[piano intro] - [Deborah] Next on "North Carolina Weekend," join us from High Falls at the DuPont State Recreational Forest as we check things off our bucket list.

We'll spend the night on a lighthouse, explore an ancient river, and learn the joys of owning a winery.

Coming up next.

- [Announcer] Funding for "North Carolina Weekend" is provided in part by VisitNC, 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 folksy banjo music] ♪ - Welcome to "North Carolina Weekend," everyone.

I'm Deborah Holt Noel, and this week we're at DuPont State Recreational Forest, a magical place just outside of Brevard, with hiking trails, beautiful old-growth woods, and, of course, waterfalls.

This is High Falls right behind me.

It's over 100 feet high and simply spectacular, definitely a place on my bucket list.

And in fact, that's the theme of tonight's show, places to go and things to do that are on your bucket list.

And we start out with a place that's simply amazing.

Located more than 30 miles off the coast of Cape Fear, the iconic Frying Pan Tower has long served as a beacon and landmark for wayward mariners.

Now decommissioned, its new owner, Richard Neal, is offering eco tourists a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stay on the tower and interact with a major piece of maritime history up close and personal.

Let's join Chelsea Goodnight as she shows us why we must restore, preserve, and protect this American relic before it's too late.

- What's up, "Weekend" warriors?

If adventure is calling, Ridgefield maybe on the other end of the line.

This "Weekend's" story brings us to Frying Pan Tower, historic landmark turned ecotourism hotspot for thrill-seekers and nature lovers alike.

Oh, and did I mention it's also over 30 miles offshore in international waters?

But don't worry, we won't leave you hanging.

Let's check it out.

- All right, get your feet up.

All right, I'll bring you right in here.

- If that is the way this weekend starts.

I can't wait to see how it's gonna end.

- Hi, I'm Richard Neal.

I'm the executive director of the nonprofit FPTower, Inc. And what do I do?

I restore the facility we are in currently.

Originally, Frying Pan Tower was for the safety of the mariners that were going out here.

The tower was actually the end result of several hundred years of people knowing about the shoals and trying to avoid them.

And in this case, the Frying Pan Shoals goes about 35 miles out into the ocean and has caused thousands of shipwrecks over the years.

Let's go on into the rec room where all the Coast Guard guys used to hang out.

This was the main area for them to spend their time, with everything from eating dinner, to watching TV or playing pool.

We've hung up flags that have been here through hurricanes and through storms, and we've auctioned off a lot of them and given away the proceeds to other charities that needed them.

We fly about one a month, and then it's time to be replaced.

- Yeah, looks like these flags have seen a lot, for sure.

- They've had a rough life.

- [chuckles] Yes.

- When I was out here and thought I'd be going back to shore for one of these hurricanes, the chopper didn't come.

And we were here, and we got to see what it was like to be in 110-mile-an-hour winds.

We've been through many hurricanes.

Now we're experimenting with actually having livestreams of what's going on right here because I want you to be able to watch this, look on your phone, your smart device, and feel like you are right there next to a hurricane with a flag fluttering in the wind on one of the major channels, for example, or with the underwater camera with the sharks cruising by.

Or you're watching ray batting itself across the sea floor.

So if you are stuck on shore, you can always have a viewpoint into some of the habits of the creatures in the ocean, whether or not there's sharks or other fish that have been tagged.

Knowledge is power.

All those different ways of reaching people and letting them see what we have is a way for them to better understand and be part of what we're doing.

So as we go down the main hallway, the whole facility is set up on a north, south, east, west corridors with that being the sun over there, sunrise over there, North Star at night, and southern breeze that we feel right now, nice and cool.

- [Chelsea] Yeah, can't complain about the views, that's for sure.

- Oh, it feels good.

Come on down and take a look at the room we've got laid out for you.

- [Chelsea] Ooh!

- Check it out.

- Very nice.

- [Richard] You get one of the queen rooms.

You're in the Roanoke Room.

- Very nice.

- And you'll notice all the rooms are laid out with names of the various North Carolina lighthouses around here.

- Oh, okay.

- This was the most important room in the whole facility because it had all the radio communications.

It had all the wind instrumentation, which I actually think comes off rather well.

- I think so.

It's nautical chic.

- And just a little heavy duty.

We'll also notice we have livestreaming through the internet through the access that we've created straight to shore 56 miles away.

Now later on tonight, when you get a chance, and the sun goes down with the sunset over there, be watching up in the sky through the telescope.

Take a look right up that direction, and you're gonna see the moon bigger than you've ever seen it because we're in a dark sky location, and it's still really full and bright tonight.

- [Chelsea] Oh, my gosh, that's incredible.

[laid-back music] - People ask me, why did I buy the tower?

Providing a research station that was truthfully designed as a home gives people the ability to come out in a stable platform that we're restoring so they can have a place to stay, have communications, do their work, and then safely get back to shore by helicopter.

This is not about making money.

This is about making a future for people that can learn about our oceans, experience them themselves, and educate people about how to take care of this world that we live in.

- [Radio Operator] Frying Pan Tower, this is NOAA [indistinct] stereo channel one, six.

- Copy on six.

This is Richard on the tower.

- [Radio Operator] Right now, we're headed right next to the tower.

There is a shipwreck in this area that we're gonna try and map tonight and potentially dive on with scuba divers tomorrow.

And what we're doing here is evaluating and assessing how to place artificial reefs in the future so that it can officially thrive and help fishing communities as well as the ecosystems in the area.

- We're gonna step outside.

We have a handheld on channel six.

Hey Chelsea, you guys were able to get a little bit of stuff for the researchers?

- Yeah, we got this soil sample off the bottom.

It sounds like the college has a pretty cool program.

So like you can literally just drop these soils samples off when you're on shore.

- [Visitor] Yeah.

- Wow, that's actually cool.

When we bring volunteers out, the question is always, well, what are we gonna do?

When you're out here, it's never boring.

The tower being out here, you have to keep wrapped into your mind, how is this benefiting others?

How are we providing information to others, researchers, marine biologists, weather and climate people, scientists from all around the world?

If I can provide information, if I can do viewpoints into things, then the people that have the experience and the knowledge to really make some brilliant deductions can see this information and help make it safer for the people over on shore when a hurricane comes.

Or for that matter, if we can have a camera that's being used by the Coast Guard so they can look through it six miles that way, when I'm not even here, through our microwave connection to determine whether or not someone on that boat is truly in distress or if they just sat down on their emergency beacon, keeping people safe, that's a big part of being out here.

When the tower was built, it was built with a 50-year lifespan, estimated, and when they were done with it, they were looking for a way to get rid of it.

They were planning originally on just decapitating it and dropping the top down in the ocean, creating a natural barrier reef area.

But they were stopped by the local fishermen who decided that they did not want their icon out in the ocean to be destroyed.

So many boaters, as they're going past, know that this represents basically the outreaches of America out here with us saying, yes, we will help you if we possibly can.

And obviously it struck a chord in me.

- [Radio Operator] Frying Pan Tower, this is Cape Hatteras on one, three.

- [Richard] This is Richard on the tower.

Sir, we got a boat that's just off to our southeast, by our small-wave buoy.

They are having some motor problems, and they are looking for someone to help them drag back to dirt.

Anybody including yourself might wanna throw a rope to 'em.

I'm sure they'd be very appreciative.

- Frying Pan Tower, in addition to providing the B&B or the volunteering opportunities that the tower provides, it's a safe haven for mariners.

It's a place that many of us will consider a grocery store.

We'll go there to harvest fish, but it's a dangerous game to be out that far.

But there's always some sort of communication and safety net with that.

- [EJ] Just having the tower out there functional gives us another point of radio contact.

It's so unique in its own way.

You're out in the middle of the ocean, but on a safe, solid platform.

And then you get in the water, and on a good day, it's like just crystal clear.

You would think you're in the Bahamas, and there's just so much life.

- [Stephanus] Us as free divers, we're literally just moving left and right and back and forth around the tower and going to specific rocks and reefs and areas that we hunt certain fish species and find lobster.

It's unreal.

- [EJ] Yeah, it takes a special someone to wanna share that experience with other people.

It's hard to describe it sometimes, and only getting people out there to experience it themselves is the only way to really understand the sheer beauty of it.

- [Visitor] I haven't bought seafood at a store in, - [Visitor] Here, I'll bring that in.

- [Visitor] Okay, got a little bit of [indistinct] for ya.

Guys.

- Yeah!

- [Stephanus] People should visit so that they can contribute to keeping it above water.

We're blessed to have it.

- [EJ] Yeah, it's very rich and abundant, right here in our backyard, and it's a very special place, one of a kind.

- Wow.

- [Visitor] Yeah.

Wow, dude, I gotta get a beer.

- Oh, yeah.

- It is interesting to me when people come out here, most of the time, they don't really know quite what to expect.

Yeah, they're gonna work hard.

We have all the tools that they would need, but then we also have the refreshments for after a hard day's work.

It's our job to let you know that as much as we love this place, we love the fact that you're here and helping us.

And when you do that, you get our thanks.

You get our gratitude.

You get everything we can do to make your trip here as pleasant and as enjoyable as we possibly can.

So we've thrown open the doors.

We've made it so if you wanna come, and you're able to make a donation, enough to assist us with basically getting you here and back and feeding you while you're here, you're welcome.

You're not only welcome.

You're needed.

And the tower, for it to actually survive another decade, people have to not just go, "Oh, that's cool."

They need to say, "What can I do to help?"

You wanna help?

Tell everyone.

That is the way to take and just accelerate what we're doing 'cause if we keep this place up and going before it falls down, that next generation takes it and continues to increase their knowledge and understanding about this world of which we only have one to live in.

We better get it done.

I'm gonna get this side nut on just enough.

- [Visitor] And then we'll pull it back out.

- [Richard] Pull it back, and then you tighten it.

All right, there you go.

- Okay, cool.

- It's all yours.

- [Chelsea] I'm learning so much here.

- Because I've been coming out here for over a decade now, I've learned that people can go beyond themselves with their knowledge, their skills, their abilities, and achieve incredible things.

[gentle contemplative music] The tower has actually made me think about life itself.

I don't want any regrets.

Things that you wanna have happen are worth working for.

If you have a job that you absolutely adore doing, and if you are presented with something different and new challenges every day, it's the best job in the world.

And so my advice to anyone watching this is that you have your own tower in your mind, in your heart, that you may have not done.

Maybe there's a book that you've not yet written.

There's a activity or a language you've not learned.

What are you waiting for?

Jump into it.

Put all your effort into it that you possibly can.

The worst thing that can happen is you fail.

The best thing that can happen is is that you tried.

[gentle contemplative music continues] - To find out more about the Frying Pan Lighthouse and to support, preserve, or even spend the night on this iconic tower, go to fptower.org.

Rivers hold stories that stretch for centuries.

The Coharie people have a long history with their river, and now they're sharing its message with the world through parts of an unforgettable tour experience that should definitely be on your bucket list.

We joined them on a paddle in Sampson County to learn more.

[gentle music] - The river is definitely a living entity within our community.

It is not some place to just come to, you know?

It is alive and well and thriving.

When you hear the wind whisper through the trees, it's telling a story.

- [Greg] I hear the river say, "I knew your ancestors that you didn't know.

I was here for them then, and I'm here for you."

- As Native people, we all have a really deep connection to land, to place.

Here in North Carolina, all of our tribes are situated around water, and so we have our own waterways that we have these deep relationships to.

The news about what's happening in the Coharie River is spreading, and it's such an example of what we can do when we reclaim relationship to these spaces.

There's people coming from all over the country coming to the river now.

- 2011, I became the tribal administrator for the Coharie Tribe for the second time.

One of our elders, 80-some years old, she said, "What about our river?"

She didn't say, "What about the river?"

She said, "What about our river?"

[gentle music continues] The frequency of huge storms and hurricanes and straight-line winds is what contributed to the river being in the shape that it was in and then for mankind not to be aware or not to care enough to come to the aid of the river.

How do you clean out a river?

We had no money.

We had no tools, had no manpower.

But my pride comes from our resilience, our indigenous knowledge and ability to make a way where there is no way and not giving up from maintaining our hope.

- When we started the Great Coharie River Initiative, Greg always talking about, "The river took care of us when we were growing up.

Now it's time for us to take care of it."

[tribespeople chanting in Native language] [water lapping] [birds chirping] - I'll never forget the day Philip called me and said, "Hey, I've got something for you, and I want you to tackle it."

He was very passionate about the debris removal project and once the rivers got cleaned out, trying to turn this into a tourism industry.

Our guided kayaking services is called Coharie Downriver Explorations, that you get to go through the culture center and see where we powwow and our museum of artifacts and all the activities that we have at our tribal center.

And then you get to go down the Coharie River and experience that with a Coharie guide.

We can loosen 'em, tight 'em if we need to.

Yeah, man.

All right, your paddle, keep it to where you can read your label.

If you can paddle backwards, you can get out of any situation.

- Gotcha.

- So you can push against the water.

- Okay.

- And when you get out there in a little bit, try playing around with it.

- Okay.

- [Kullen] Once all the logistics get ironed out, and you're in that water, nothing else matters.

- I already have a love and a respect for nature, but it was just refreshed.

[kayaker chattering] The coolness of the water, [chuckles] I kept putting my feet in it and my hands and just like laying back 'cause it just felt so good.

It was beautiful, and they encouraged you to see that beauty and sit in it and appreciate it, which is not something I've ever had on other recreational, like rafting or tubing trips.

- Because I was in such a fast kayak, I was often like upfront with a lot of the tribal members.

The way that they just included me in conversations made me feel really welcome.

I didn't feel like a tourist.

I felt like a guest.

- When you're paddling this river with the Coharie, as opposed to just paddling it by yourself, it's such a deeper experience to be in relationship with the people who are in deepest relationship with this water, with this land.

Just to understand that deep connection launches so much more understanding of each other as people, understanding of our history, understanding of just the importance of protecting these spaces.

- [Greg] I would invite everybody to come to the Coharie River.

It resembles how life is.

It's narrow, and it's winding, and it twists, and it turns.

Around every curve is a new adventure.

- To take your Coharie River Tour, visit peoplefirsttourism.com/coharie.

Perhaps having a winery is on your bucket list.

Well, producer Clay Johnson met a couple that had that dream, and now their winery, Parker-Binns Vineyard, is crafting beautiful wines in Polk County.

[gentle upbeat music] - [Cory] I come out here, this is peace for me.

- [Narrator] Cory Lillberg pulls leaves to expose young Chardonnay grapes to the sun to help them grow.

- It's fun bringing something to the community, especially because there's such a history of it here in Tryon Foothills.

- [Narrator] It's a region that was nationally known for its grapes and wine before Prohibition.

Lillberg's grandparents, Bob and Karen Binns, are helping restore that reputation at Parker-Binns Vineyard in Polk County.

- We're making a lot of different wines 'cause we grow quite a few different varieties of grapes.

- [Narrator] The Binns owned a plant nursery and tree farm in South Florida for 20 years.

- And I said to her, "We're getting too old to do this."

I said, "Let's go up to the mountains where it's cooler in the summer."

- [Narrator] In 2007, they bought 10 acres of land a few miles outside of Columbus and built a small home.

They spent summers here, but after two years, decided to live here permanently.

- We just weren't ready for the rocking chairs 'cause we're just working-type people, for sure.

- [Narrator] So they decided to plant wine grapes and eventually started making wine.

- I like to refer to it as a hobby out of control because it was never meant to be what it turned out to be.

- [Narrator] Their 10 acres turned to 40, 15 of them in grapes.

They built a tasting room, a covered outdoor bar, and outdoor seating areas.

- And we were growing, and we needed help because we're older.

You can take a look at us.

He's 87 now.

- [Narrator] So the Binns hired their grandson Cory to work as vineyard manager among other things.

- I just connected with the vines.

It's crazy how it works 'cause there's something about that that's very primal.

I'm into it.

- So you're gonna start with rose.

- [Narrator] The Binns' daughter, Kelly, does marketing and manages the tasting room.

- It has strawberry notes on it, citrus, and it's dry and quite delicious.

- [Narrator] The Binns also hired professional winemaker Justin Taylor.

- Parker-Binns is responsible for producing dry whites, dry reds, dry rose, and then we do have an off-dry line of wines that have just a touch of sweetness to 'em.

It's extremely diverse, but our focus is on just making the best that we can for us to share with everybody.

- [Narrator] Among the favorites are the petite Manseng.

- Grows really well here, produces a nice, rich, ripe tropical characteristic for a white wine.

A lot of times that's described as being the red wine drinker's white wine.

- [Narrator] The Chardonnay is fermented in stainless steel.

- Almost a naked Chardonnay.

We don't put any oak on it, tends to come out a bit more tropical, so it's got some nice ripe fruit to it, but really trying to represent the varietal.

- [Narrator] Red wine drinkers should enjoy the Merlot.

- The Merlot for us tends to show this big, bright, ripe, fresh cherry.

So Bing cherry is like the one thing that comes to mind over and over again.

It's got that really good acidity to it, nice vibrant color.

- [Narrator] Three wines are named for Lulu, a rescue that's become the Parker-Binns' mascot.

[sheep bleating] - So we're gonna need some.

[people chattering] - [Staff Member] They have keep 'em.

- [Narrator] There are other animals around, too.

These sheep are on loan to help fertilize the vineyard, and donkeys, a llama, and an alpaca are rescues that entertain customers.

- You see children out there in the lawn running around, having a good time.

I mean, it's a very much of a family atmosphere, and I think people like that.

♪ Everybody here is outta sight ♪ - [Narrator] There's music on the weekends, and there's food to go with it all, specialty burgers, BLTs, charcuterie boards, and other snacks.

- [Karen] Wine and food just naturally go together.

- Yeah.

- They go hand in hand.

- Yeah, yeah, that's very true.

If I'm gonna have a glass of wine, I want something to nibble on.

♪ Everybody's feeling warm and bright ♪ - [Narrator] A visit to Parker-Binns Vineyard is an experience that goes well beyond the wine.

- The people are great.

The feel is great.

The music's always good.

- [Karen] We get so many people that come here that feel like they're part of the Parker-Binns family because we've got a very friendly staff.

We're people-people.

We've always worked around people.

We love people.

So we create an atmosphere that we try to make everyone feel at home.

- Parker-Binns Vineyard is at 2275 Whiteside Road in Mill Spring, and they're open Wednesday through Sunday.

For more information, give them a call at 828-894-0154.

Or visit them online at parkerbinnsvineyard.com.

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

We've had a great time out here at the DuPont State Recreational Forest.

It's definitely a place you're gonna wanna put on your bucket list.

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

Have a great North Carolina weekend, everyone.

[laid-back folksy music] ♪ - [Announcer] Funding for "North Carolina Weekend" is provided in part by VisitNC, 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.

[piano outro]