- Next on North Carolina Weekend, join us from Graylyn Estate in Winston-Salem as we highlight hidden gems around our state.

We'll visit the old mill of Guilford, the little town of Mount Olive and a farm-to-table restaurant in Asheboro.

Coming up next.

- [Announcer] Funding for North Carolina Weekend is provided in part by Visit NC, dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions from the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains, across the Piedmont to 300 miles of Barrier Island beaches.

You're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

[sprightly music] - Welcome to North Carolina Weekend everyone.

I'm Deborah Holt Noel, and this week we're exploring hidden gems around our state.

Right now I'm at the historic Graylyn Estate in Winston-Salem, a hotel and international conference center, which is listed on the national register of historic places.

When it was completed in 1932, it was the second largest home in North Carolina, only rivaled by George Vanderbilt's Biltmore estate.

We'll explore Graylyn's rich history later in the show, but first let's head to Oak Ridge, where one of the last remaining gristmills in our state has been making grain for over 240 years.

[majestic music] - The old mill of Guilford is one of the oldest running mills in the country.

It is a water-powered mill.

It was built in 1767 during the Revolutionary War.

General Cornwallis took the mill over to feed his troops, and he was on his way down to fight in the battle of Guilford, Guilford Courthouse.

[cannon fires] - Located in Oak Ridge, just Northwest of Greensboro, this historic landmark has been producing all natural stone-ground whole grain foods for over 250 years.

- Go back to the basics of how we used to do things.

We grind our grain here, and then we sell to the public.

We also take local people that come in and bring their eggs and we sell local sausage and things like that.

So it's just basically a step back in time and doing business the way it used to be done.

- There's no one that knows the old ways better than Annie Laura Perdue.

She's been the miller for over 14 years.

[mellow music] - I'm gonna adjust the millstones in order to determine what fineness or coarseness I need in my corn meal.

This is a blend that our customers like.

Once we mix it all together it has a little bit more texture to it, and people that buy our corn meal will generally like it better that way.

Well, I've been using the product for 50 years, myself.

That's how I first came to this mill as a young wife back in the '60s and everything was handmade then, hand packed, bags were hand stamped.

That's all I've ever used.

That's all I've ever used.

- Because if you look at history in general, a lot of the history is being kind of taken away from us.

And if you look at mills, more specifically, the mills are, are really changing into one, either museums, or two the kudzu or, or the, the natural environment's taking them over.

And we're still a commercial mill.

It's very important for us to maintain the integrity and the history of the mill so that people can understand really where we've come from and, and how we used to do things in the past and, and, and see it today and how it affects how we do things today.

- Visitors can stop in at the mill store for all of their whole grain and other fine foods, as well as crafts from North Carolina.

- I prefer the yellow because I think the yellow grits have more of the corn flavor, which I like, and the white don't have enough corn flavor for me.

- So we offer a variety of flour, cornmeal, grits, and polenta, and we offer a variety of pancake mixes, sweet potato, buckwheat, apple cinnamon, ginger.

We have scone mixes.

We have about seven different muffin mixes, sweet potato, bran, oat bran, cranberry orange.

Tea mixes, biscuit, hushpuppy, gingerbread.

- Well, we like the gingerbread.

Their gingerbread's awesome.

- The products are outstanding.

The people are friendly, just walking around the grounds and looking in the building is utterly fascinating.

- The old mill of Guilford is a popular tourist attraction that's open seven days a week, with interesting front porch discussions usually underway about the good old days.

- This is such a, it's a heart place.

You know, business is so driven right now for monetary success and for society now, that people need to realize that this is, this is like home.

Take a step back and just appreciate how things once were and how people worked so hard for something that they love.

- The old mill of Guilford is at 1340 North Carolina Highway 68 in Oak Ridge.

And it's open every day from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

For more information, give the mill a call at [336] 643-4783, or visit them online at oldmillofguilford.com.

- Aren't the gardens here at Graylyn just beautiful?

You know, another hidden gem in North Carolina is Surry County with its natural beauty, wineries and charming small towns.

Now technically last year was the sestercentennial of Surry County, but COVID-19 kind of ruined the party.

So they're celebrating their 250th birthday this year instead.

[happy violin music] - We are celebrating 250 years of our county.

And our, our hope is that we can share the unique parts about our history, but we can celebrate where we are today.

We want to produce a foundation for future generations.

- Surry County has a rich history.

We have a lot to offer here now, based off what's happened in the past, we should relish that, we should be proud of that.

- Surry County is located in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge Mountain region of North Carolina.

A lot of history's taken place here since being recognized as a county five years before the Declaration of Independence was drafted.

- We are planning a series of lectures, we're planning tours, bus tours, so that people can hop on and learn more about their county.

- For visitors who come here, it's very important to come see what Surry County is all about.

What took place here in years past, and for people to really embrace their history.

- The museums, historic sites, and beautiful towns are places to explore and discover.

The fascinating stories like internationally known conjoined twins, Chang and Eng Bunker, Andy Griffith's hometown, legendary fiddle player, the late Tommy Gerald, and all the beautifully preserved landmarks, like the Edwards-Franklin house.

- To enhance the experience that visitors have here, we have decorated this bedroom in the 1790 style.

We have beautiful decorative painting that was accomplished by a tin roof painter and an H and L hinge created by a blacksmith.

The Edwards-Franklin House is a perfect example of the history you can enjoy in Surry County during the 250th anniversary celebration.

- In addition to learning about the local history, travelers should take advantage of everything else this area has to offer.

- Surry County I like to say, has God equity.

Where else in North Carolina do you have four navigable rivers and two mountain ranges and just the natural and the cultural resources here abound.

[lively music] - It has taken people a long time to realize that our natural beauty and our heritage is important.

And today we find that that's the reason people come is because we're unique.

We don't look like everywhere else.

- There's still an old Southern charm here.

People are, are nice.

They greet you.

They're polite all the way from the farmers to our public officials.

That comes from living and growing up in a rural area.

There's tourism, there are vineyards here, wineries, great place to visit, great place to live.

- The big Surry County sestercentennial is scheduled for August 21st, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the historic Courthouse Square in downtown Dobson.

For more information, go to their Facebook page at Surry 250.

- Mallory, the estate here at Graylyn is just gorgeous.

Everything about it.

Can you tell me something about the history?

- Well, yes, actually back in the early 20th century, the captains of industry were leaving big cities and coming, retreating to the country.

Graylyn's Estate was actually part of RJ Reynolds land back at the turn of the century and Natalie Gray, Bowman Gray's wife, the original builders, actually purchased the land from Katharine Reynolds, 87 acres.

And that became their country escape, their solitude away from the big city life.

But today we are so close to Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Reynolda gardens and Reynolda village.

So when visitors come to Graylyn, not only do they have this wonderful experience of Graylyn and everything we have to offer on our now 55-acre estate, but you also have close access to everything that Reynolda offers as well.

So it's just steeped in history.

Also every room in this estate has a story.

Every room is a piece of history.

It was designed actually around the Grays travels.

We have a saying that Natalie Gray didn't bring home souvenirs, she brought home rooms.

This room that we're sitting in right now actually is the library.

And these wood panels were imported from a hotel in France.

- Well, you mentioned guests.

Tell me more about the visitor experience.

- So when you come to Graylyn, you feel like you have been transported back in time.

You drive down a sprawling driveway, and then you see this stone mansion come into view, and it feels like you're worlds away.

You have the entire first floor of the manor house, which has rooms that they actually used, where they sat, where they ate, where they lounged, where they entertained.

Well, you also have all of the acres outside that you could take advantage of, there are biking trails.

You can rent bikes.

There's a pond stocked with fish.

You can borrow a fishing pole from here and fish.

There's numerous lawn games.

You could also dine here.

You can go down to the basement where the grill room is where the Gray boys used to entertain their friends.

And it's now a bar that serves light fare, so you can catch the game there.

This is a wonderful place for weddings or events because the setting is so unique.

I think Graylyn is a hidden gem because it's so unexpected to stumble upon the stone seemingly castle in the middle of Winston-Salem.

It's so unique in the sense that the history is preserved here, but also you can stay and make this your home for the night or for however many days you stay.

You can really live the history.

- The Graylyn Estate is at 1900 Reynolda Road in Winston-Salem.

- For more information about booking a room or event, give them a call at [336] 758-2425, or check them out online at graylyn.com.

- When artist Seraphim Smith was asked to paint a mural for the town of Mount Olive, all he knew the town was famous for was its pickles.

There had to be more, right?

So he headed to Wayne County to get some inspiration and ideas for the mural, but he came back with a lot more.

- We run into a lot of people who are surprised that there is a place called Mount Olive.

- No mount, no olives.

So how did the town come to being called Mount Olive?

For years, passengers on the train would stop at Mount Olive and wanting to know where the mountain, where the olives were.

Locals would look beyond the stand of pine trees and say, well, beyond those trees is a little mountain.

And then they'd look across the tracks and a little old tree.

They say, well, that's the olive tree and the passengers were satisfied and went on their merry way.

- I am an artist and a chef and having designed an okra mural for Kinston, I am now creating a pickle mural for the quaint little town of Mount olive.

I like to get my feels for a place.

It helps to inspire my artwork.

I'm curious to find where people learn and play and where they socialize and eat.

These are the ingredients in a town which give it its flavor.

And I'm all about some good flavor.

Let's see what's shaking at the corner of Cucumber and Vine.

- We're open eight to five weekdays, all right.

And so we have all kinds of t-shirts and hats and all kinds of things with pickle on them, including pickle ornaments.

We also have pool pickles.

So if you really want to have your own three and a half foot size plastic pickle, I got you covered.

We actually use those and we convert that to our New Year's Eve pickle that we drop on New Year's Eve.

Of course, we also have pickles, the real kind, and you can buy pickles while you're here.

We don't offer public tours of our plant, but you can ask to see the tour DVD.

And when you do that, you get a free jar of pickles and a visitor pack.

So we make it worth your while.

- This hot summer sun has made me thirsty for a pickle beer.

Pickle beer, you say?

Yup, you heard me right.

For some people, a brewery is just a brewery.

But for the people of Mount Olive, the RNR brewery is a prime community hangout.

- We're open Thursday through Sunday, Thursday and Friday, 4:30 to 10:30 Saturday, one to 11 and Sunday, one to six.

And every day that we're open, we try to have a little something for everybody here.

We do trivia.

We do music bingo.

We have food trucks come in.

So it gives a variety of food for the people that live here locally and the travelers that stop by.

We're pet friendly and kid friendly.

And for folks that have RVs or campers, we have plenty of parking.

We have power and water hookups with them.

So we really want to try to make this a place for anybody and everybody to rest, relax, and enjoy.

- Now that my thirst is quenched, I'm heading over to the Mount Olive Museum.

Apparently there is an old picture of a young woman with what appears to be a pickle.

Yeah, I'm going to need to find out about that.

- One of the more interesting things that has happened was the 1952 pickle fest [indistinct] honoring the success of the Mount Olive Pickle Company.

And she was called Ms. Sweet Pickle.

And she was in a large plastic pickle on stage with Governor Kerr Scott.

And she popped out of that pickle, planted a kiss on his cheek.

And it was reported that he was a little surprised, but pleased with the gesture.

And so we did not have another festival until 1987.

- All this talk about pickles is well, making me hungry.

And I know just the place that feeds the body and the soul.

- So I do the soul food and then tried to mix it up with a little new, new swing in it.

It's always something different.

My waitress, they love the customers, my cooks, they love to cook.

They really enjoy cooking and been cooking for years.

- Whatever you do do decide to eat at Mama Kea's, you're going to love it.

And I'm not just gherkin your chain.

Having absorbed the culture of Mount Olive, I think I finally have my design for the new mural.

Power to the pickles.

Don't get sour on me now.

- For more information about things to do in Mount Olive, go to townofmountolivenc.org.

- Another hidden gem in our state is a charming shop, eatery and market in downtown Asheboro that sources its food from a local farm.

Producer Rebecca Ward decided to book a cabin at Back to Earth Farm and sample the fare at The Table Restaurant.

- I had heard so much about a restaurant in Asheboro that I just had to go check it out.

So I planned a weekend out in Randolph County.

Located in the heart of downtown, The Table Farmhouse Bakery is a charming shop, eatery and market where they serve cafe fare like sandwiches, salads, soups, and homemade desserts.

I found out that The Table sources some of its food from a local farm, which also offers a luxury cabin stay.

I decided to book the cabin at Back to Earth Farm, spend a weekend in Asheboro and finally sample the delicious food from The Table.

- When you hear the word table, I think for most people, a lot of beauty comes with that word and The Table just represents that place of stopping and having conversation and sharing an incredible meal together.

- Serving a delicious handmade meal was only the beginning of Dustie's vision for The Table.

Her heart was set on creating a gathering place for all.

And that intentionality of fostering community lent itself to the creation of The Market, which showcases local makers and their goods.

The Table also sources select food products from nearby businesses and farms, including the key ingredient for one very popular dinner special.

- Well on Thursday and Friday nights, people are calling ahead and going, okay, do you still have the burger?

Like, 'cause we, we make a lot of them, but they sell out so fast because they're so good.

- What I like about the beef from Back to Earth Farm is it is such good quality and blend of protein and fat and different cuts that I really just season it with salt and pepper.

That's all it needs.

- I love them because they're messy and they're juicy.

When you've gone to Back to Earth Farm and you've walked their property, which is so beautiful.

And you see how they take care of their animals.

Just building those relationships with our farmers has actually given me a whole new appreciation for food.

It doesn't just land in the grocery store.

- After visiting The Table, I headed down the road to Back to Earth Farm to learn more.

- Oh my gosh.

Hi.

Thank you so much for having me.

I'm so excited to finally be here at Back to Earth Farm.

- Hello Rebecca welcome to Back to Earth Farm.

- Hey.

- I'm Tom, this is Janice.

- Hey Tom, Janice.

- It's great to have you here and enjoy a little piece of nature.

- It's gorgeous.

The cabin, I can't believe it.

- We're getting ready to move the cows to a new pasture right now.

Would you like to help?

- Oh my gosh, absolutely.

Let's go.

That's great.

Let's go.

- Okay.

- Tom and Janice produce grass-fed beef but they really consider themselves grass farmers.

Their goal is to leave the land better than they found it.

And they do that with their cows, who they consider to be their employees.

They move their cows to different pastures based on how fast the grass grows, which really depends on the season.

Right now in the summer, they move a lot.

Today they're moving them into their new paddock and they are really excited.

- So the cows are your employees.

They give nutrients back to the soil.

Why is that important in terms of food and sustainability?

- What we found is that a person's health and the soil health are basically parallel paths, that if you start from the soil up and make the plants healthy, the nutrient-dense plants will create health in the cattle.

And that nutrient-dense food will make for the healthy human.

You don't need to know your doctor.

You need to know your farmer.

That's where your health comes from.

It's our mission to help people feel that connection again, like you felt when those animals came out and you could tell how happy they were and that's that feeling that's missing between people.

And if we are able to share that knowledge and convert people one at a time it's worthwhile to us.

It's meeting our mission at Back to Earth Farm of how do we reconnect people with the earth and the where their food comes from.

- When you trace the connections from plate to pasture, you can taste the difference.

Not only is local food better for your health, but it's also better for the environment and local farmers.

Farmers who bring us back to earth by dedicating their lives to the land and to feeding people.

And learning about farm to fork dining, you learn to appreciate restaurateurs like Dustie and what it takes to put food on the table.

- The Table is at 139 South Church Street in Asheboro.

And they're open Tuesday through Saturday.

For more information, check them out online at thetablefarmbakery.com.

Back to Earth Farm offers grass-fed beef, farm tours.

And if you're lucky enough to score a reservation, very popular high demand cabin stays.

So if you're interested in making that connection with nature again, head to backtoearthfarm.com for more information.

Well, that's it for tonight's show.

We'd like to thank the folks at Graylyn Estate for hosting us.

It truly is a hidden gem in our state.

And if you've missed anything in today's program, just remember you can always watch us again online at pbsnc.org.

We hope you have a great North Carolina weekend everyone.

Good night.

[happy music] - Funding for North Carolina Weekend is provided in part by Visit NC, dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions from the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of Barrier Island beaches.

You're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.