rea Village location at Providence & Ardrey Kell)
One Edition of Windows 7 Ultimate courtesy of Microsoft
Complimentary haircut and gift basket courtesy of Pigtails & Crewcuts (Blakeney Crossing)
Golf bag courtesy of Providence Country Club
Gift certificate courtesy of The Sports Connection
Gift certificate courtesy of Charlotte Cafe
Gift certificate courtesy of Lorenzo’s Pizza
Gift certificate courtesy of Red Rocks Café
Family portrait courtesy of jennifer gaston photography
Two pounds of specialty coffee courtesy of Dilworth Coffee of Ballantyne Village

All proceeds will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Charlotte, North Carolina to help fund diabetes research. “JDRF is pleased to partner with BestofNorthCarolina.com and The Aloft Charlotte Ballantyne for this fun event. We hope that in addition to having a great time at a great venue, it will increase awareness about diabetes and JDRF’s mission of finding a cure for the millions of Americans whose lives are impacted by this disease,” said Laura Maciag, Executive Director of the Charlotte Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

To vote for the best beach in North Carolina please participate in the “Best Quest”.

Entertainment/Information

Beach Music

• Chris Beachley – Master of Ceremonies
• John Hook – DJ
• Billy Scott, of Billy Scott and the Prophets – performing beach and party classics such as the smash #1 hit song for 21 weeks on The Rhythm ‘N Beach Top 40 Chart, “My Kind Of Girl”
• Dr. Peter Renato – performing classic standards, jazz, doo-wop songs
• Lionel Cornelius, Sr., – performing classic hits from The Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose such as Bill Board Top 100 Hits “Treat Her Like a Lady” and “Too Late To Turn Back Now”
• Cigar Station – Charlotte Cigar will donate/sell Cigars, and all revenue will go to JDRF
• JDRF Station (Stacey Simms will be signing her book, and JDRF will have additional information)
• Raffle — Major Prizes Include: 4 day Beach Condo on Outer Banks from Seaside Vacations, Private Chef Provided By Ratcliffe on the Green for dinner for 4 in your home, Home Power Washing, Golf Bag, Bottle of Q Cigars, Microsoft 7 Ultimate, and we have dozens of other prizes as well
• Drawing $500 winner of Best Beach Vote/Announcement of the Top Beach
• There will be a gift bag the first 500 attendees.  Bag includes $100 Coupon for Seaside Vacations, WBT Pen, Carolina Pad Personal Notebook, BestofNorthCarolina.com keepsake and a variety of other items donated by North Carolina businesses.
• Games

Food and Drinks

• Pig Pickin’, including barbecue, slaw & corn sticks (Ratcliffe on the Green)
• Fried Chicken (Charlotte Café)
• Sweet Tea (Newk’s Express Café)
• Cash bar featuring Beach Bash specials (The Aloft Charlotte Ballantyne)

Schedule of Events

• Food and Drinks will be served from 3:00-10:00PM
• Entertainment and Events:
• 4:00-8:00p       DJ, Fessa John Hook
• 4:00-4:30p       Billy Scott
• 5:00-5:30         Dr. Peter Renato
• 6:00-6:30p       Lionel Cornelius, Sr.
• 8:30 PM            Raffle drawing**
• 9:00 PM            Announcement of Best Beach and $500 Drawing*

*   You do not have to be present to win the $500 drawing.
** You must be present to win the Grand Prizes and the Raffle Prizes.

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If you’re looking for the perfect summer getaway in North Carolina, understand that the state is full of little treasures that are waiting to be discovered.  North Carolina summers are unique and there are experiences to be had across the state that will trigger your senses and inspire awe.   Here are five great trip ideas to help you as you make your way across the state this summer.

Experience summer sound in the town of Duck.  The Outer Banks are unique to North Carolina and the summer experiences in Duck cannot be matched. As you stand on the boardwalk there, you can take in the beauty of the inlet sound and the opulence of the ocean. Whether you rent a seaside retreat or stay at The Sanderling Resort and Spa, be sure to visit Duck on a Tuesday or Thursday night, as the town hosts its summer music series.  From acoustic to jazz to bluegrass, the sounds provide the perfect framework for enjoying this quaint North Carolina treasure.

The 4th of July at Rodanthe is a special event that the locals love to tout. As you head down the coast, you must stop at Rodanthe to enjoy the beach on Independence Day. The town hosts a wildly popular celebration on that day, complete with a parade and a watermelon eating extravaganza. The event provides a mix of local flavor with the typical tourist trappings, but everyone is welcome on this day. Rent a house for cheap on the beach and stay for the week at the easternmost point of the Outer Banks. Here, the wind blows lightly after dark and the salt-filled air makes its way into your home.  Don’t forget your beach reading . . . a little Nicholas Sparks will round out your trip.

Celebrate history at the Grove Park Inn. Getting away from the beach, you could  certainly take the time to enjoy the beautiful Grove Park Inn.  This historical Asheville hotel celebrates its 97th birthday on July 10th, and few hotels can put on a show like this one.  Enjoy the coziness of the Great Hall Bar and get back to basics with a room in the Historic Main Inn. This is a spot that just oozes history and elegance, from the tuxedo-clad clientele to the hands-on service.

Don’t forget to check out Grove Park Inn’s award winning spa area, where light music and unbelievable treatment will make your day.

A short hop and skip away from the Grove Park Inn is the historic Biltmore. Visit here in late July, staying in one of the beautifully decorated rooms and spending your nights out on the expansive lawn.  During that time, the Steve Miller Band and the Temptations will play on back to back nights, which is a treat for even the most casual music lover. Though

this resort is large, they manage to treat each customer like a VIP, which is important on your getaway.

Summer is the time to shine in Highlands.  Though it’s ice cold during the winter, Highlands opens up during the summer. You can rent your own private home in Highlands for either a week or a weekend. No matter how long you stay, there should be plenty to do. From the Highlands Playhouse Theater Series, which happens on the plateau, to restaurants by Wolfgang Puck, you can enjoy yourself in Highlands.

No matter what you choose, relaxing by the beach, taking in the splendor of the mountains, or something in between, North Carolina is sure to provide you with plenty of wonderful memories

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