Nominate Your Carolina Hero

In an effort to honor the keepers of Southern culture (and we know there are lota of them in North Carolina and South Carolina) Southern Living Magazine is looking for nominees for their Heroes of the New South Awards. From farmers to storytellers, musicians to artisanss, Southern culture is rooted in and sustained by everyday heroes. The categories include Foodways, Architecture, Arts & Culture, and Eco-Preservation. The winner will appear in the February 2012 issue of Southern Living. But you've got to hurry....the deadline for submitting nominations is Monday, October 31st. Nominate your Carolina hero today!

Ski and Ride All North Carolina Resorts with the Gold Card

Winter is right around the corner. Seriously....it may not feel like it yet, but it's coming.  And the North Carolina Ski Areas Association has announced that the 2011-2012 Gold Card Season Pass is now on sale! The North Carolina Gold Card entitles the card holder unlimited skiing/snowboarding (regardless of holiday or weekend rates) at all six North Carolina ski areas including Appalachian Ski Mountain, Beech Mountain Resort, Cataloochee Ski Area, Sapphire Valley Ski Area, Sugar Mountain Resort, and Wolf Ridge Ski Resort.

Only 100 Gold Cards are available each season. And at $795 per card, it's quite the deal. So act fast.....they tend to sell quickly!

Click here for more information or to purchase a Gold Card. Or call 828-898-4521 Monday through Friday 8am-4pm.

Make Raleigh Your Personalized Destination

Whether you are a creative genius, an adrenaline junkie, a music maniac, a fashionista, or a foodie, Greater Raleigh has something for everyone. And their new Visitors Guide gives you great suggestions on how to craft your own visitor experience based on your unique (ahem, quirky) personality and interests. Called Destination ID, their seven travel personalities can give you tips and suggestions on attractions, dining, shopping, accommodations, sports and recreation that suits your preferences....not those of a guidebook author. Now why didn't we think of that?!

VisitNC.com - The North Carolina Coast Features Mild to Wild Adventures

Check out our feature on what mild to wild coastal North Carolina adventures are in store this fall on VisitNC.com. Pictured above is hang gliding off of Jockey's Ridge in the Outer Banks.

Cell Phone Tour Reveals Cheraw, South Carolina's History

Lafayette House - stop #18 on the Historic Cheraw Cell Phone Tour

Home to Dizzy Gillespie, civil war history, and historic architecture, the town of Cheraw, South Carolina on the Pee Dee River in the Northeastern midlands is making new history with one of the South's first cell phone tour. The Historic Cheraw Cell Phone Tour is a complimentary self-guided tour of Cheraw's 10-block historic distric and allows residents and visitors alike to visit the town's storied past.

This unique experience, created by the town in partnership with Blue Streak Cell Phone Tours, includes 25 stops at homes, churches and businesses, many pre-dating 1860, and gives a glimpse into Cheraw's past like never before. At each tour stop, a small exterior sign offers a local phone number and by dialing that number, the caller accesses information about each tour site.  The audio is accompanied by a tour map brochure that can be picked up at various government agencies and businesses throughout town.

What better way to experience Cheraw's history than with sights.....and sounds from your cell phone.
Stop by the Town of Cheraw Office of Tourism at 200 Market Street to learn more or to pick up your tour brochure.

South Carolina's First Legal Moonshine in Greenville

Located in the northeastern corner of Greenville County's Appalachian hills stands The Dark Corner, a part of the state rich in Revolutionary War history and moonshine memories. Settled by the Scottish, Irish and Welsh, these Celtic descendants brought with them the ancient Celts' knowledge of distilling grains to make "the water of life".

After the Civil War, when the government levied taxes on private distilleries, Dark Corner settlers began placing their distilleries in the woods and continued to make their whiskey at night to prevent from being caught by revenuers looking for illegal sites. Hence, the name "Moonshine" became known for homemade whiskey.

Dark Corner Distillery in Greenville, South Carolina is paying tribute to a bygone era by focusing on hand-spiriting small batch whiskey that utilize the time-tested methods and equipment of our forefathers.Their recipes include only the finest local ingredients which are hand selected and inspected for freshness in every batch. And, although their initial offering is simply American corn whiskey or "moonshine", they plan to expand into other spirits including bourbon, brandy, and beer schnapps.

Their micro distillery location in a 1925 building on Main Street in Greenville not only allows you to stop by and sample a swig of their hand-crafted Appalachian moonshine, but it allows you to watch it being prepared in a traditional, custom built copper pot still. And a visit to Dark Corner Distillery will give you a glimpse into the history and culture of the Dark Corner through their displays of local artifacts, plunder, crafts and artwork, and the sale of distillery promotional items and food pantry goods.

Prohibition has ended so stop by for a swig and a story.

Win a Foodie Vacation to Asheville, North Carolina

Foodtopia. It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Well actually, it's a nickname for Asheville, North Carolina----home of the world's only Foodtopian Society where food is the centerpiece of daily life with 12 farmers markets, nearly 250 independent restaurants and a micro-brew industry that's unparalleled.

And now, thanks to Tupelo Honey Cafe, you can win a trip to Asheville. Simply have a Tupelo party between now and the end of the year and tell them all about it. What's a Tuplelo party you ask? Simply a party where the food comes from the Tupelo Honey Cafe cookbook. Whether a sit-down dinner party or a casual tapas-inspired evening, pull out the cookbook, put on your aprons, and whip up a Tupelo shindig. Take photos or videos and tell the folks at Tupelo Honey Cafe about the soiree and you just might win a trip to Asheville that includes:

*A 2-night stay at Applewood Manor Inn in historic Montford

*Breakfast, lunch and dinner for two at Tupelo Honey Cafe

*Two tickets to Biltmore Estate

*An autographed copy of the Tupelo Honey Cafe cookbook

All entries must be in by December 31st so gather your dining and cooking partners and celebrate fall with a toast to Tupelo!

Have the Time of Your Life in Lake Lure, North Carolina

Who doesn't have a soft spot for Baby and Johnny and their romantic dancing and forbidden love in Dirty Dancing? You can have the 'time of your life' at picturesque Lake Lure, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. From all the interior dancing scenes and the quintessential lake lift to Baby dancing up the stairs and carrying a watermelon, Lake Lure served as the breathtaking backdrop of the classic film.

Step back in time at the 1927 Lake Lure Inn & Spa featuring an entrance hall filled with exquisite antiques and be transported to a true mountain getaway. If you are looking for romance, rent a pontoon boat, bring aboard a picnic dinner and take in the magnificent surroundings as you watch the sun set from the center of the lake. Stay in one of Lake Lure's many cozy cabins and feel like honeymooners for the first time all over again.

If your looking for relaxation, rent a condo, villa or lakeside home from Rambling Bald Resort and enjoy a leisurely stroll along the Resort beach where the stunning mountain vistas are reflected in the calm, pristine waters. Enjoy fine or casual dining, two golf courses, a full-service salon and spa, and an on-site recreation center.

And if adventure is what you are craving, spend the day hiking the trails at Chimney Rock Park, go water skiing with Lake Lure Adventure Company, or check out one of Lake Lure's two zipline courses.

All of this and the ability to channel your inner Baby or Johnny. Now that's the time of your life!

Charleston, SC Named Top City by Conde Nast Readers

In an unprecedented move, the readers of Conde Nast Traveler have voted Charleston, South Carolina the #1 tourist destination on the 2011 Reader's Choice Awards out in the November issue. Having played second fiddle to San Francisco for the past three years, Charleston finally knocked them off the perch that they've had for the past 18 years.

Whether it was Charleston's rich history, top-notch hotels and inns, award-wining chefs and outstanding restaurants, quaint shopping, gorgeous architecture, overall ambiance or their well-known hospitality, Charleston has done the remarkable. It has become the top tourist destination in the US and continues to hold its own alongside major powerhouse metropolitan areas, such as San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Boston.


Way to go Holy City!

VisitNC.com - North Carolina Puts Fall Colors on the Menu

Check out our feature on what North Carolina chefs and restaurants are doing to put a bit of fall on the plate (and the palate) on VisitNC.com. Pictured above is Top Chef Keith Rhodes' Sweet Potato Salad at Catch Restaurant in Wilmington, NC

Wenthworth Mansion Top B&B in America

Wentworth Mansion, located in the heart of historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, was recently selected as one of America's Best Bed & Breakfasts by Food & Wine Magazine. Featuring 21 well-appointed and luxurious rooms, this AAA Five-Diamond luxury hotel offers guests a true taste of Southern hospitality in an unsurpassed setting.

Built in 1886, the Wentworth Mansion is the former home of a wealthy cotton merchant. Lovingly restored in 1998 by current owners Richard Widman and Linn Lesesne, it retains many of the original and distinctive architectural features including gas-lit fireplaces with original marble mantels and inlaid design floors. Modern touches include king-size sleigh beds with European linens, whirlpool tubs and double glass-walled, walk-in showers, and complimentary evening wine tastings and hors d'oeuvres in the parlor.

According to Food & Wine staffer Alessandra Bulow, "America's best B&Bs are beautiful houses with modern amenities and fantastic, often homegrown food. The Wentworth Mansion's 21 rooms have modern amenities, like wireless internet service, plus antique details such as hand-carved marble fireplaces, intricate woodwork and Tiffany stained glass windows. Chef Marc Collins updates Southern dishes for dinner at restaurant Circa 1886, housed in the former carriage house. He also oversees breakfast, which might include sauteed shrimp and organic Carolina grits or rice-flour pancakes with maple syrup and homemade rabbit sausage."

VisitNC.com - Spaahh It in the Great Outdoors

Check out our feature on outdoor spa treatments (just in time for fall) at Old Edwards Inn and Spa in Highlands, North Carolina (and other soothing outdoor options around the state) on VisitNC.com.