- Next on "North Carolina Weekend", join us from Saxapahaw as we highlight seas sprays and blue ways around our state.

We'll explore Gaston County by water.

Go on a boat tour in Beaufort and forage for mushrooms in Alamance County.

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.

[upbeat music] ♪ - Welcome to "North Carolina Weekend" everyone.

I'm Deborah Holt Noel and today we are in Saxapahaw, a charming community on the banks of the Haw River that's reinvented itself as a destination for foodies, music lovers and more.

This is the Saxapahaw General Store that serves amazing made to order breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner.

It's really the beating heart of the community here.

We'll show you other places to visit in Saxapahaw throughout the show.

But first come with me as I headed to Gaston County recently on a family-friendly, Blue Trails adventure.

[upbeat music] - We are in Cramerton, somewhere in between like Gastonia, Charlotte area.

I'd say it's like five minutes from Gastonia, literally straight down the road and you're right here.

It's a good little stop, very in the center of the major cities.

It's nice.

The outdoors, we love it.

We love it here.

[women laugh] - [Deborah] And you'll probably love it too.

Especially for the developing attraction in this region, the 11 Mills Blueway Trail, encompassing both the South Fork and Catawba Rivers.

It's a perfect destination for an outdoor family journey.

So I brought mine to take in the scenic historic mill town views by water.

Our guide, John Searby of Catawba Riverkeeper.

- We're right in the middle of the 11 Mills Blueway, where we're sitting today.

And above us, there's a more advanced, a little more aggressive section of the river.

Tomorrow we're gonna be on a really gentle, lower section of the river.

- Seems like it's fitting for somebody bigger.

- We'll tighten up the sides and you'll be snug as a bug in a rug.

- I am so excited right now because the weather is just gorgeous.

We parked very easily over at Floyd and Blackie's Coffee.

Walk right over here.

John, with Catawba Riverkeeper has outfitted us for safety.

And this is the Southport Catawba River.

What's really cool about this river is that we're gonna be paddling a very mild stretch.

And I am not inexperienced kayaker and neither is my family.

So I am looking forward to a relaxing but fun experience.

We're gonna start at Goat Island Park in downtown Cramerton.

And we're gonna paddle about 3/4 mile around, underneath a beautiful historic old railroad trestle.

And we're gonna take out at Riverside Park, also in Cramerton.

- Yeah, everything is just beautiful.

You know, just, being able to get out in nature and enjoy ourselves, it's very relaxed.

And that's something that I wasn't expecting.

And then just to ride down and to enjoy taking in nature and see others who are out there, either fishing or kayaking themselves.

It's just a great way to enjoy a beautiful part of our state.

- [Deborah] The paddle was a breeze for all of us, including my daughter, Malia, who'd never been in a kayak before.

She survived the trip without getting wet, not the experience of my husband, Jerel who toppled his kayak and became a member of the Southport swimmer's club.

All good though.

Fun and safety are paramount for Catawba Riverkeeper.

And John had not only outfitted us with life jackets, but his own wife and daughter as our experienced guides.

- My name is Josie Searby, and I've been paddling for as, before I knew how to hold a paddle.

I mainly like it because it's relaxing.

And I love the landscape.

- [Deborah] With Catawba Riverkeeper's primary mission to protect and preserve the river waters, John knows the best way to get others excited about doing the same is to get them out on the water and engaged with the river.

[upbeat music] Catawba Riverkeeper together with the Carolina Thread Trail and Cramerton Parks and Recreation offer numerous guided tours, camps and events throughout the year.

- [John] The communities are building kayak and canoe launches.

They're putting amenities, park amenities, right next to the river.

Businesses are then sprouting up and putting restaurants and coffee shops and ice cream stands near those launches so that when a family's out paddling, they take out, they're not in a remote area.

They're in a cute little small downtown area and really can make a whole day of being on the water, walking on the trail and hanging out at the local businesses.

- [Deborah] And that's exactly what we did.

After the paddle we were ready for a bite to eat.

- The name of this restaurant is Mayworth's Public House.

They have amazing appetizers, entrees, even great desserts that are made in that coffee house right down there, Floyd and Blackie's.

I come here, I have to admit, about four or five times a week.

Definitely on weekends for their amazing brunch menu and drink specials.

- [Deborah] We also returned to Floyd and Blackie's to satisfy our sweet tooth.

- [Woman] Yeah, ice cream.

You can get specialty coffee like lattes, cappuccinos.

Our specialty, affogato milkshakes.

- Those are delicious.

Which is so yummy.

It is a milkshake.

And instead of using milk, we use an espresso shot.

Very comforting to come and get breakfast, then your morning coffee, and sit outside and listen to the birds or sit out on the river.

It's very relaxing, peaceful down there.

And then you have everybody going, oh, hey.

And you're like, oh, hey.

[women laugh] - [Deborah] We were also within walking distance of Goat Island Park, a pretty, open, green space.

Families will love the playground and other recreational features like cornhole, ping pong and disc golf.

And no need to buy equipment.

You can actually just rent it right at the nearby recreation complex.

Aim for the trees, right?

- [Man] This is a disc for disc golf.

It is not a Frisbee for Frisbee golf.

Disc golf is a lot like regular golf, except you're using these discs.

And you're usually playing in the woods.

We get lots of prom pictures out here.

Engagement photos.

My son's one-year old photos were actually taken at this tree.

So it is probably one of the most photographed places in Cramerton.

- [Deborah] Cramerton and Gaston County was a breath of fresh air in every way.

Friendly locals, quick to offer a smile and hello, plenty of food choices and the natural gifts of the Catawba River.

Definitely goes on my list of favorite places to visit.

For more information about the Gaston County Blueways Trail, go to gogastonnc.org, and look for South Fork Blueway or go to catawbariverkeeper.org.

This is Hall River Farmhouse Ales tucked away in the old mill complex in Saxapahaw.

They have really great ales and brews.

Now, if you're vacationing in the Outer Banks, another very popular craft brewery is the Outer Banks Brewing Station located in Kill Devil Hills, where the beer making process is powered by the wind.

[relaxing music] - [Group] Cheers!

- [Man] People come here.

We hope they leave with full stomachs, enjoyed our beer, got outside, their kids got to play on the pirate ship.

Maybe listen to some music, just have a good time.

- That's really good.

- [Man] Brewing Station is known for a lot of different things.

We're a brewery, we're a restaurant.

We have live music.

We generally run on tap about 12 beers.

You brew everything on site.

We only have two that stay on year round.

One is an Olsch, it's a cold style beer.

It's our lightest beer.

And then we've got a Lemon Grass Wheat that's always available year round.

- Everything else rotates early in this season.

We do a lot of lagers.

And then we, in the summer, with the heat and the speed, we do a lot of ales.

We do our seasonal beers, of course.

I think we've counted out over 170 different beers over the time that we've brewed.

- [Reporter] A period of time that now stretches back decades.

Eric Reece and Aubrey Davis first talked about opening a brewery back when they served together in the Peace Corps in the early 1990s.

A decade later in 2001, their dream became a reality when the Outer Banks Brewing Station welcomed its first customers.

- [Aubrey] We started out as a higher end, just exclusively dinner restaurant.

And then as the entertainment end of it kind of unfolded, we were brought into to doing more and more music.

And then we expanded into lunch.

- [Eric] Our food is known for, of course it's seafood.

We have a lot of that.

- [Aubrey] Shrimp and grits.

And then we have a wonderful scallops on risotto dish.

- [Eric] We've got an innovative chef who does some incredible specials.

- Good all-around food, anything from steaks to bratwurst to bar food, if you want it.

And we like it all.

- [Reporter] So much so that Ty Huband and his wife, Elizabeth have the Outer Banks Brewing Station on their must do list every time they're in town.

The dedication to doing everything locally is a big part of the appeal.

- We really like going only to places with micro breweries and local beer.

So we love coming in here knowing it's being made, sitting outside, listening to music.

We like everything from a light beer to a stout.

So we kind of do a mix of everything.

It's one of our favorite stops.

When you find a wind turbine, it's when you're turning in to have a beer.

- [Reporter] Without a doubt, the wind turbine helps make the Outer Banks Brewing Station a bit easier to find.

But it's much more than a beacon or showpiece.

Sustainability is just as fundamental to the Brewing Station as its pints and platters.

- Everybody on the Outer Banks and the people that visit the Outer Banks, your first feeling is the connection to the environment.

- [Eric] It's important to us personally.

We live on a sandbar that is a very fragile environment.

So anything that we can do to make things better, we're willing to try it.

The wind turbine is the first turbine onsite of any restaurant or brew pub in the country.

And we confirmed that with the Brewers Association and the National Restaurant Association back when we first got it up.

It saves us anywhere from, depending on the month and the wind, anywhere from 200 to $350 a month.

- [Reporter] The wind turbine is the focal point of an outdoor space that features a full bar and eating area, games and activities for kids and a stage for live performances.

The turbine may be the most prominent, sustainable element of the Brewing Station, but it's not the only green amenity attracting customers.

- I was looking for charging stations along the coast.

And I saw that the Outer Banks Brewing Station had a charging station.

And that was really cool.

I said, well, maybe we could come out here and charge and have some food and have some beer too at the same time.

- [Reporter] The three electric car chargers, two for Teslas and one universal are one of the Brewing Station's newest additions.

There's also a Pasture to Plate program with byproducts from the brewery one day making their way back onto the menu.

At least indirectly.

- [Aubrey] Our spent grain that comes out of our brewing process is picked up by Cartwright Farms.

Raises our cattle on our spent grain.

And then we buy them back from him.

- [Rudy] This is a very unique vibe to have all of the sustainability options with the wind and the charging and the food and outdoor seating.

It is unique.

That's why we're here right now.

- [Aubrey] There's a lot of places on the Outer Banks that you go to that are must visits.

And I've always hoped and then believed that we could become one of those points of interest.

We morph to what the community asks of us.

- [Eric] It's been a great 20 years and we're looking forward to more.

- [Deborah] Outer Banks Brewing Station is at 600 South Croatan Highway in Kill Devil Hills and they're open every day except Tuesday.

For more information, give them a call at [252] 449-2739, or go online to obbrewing.com.

Saxapahaw sits on the banks of the Haw River, a beautiful, but endangered river that flows from Greensboro to Wilmington.

Another exciting natural water environment is the Cape Lookout National Seashore.

As we celebrate National Oyster Day in August, let's go on a Seavisions boat tour in Beaufort.

- [Man] Down here in Carter County, in Beaufort, North Carolina, we call the tourism season the 100 Day War because it lasts from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

That is our high season.

That's when all the tourists are here.

So you literally have about 100 days to make your money in the tourism industry here.

What I really, really wanted to do was to show people around, take them on tours, specifically of the Cape Lookout National Seashore, Rachel Carson Reserve.

We have so much beauty on these islands over here.

That's what I really wanted to do.

The National Park Service had a moratorium on their permits, which means that you couldn't get a permit to operate commercially on the National Park.

They weren't allowing anymore.

Then the moratorium was lifted and I was literally on their doorstep the next day.

Today, we're going to wander out.

We're gonna go see if we can find some ponies first thing this morning.

Then over to the Rachel Carson Reserve.

We'll leave there, depending on what the wind does.

It's supposed to actually lay out a little bit as the day goes on.

To affect people's lives.

And to see them remember this for years.

No matter what job you do, you cannot put a monetary value on that.

[upbeat music] Families come down here and they get away from all the commercialization.

They leave their phones at home.

They leave their video games unplugged and they come out and they experience what this world has to offer.

And especially in this environment around here, not only do you have water, but you have land.

And you have all types of different creatures, whether they be waterborne creatures or airborne creatures or the horses.

- [Girl] Horses!

- [Woman] Oh, they're playing.

Oh my goodness!

They're so cute.

The wild horses on these islands, it's incredible to see them in their habitat, just surviving and living off the land.

Having the kids go out and have fun in the waves.

So great to see them touching into their wild side, in their adventure side a little bit.

And as much as I love it, I'm trying to be the protective mom and keep them safe.

- [Boy] Look at these.

- [Cara] We've run into a little snag.

There was a little plant called the prickly pear and my son, 11 years old, stepped on it.

And Captain Monty came to the rescue and he pulled the little spikes right out for him.

He didn't even shed a tear.

- [Captain Monty] I think we've got it all out of there, buddy.

- Like I've stopped looking at what was around me to actually listen to what he had to say.

I mean, going all the way back to, from Carrot Island to Cat Island, I'd never knew what the heritage behind, the history behind the drawbridge.

- [Captain Monty] The last time the drawbridge got stuck open was prom night.

Supposedly, if you look back at the charts in the early days we see this island referred to as Cart Island, C, A, R, T, Cart Island.

The cartographers that came in a little bit later that drew the newer maps could not understand our local people.

So we literally believe that they didn't understand what they were saying and they named it Carrot Island now.

If you'd have come to Beaufort back in the days, this is what we'd have looked like everywhere.

Working waterfronts over the entire Front Street waterfront was there to support the fishing industry.

This is what it's called dredge spoils.

The Harkers Island was originally settled by the Mormon faith.

The jelly fish, when they have tentacles, what stings you is called a nematocyst.

Interestingly enough, sea oats are not indigenous to the beach either.

So he took the seeds from the Gaillardia and spread them all over the Outer Banks to memorialize his wife.

So the legend says.

I can talk about all this stuff because I've been here most of my life.

And was fortunate enough to sit on the docks with some of the old timers around here and listen to their stories and soak it in like a sponge when I would go.

- You cannot take away what a local can give back to the people that come to visit.

You get to know someone and have the opportunity to be on a tour with someone like this gentleman, you'd want to come back.

- [Deborah] Seavisions Charters is at 103 Cedar Street in Beaufort.

To book your cruise with Captain Monty, go to seavisions.net.

This area up here is The Eddy Pub, a popular lunch and dinner spot with a stunning view of the Haw River.

The Eddy uses foods that are locally sourced, including mushrooms that come from right up the road here.

Let's join Heather Burgess with "My Home, NC" and meet the family behind Haw River Mushrooms.

♪ Come home ♪ ♪ Come home ♪ - [Man] Do you know what those are called?

- [Child] Mushrooms.

- [Man] Yeah.

They're called mushrooms.

They're called Lion's Mane.

- [Child] Oh, yeah.

- [Woman] We grow fungus for a living.

[lively music] Are they pretty?

[lively music] I would go ahead and dice up the Lion's Mane smaller and cook it with butter.

A lot of people, particularly in the United States, a lot of people did not grow up foraging mushrooms, and they think of them as toadstools.

And it's kind of a, there's a term mycophobia.

We're kind of a mycophobic culture that we've been raised to almost be afraid of mushrooms.

Going on a mushroom hunt.

Gonna catch a big one.

But you have like 40,000 pet worms.

My name is Laura Stewart.

- My name is Jess Stewart.

What are you doing with the spoon?

- [Laura] Our girls are Sarah and Ella.

They're three years old and they are twins.

And our home is Saxapahaw, North Carolina.

[lively music] We're mushroom farmers.

We specialize in hardwood mushrooms.

Most of what we do is sell fresh mushrooms.

And we've just started doing some prepared foods like oyster mushroom jerky and Lion's Mane crab cakes.

[woman singing] We just got unbelievably lucky that we ended up in the Piedmont and central North Carolina.

It's been such a good fit for us, it's such a strong, small farming community, such an amazing culinary scene.

We're really happy to be raising our girls here.

They, if you ask them, they'll say that they have a job and that they're both mushroom farmers.

Ella said, I'm a mushroom farmer, but I grow different mushrooms than Sarah.

They're differentiating.

- There's a little competition there.

- [Laura] It's interesting.

Mushroom farming is starting to become more of a thing in North Carolina.

A lot of people will assume we grow soil-based mushrooms like portabella and cremini, you know, so we'll kind of explain the difference in our production.

- We actually grow everything on sawdust.

- [Heather] Is that a normal process with sawdust?

Is that normally what most mushroom farmers would do?

- A lot of people that grow exotics like we do will use sawdust.

What we do is we mix a substrate.

So we mix all the materials that go into each bag, seal it, and then sterilize it and then inoculate it with the culture.

So once it leaves the lab, we let the mushrooms grow and colonize that material in this room.

- [Heather] And so you're growing how many varieties of mushrooms?

- 10 to 12 a year.

Different varieties throughout the year.

- [Laura] This is the grow room.

And this is where, after the mushrooms have been inoculated and colonized, we bring them to actually fruit.

We can grow quite a few different varieties of mushrooms using that substrate.

So here, you're seeing blue oyster mushrooms.

- What's really cool, I think, is you partner with a lot of local restaurants to be able to provide them with unique mushrooms to use for their dishes.

- [Laura] We're really lucky to be in the triangle and with the culinary scene that we have here.

So at this stage in our business, we have chefs who've been buying from us for coming up on five years.

So every week we're there and it's a true relationship.

- [Man] Hey, Seth.

If you have a second, would you grab me like two or three tomatoes?

We try and keep it as seasonal as possible.

But having the mushroom year round really is a benefit for our vegetarian dishes and just putting a little twist on anything else.

- [Laura] A lot of it, I think, that motivates us is building a business that is making a better world for our girls and for their generation.

- [Deborah] Haw River Mushrooms Farm is at 1122 Ossabaw Way in Graham.

And they're open Monday through Friday.

On weekends you can find them at several farmer's markets in the triangle and triad.

For more information, go to hawrivermushrooms.com.

We are inside the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw.

And this space was actually once the dye room for the textile mill.

As you can see, the dye tank is still standing.

Today it's a music venue and community space.

And it's set to reopen in September 2021.

And everyone is excited to see and hear the good news.

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

We've had a great time here in Saxapahaw, a friendly, quaint community that's located in Alamance County.

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

Have a great North Carolina weekend everyone.

Goodnight.

[lively music] ♪ [lively music] [lively music] - [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.