
Mountains to Sea
Season 18 Episode 33 | 26m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
North Carolina Weekend explores our state from “Mountains to Sea.”
North Carolina Weekend explores our state from “Mountains to Sea” with stories including Burke County Adventures, The Western North Carolina Sculpture Center in Lenoir, The Occoneechee Speedway Trail in Hillsborough, Sam Jones BBQ in Raleigh, and Bogue Sound Distillery in Newport.

Mountains to Sea
Season 18 Episode 33 | 26m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
North Carolina Weekend explores our state from “Mountains to Sea” with stories including Burke County Adventures, The Western North Carolina Sculpture Center in Lenoir, The Occoneechee Speedway Trail in Hillsborough, Sam Jones BBQ in Raleigh, and Bogue Sound Distillery in Newport.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship- Next on "North Carolina Weekend" join us as we travel mountains to sea from the historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail.
We'll go on adventures in Burke County.
Visit the new Sam Jones BBQ in Raleigh and sample the spirits at Bogue Sound Distillery.
Coming up next.
- [Voiceover] 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 attraction.
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.
[bright upbeat music] - Welcome to "North Carolina Weekend" everyone.
I'm Deborah Holt Noel and this week we're traveling mountains to sea.
Right now we are on the historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail, right outside of Hillsborough.
One of the first two NASCAR tracks in the country.
This trail and the nearby Riverwalk are part of the mountains to sea trail in our state.
The one mile oval Speedway was active from 1948 to 1968, attracting the best stock car drivers and thousands of spectators.
In 2002, the 44 acre site was placed on the national register of historic places.
Today.
this unique outdoor site is enjoyed by families, hikers, joggers and nature lovers.
We'll explore the Speedway throughout the program but first let's start in the mountains with Chelsea Goodnight on an adventure in Burke county.
[country music] - They call it nature's playground, I would call it nature's gateway drug.
- It's kind of an anomaly.
- Burke County holds a lot of treasures and secrets.
I don't think people realize.
- It's just mysterious and exciting and there's a good bit of enchantment behind it and- - There's not many places in our country that you can get so many good things so close.
- You can do whatever you want.
You can go kayak.
You can go run.
Your trail run.
You can climb.
- Hang gliding is very unique to this area.
There's been hang-gliding here for about 38 years, I think.
- It's a destination town, really.
- Folks like to come here to hike, bike fish, ride horses.
- Outdoor activity, culture, farm to table restaurants or wineries and vineyards.
- [indistinct] From craft beer drinkers from all around the world.
- Art galleries, shows, theater.
- Great gravel biking.
Great road biking.
- On top of that, we have one of the best parks and Recs in North Carolina.
- There's really just no bounds to what our experience can be.
- With who come here for one week and then stay forever.
- We have the whole entire clotter of what people are looking for.
- Come see it.
- Burke County.
[country music continues] - I'm Chelsea Goodnight a North Carolina native with an appetite for adventure.
Today I'm in Burke County where our journey begins with a trip to South Mountain State Park.
- Well, South Mountain State Park is the biggest state park in North Carolina.
Offers lots of back country activities.
Most folks that come here for the first time, like the hike to the waterfall.
It's about a one mile hike one way.
Beautiful scenery all the way up.
You're walking beside the river and actually crossing the river in a couple of places before we actually get to the mountain right at the base of the waterfall.
[bright upbeat music] Icertis falls is an 80 foot high waterfall located on the Jacob Port River.
Starts as about a 30 foot cascade and then comes over and free falls about 50 more feet down onto the rocks below.
- [Chelsea] After soaking in the sight at the falls, I'm ready to get on the water.
And I've heard Brian Searcy at CBS sports, can help me find the perfect kayak for the Catawba.
[smooth trumpet music] - This is a mirage drive.
The link drops into the thing and you push it with your feet and it... [Chelsea laughs] - That is [indistinct] yeah.
You actually don't have to do the arm work now as much, yeah I guess your arms are free for fishing.
- Yeah, yeah.
Or for drinking beer.
[Chelsea laughs] - Yeah, I like that.
Really good.
[Smooth trumpet music continues] Unfortunately, my kayak takes two hands to paddle, so no free hands for beer.
Luckily, Brian pointed me in the direction of Judge's Riverside restaurant for what locals call a rapid lunch.
Judge's Riverside is a family owned and operated barbecue restaurant on the banks of the Catawba river.
That has been a Morganton staple since 1986.
Manager Brian Miller is kind enough to take me on a culinary tour of their most popular dishes.
- We have the best location as far as for restaurant, anywhere in Burke County.
We have people come all over from Charlotte, for city Gastonia, Tennessee, Virginia and even far as Georgia.
- So what are some of the things that we're gonna be trying today?
- Today, we're gonna try two of our signature appetizers.
Fresh cut brisket.
Some homemade smoked barbecue.
And actually gonna top it off and finish with some ribs.
Some ribs.
- That sounds amazing.
Do you think this will be enough food for me?
- It depends.
I think you'll be all right.
- You think... All right we'll find out.
- Yeah you'll be okay.
- Let's go for it.
This one looks pretty good.
- [Brian] And then moving on, this is what we call the judge.
We have our smoked barbecue, which is smoked for 15 hours overnight with Hickory smoked.
Served with a St. Louis style ribs with our signature barbecue sauce.
- Delicious.
I love [indistinct] casserole.
I'm a little bit of a connoisseur.
Let's see what you guys are working with.
- I'm not worried about it.
[Chelsea laughs] - Okay.
That is so good.
Brian, do you guys have to-go boxes at judges?
And as the day winds down, the fun ramps up in Morganton.
- Homer's is a little bit of a bar, a little bit of a community house.
It is a project.
It is an art piece.
We get all walks of life.
I think absolutely everyone.
We call our staff our family, and we look at our customer base the same way, yeah.
And our community is that same.
Yeah, we've got a good little pit man here.
- [Chelsea] Over oysters, photographer Hailey Burleson invited me to check out the local folklore.
- I think if you're looking for one of a kind experience, you should definitely come to Wiseman's View to look for the Brown Mountain Lights.
So I was born and raised in these mountains and I've spent many nights out in the woods here and I've definitely had my own unexplainable encounters with lights here in these mountains.
- [Chelsea] Wow.
- [Halley] Dude, come here.
Look at this.
Look at long exposure.
Look at that in there.
- [Chelsea] Wow, wow.
- [Halley] What, right?
Like there's nothing.
Like what is that?
Tell me what that is.
There's nothing here right now.
- [Chelsea] Oh, look.
- [Halley] Like look.
There and there.
Right there.
You see that?
- [Chelsea] So weird.
- [Halley] It can't be light refracting right now.
The sun's been down for 40 minutes.
Like, if you think about the terrain that's over there, no one can move like that.
I mean it's all cliffs.
- [Chelsea] Dude, this is so insane.
[suspense music] - [Halley] Oh, the Brown Mountain Lights could be whatever you want them to be.
If you're a spiritual person, you could think of them as some kind of spirit moving about.
What I've seen I can't reasonably justify.
There's no explanation for it.
So, I don't know.
- [Chelsea] After our encounter with the Brown Mountain Lights, the Inn at Glen Alpine provided the perfect place to rest and recharge and eat breakfast.
With a full stomach and a full day ahead, I'm heading to downtown Morganton.
The shops and restaurants are buzzing with activity, but I'm hitting the trail and there's only one shop on my list.
Overmountain Cycles.
Hi.
- Hey.
- I'm Chelsea.
- Hi Chelsea, I'm Micheal.
Nice to meet you.
- Hi Micheal, how are you?
So I would love to get a bike to go on the Fonta Flora trail today.
- Yeah, all right.
I've got the perfect car trail for you.
So, this is the salsa timber Jack.
You know, one by drive train to use.
Confident hydraulic brakes.
And the coolest feature is the dropper that you'll appreciate when you're out on the trail.
- Excellent.
- [Micheal] So if you're coming to Morganton, Burke County to mountain bike for the first time... Biking on the Fonta Flora trail is really cool.
It provides a great experience for your first timer, never gone on a mountain bike all the way to your seasoned rider.
You've got really great views along the trail, where you can see the mountains.
You can see the lake.
You've got spots where you can get down on the water.
And it's probably one of my favorite things about the area, because we were right next to the Fonta Flora brewery.
- You know, road biking is sort of how we came upon this property.
The road that we're on is a incredibly popular road, biking route from Morganton that'll loop back into town and we've created our own tourism destination just based on all the things that we've been able to offer.
Our vision from when we started Fonta Flora has always been to brew beer with a sense of place and agricultural purpose.
I truly believe we're making, you know, some of the best beers in the Southeast.
- [Chelsea] And after cooling off with some tasty brews I'm off to wine country.
It's just a quick bike ride to the other side of Burke County.
- Silver Fork Winery is a vineyard winery in the Alvin Center.
We strive just to create an extension basically of our living room that you walk in and that your family.
All of our wines are gonna be dry Bordeaux style.
So the acidity and the fruit are meant to be paired with food and to be enjoyed with food.
What makes it special, I think when you first drive up is the view.
But I think once you come through the door, it's the people.
And then once you come to the tasting bars, it's the wine.
The whole combination of it is just sublime.
- [Chelsea] Now it's time to get lifted with Craig and Laura Pearson at Thermal Valley.
That other one thing is keep breathing.
- Keep breathing.
[Chelsea laughs] Keep breathing Nice light touch- - All right.
- [indistinct] Just fly, okay?
- The hardest part about hang gliding is getting [murmurs] - Okay.
- So once you're in there you're gonna realize you're not gonna come out of the harness.
[Craig laughs] - I hope that is true.
- So this is your attending Pilot, Willie.
- Willie, how are you?
- Good to have you Chelsea.
- [Chelsea] All right man, let's do this thing.
- [Willie] All right.
- [Craig] Thermo Valley is all about sharing free flight.
And free flight means that you're in a hang glider or a paraglider or something without an engine.
And once you're off the ground, it just do your thing.
[Chelsea cheering] [Chelsea screaming] - Oh my God.
Oh my God.
Yes.
[Chelsea screaming] Oh my gosh.
And what better way to end my adventure than sailing off into the sunset.
Here in Burke County, you may come to the scenery, but you'll stay for the scene.
[smooth music] - For more ways to plan your Burke county adventure, go to discoverburke.com.
Surprises are around every corner here at the Occoneechee Speedway trail, just as they are at a free public sculpture park located across our state.
In the beautiful mountains of Lenoir, you can enjoy the Western North Carolina Sculpture Center.
Let's check it out.
[bright upbeat music] - In 2019, Joseph Bigley and Zachary Smith-Johnson decided to take on the task of creating a center that focuses on sculpture.
They found their dream in an old gymnasium located on the Patterson School Foundation grounds in Happy Valley.
- Joe and I were originally looking for abandoned industrial space.
As kind of a private art studio for the pair of us.
The opportunity came here and with being here, we saw the potential for a sculpture park and the potential to not only create spaces for ourselves, but spaces for other artists.
- The vision for Western North Carolina's Sculpture Park Center suddenly became very clear to these entrepreneurs.
- It was an interesting time to start an organization about six months before COVID hit, but we've been diligently working as we can to build up both our studio complex as well as the free public sculpture park.
- Beautiful setting, surrounded with hills.
There's a pond with Lily pads and like a pasture area with some agricultural going on down there.
And a lot of sculpture.
- With over 10,000 square feet and 30 foot ceilings, there's plenty of space for artists to take advantage of the educational programs offered here.
- Dedicated workspaces for some of our in-house sculptors.
We've gathered a wonderful team of people that share our vision and have a variety of skillsets.
So we've dedicated places for them to execute their own studio practice.
- This place is incredible.
It's like a place of opportunity for people, no matter their skill level.
It's a place where people can gather as a community and also for education.
It's wonderful.
- Primarily at the moment, we're focusing on metal based processes, including blacksmithing, Foundry work, or metal casting, metal fabrication and occasionally stone and mixed media work.
- I like to make things that you don't...
It's not necessarily a copy of anything that you would see in nature, but it's something that you also wouldn't be surprised if you saw something this shape and this texture in nature.
As I was building it, I started to think a lot about my grandpa, who I lost in December.
And so this piece has kind of turned into a bit of a Memorial to him.
- Once these sculptures are completed, many will be on display in the Sculpture Park for everyone to enjoy.
[smooth guitar music] - The Sculpture Park is a you know, ever-growing opportunity for artists and the community to come in.
It creates a space for dialogue three-dimensionally, which you don't see a lot of.
And it also gives the community a chance to interact with the artists that built the work, which is very rare inside of these types of institutions.
- Something that I liked about this and that they made you kind of go down these little hills and look at the different sculptures.
And what really amazes me are the different ideas.
[Pat laughs] You think that no one can come up with another idea.
- This place is a...
It's like a beacon of hope and knowledge for me, which is so extreme to say, and it sounds very corny.
But, I feel like there is a path forward in my life now.
A path that includes art and sculpture.
- One of the things that really validates all of these efforts is seeing kids running around the park and having you know, a great time outside off of their phones.
And their interpretations of the work is fantastic.
To follow that up by encouraging them to be part of the process is endlessly rewarding.
That really becomes the fuel to keep this engine running just in terms of fulfilling our mission statement and reminding ourselves why we're here.
[Smooth guitar music continues] - [Deborah] The Western North Carolina Sculpture Park is located at 4646 Patterson School Drive in Lenoir.
And it's free and open to the public seven days a week from Dawn to dusk.
For more information about events and workshops, call [828] 719-8518.
Or visit their website at wncsculpture.org.
As we head West to East in our program, another tradition worth exploring is all about the 'cue.
We know in the West they like the red sauce and in the East, it's all about the vinegar.
So Bob Garner decided to settle happily in the middle at the new Sam Jones BBQ in Raleigh.
- There's been Jones family barbecue in Eastern North Carolina for over 70 years now.
First in Aiden then in Winterville outside Greenville and now in Raleigh.
It's changed a little bit over the years, but that's the secret to keeping your appeal right.
Still the fellowship and communication around a shared table is the glue that holds any restaurant together.
- I mean, there's something magical when you sit down at a table over... With friends over, you know, over a good meal.
I mean, even in the New Testament in the gospels, there's 90 mentions of food.
So, you know, it's magical things happen.
So, we wanted to create an environment where you know, we can facilitate that.
- The classic is whole hog barbecue.
Cooked for hours and hours over wood with crispy skin chopped into it for extra flavor.
That hasn't changed a bit.
In the old days, you just got cornbread, slaw and barbecue.
Now they have a wider array of sides, including some really good collard greens.
Hmm.
This is the only type corn bread at Sam Jones BBQ.
Now if you're used to hush puppies or corn sticks, some people find that a little off putting if they aren't used to it, but I love the corn bread.
Mm It's heavy.
It's dense.
But to me, it is absolutely delicious.
Spare ribs, smoked sliced turkey breasts and smoked chicken, are the newer barbecue meat added in both Winterville and Raleigh.
North Carolinians have always eaten pork ribs we just didn't call them barbecue for the longest time.
Now though, pit cooked, smoked over a wood fire.
Mm hmm.
Both the sliced turkey and the bone-in chicken are really moist and juicy, while tangy, barbecue beans and mac and cheese, are a couple more outstanding sides.
Banana pudding is the real authentic deal for dessert.
No shortcuts in that.
Nothing instant.
No banana flavored instant pudding, no nothing.
That's real custard, real eggs.
Hmm hmm.
In the original Skylight Inn it was all bottled cold drinks.
No cups, no ice, no tea.
Now you can get just about anything you want to drink, but I thought it would be good to kind of go back to the roots here.
One extension of the roots at the Raleigh location is offering not only a selection of beers and wines, but also craft cocktail.
With updated recipes and homemade syrups and mixtures.
This is one of the first cocktails I learned to make years ago, the old fashioned.
It always has bourbon and angostura bitters and muddle sugar.
Then usually you have a piece of orange peel.
This also has creme de cacao and peach.
oh, that's different.
I love that.
There's no drive-thru in Raleigh, but they do have private meeting space for groups up to 60.
That new menu options and the special cocktails are all aimed at getting people to spend more time around the table together.
- Sam Jones BBQ is at 502 West Lenoir Street in Raleigh and they're open for lunch and dinner daily.
For more information, give them a call at [984] 206-2555.
Or visit them online at samjonesbbq.com.
Check out this old race car.
Pretty cool, huh?
You know, stock car racing owes it's heritage to prohibition when fast drivers would transport illegal moonshine throughout the state.
Today, distillers are creating great spirits all over North Carolina, legally.
We found one in Newport that has quite a story.
[smooth guitar music] - Yeah, come on down Jake.
Come on down, son.
- [Narrator] Richard Chapman is showing us how liquor is made.
This is 2000 pounds of local corn going into a 2300 gallon cooker with 185° water.
- [indistinct] roaring, that's the steam.
- [Narrator] As it cooks workers add enzymes, barley, and yeast to create mash like this.
- [Richard] And that's making alcohol right now.
- [Narrator] The mash then goes into the distillery.
- So that's really four distillations plus the water here, that's five.
The precision of corn, the precision of wheat, the precision of rye and precision of the barley all change the flavor profile.
- [Narrator] The bourbon and whiskeys also get their flavor from barrels like this rye.
- [Richard] About ready right now as dark as it is.
- [Narrator] All of this happens under the roof of Bogue Sound Distillery.
It's on the mainland side of the Sound across from Emerald Ile.
- My stepfather had ten gallon [indistinct] They pinched bread in apple brandy.
I got to learn about that.
- [Narrator] Chapman studied engineering and chemistry at NC state, but went on to a career in real estate and land development.
- When I turned 66 I just told my wife, I said, I'm retiring from the other stuff.
I was starting a distillery.
- [Narrator] He opened Bogue Sound Distillery in June, 2018.
- It's fun.
It's just, doesn't keep [murmurs] that's all.
- This is the John AP Conley bourbon, okay?
Now it's 105 proof so it's got some heat to it.
- [Narrator] Chapman makes higher proof liquors because he says they have more flavor if you know how to drink them.
With his bourbon he first has customers swirl a bit on their tongues then with a few drops of water added.
- And what that does is that releases the acids, so the next if you take you get more of the flavors of the bourbon.
It just kind of opens it up.
Now you'll be amazed at how different that second sip is.
- That really surprised me.
I've never had that experience before.
- [Narrator] There's a salted caramel whiskey.
- It's great in coffee, teas, over ice cream and shakes but it's great to sip on straight so just try a little bit of it by itself.
- [Narrator] The peanut butter whiskey is also great straight.
- You ready for some jelly drops?
- [Narrator] With jelly drops added it's like sipping a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
- After the samples, I would definitely come back here and do this again.
[Jessica laughs] - [Narrator] The distillery also makes vitzellen vodka.
- [Richard] We did it as a sipping vodka, not a mixing vodka.
- [Narrator] And there's a sip of history in every bottle of liquor, including the bombshell gin.
- [Richard] It makes a great martini.
- [Narrator] It makes an even better story.
It's named for Chapman's father.
A B17 pilot in world war II, who was shot down and captured.
- My dad lost five people in his plane.
So this is to these families.
- This is named in honor of the crew of the Carolina Queen.
- [Narrator] Tours begin with the history behind the names of the liquors, then go into the distillery to show how they're all made.
- The last thing that goes in is the yeast.
- [Narrator] Tourists cover everything from the mash making to the bottling.
- Once this eye sees the bottle, it'll put a front label on keep spinning for the times when we put in and it'll yap them all evenly.
- [Narrator] Chapman wants visitors to enjoy the whole experience.
The tours, the tastings, the drinks and the history.
He also wants them to understand that enjoying fine liquor is like enjoying fine wine.
- [Richard] It's pretty much on the same level.
You have to smell the flavors.
You have to understand the complexity of what you're trying to have here and what we're trying to achieve and what we're doing.
- Bogue Sound Distillery is at 108 Bogue Commercial Drive in Newport.
And they're open Tuesday through Saturday.
For more information about tours, give them a call at [252]354-9131.
Or check out their website at boguesounddistillery.com.
Well, that's it for tonight's show.
We'd like to thank the folks at the historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail for hosting us.
It's a great place for a hike.
And if you've missed anything in today's program, just remember, you can always watch this again online.
At PBSnc.org.
Have a great "North Carolina Weekend" everyone.
Good night.
[bright upbeat music] - [Voiceover] 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 attraction.
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.
Video has Closed Captions
NC Weekend visits Bogue Sound Distillery-a popular new spot on the Crystal Coast. (3m 51s)
Video has Closed Captions
Bob Garner visits the newly opened Sam Jones BBQ in Raleigh. (4m 5s)
Video has Closed Captions
Come along with Chelsea Goodnight as she explores Burke County. (12m 9s)
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