- Next on North Carolina Weekend join us from the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill.

We'll highlight eco-friendly attractions and businesses as we visit Raffaldini Vineyards, Lake Waccamaw State Park and Bob Garner samples the fair at Print Works Bistro in Greensboro.

Coming up next - [Announcer] Venting 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.

Today, I'm exploring the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill.

One of the largest native plant Botanical Gardens in the Southeast.

Spanning more than 1,100 acres, this conservation garden comprises 14 collections and display gardens and is home to a myriad of rare and endangered plant species.

Many found nowhere else in the world.

Here, visitors can discover the natural world, experience it's healing and restorative power and understand why conservation is so important to our quality of life.

The North Carolina Botanical Garden is just one of the many sustainable attractions recognized by the NC GreenTravel initiative for its environmental stewardship.

If you're interested in shopping, dining or even staying somewhere green, the NC GreenTravel initiative has got you covered.

We sat down with Tom Rhodes who told us how we can travel greener and why it matters.

- NC GreenTravel is a way for consumers to find sustainable or green places to visit, to dine, to just enjoy.

We provide pre consulting to businesses to help them become more sustainable.

It helps them save money and it helps protect the natural environment in North Carolina.

[upbeat music] NC GreenTravel began in 2012 as a partnership with Visit NC, Waste Reduction Partners and ECU.

We reach out to businesses to help them become more sustainable.

If people want to visit sustainable destinations they can go to the NC GreenTravel website and see a listing divided up by type, save attractions, restaurants, hotels, parks.

All the businesses listed are local businesses all the way from the coast to the mountains.

Those types of destinations do a great job of protecting the environment and inviting guests.

- While it may seem like all parks should be green, each park has its own ecosystem to protect.

Each presenting its own challenges.

About an hour West of Wilmington, one State Park has been recognized for its environmental sustainability.

Let's head to Lake Waccamaw State Park.

[gentle music] - [Toby] This is a very unique body of water.

They call this Lake a one of a kind Lake.

The Lake itself acreage wise is about 9,000 acres of water.

It's three miles wide by about five miles in length.

We are what's called the largest Carolina Bay Lake.

And hence Bay means when people think of Bay, they think like a coastal estuary or a coastal body of water.

It actually gets his name from Bay trees that grow in and around a Lake.

We have loblolly bay, sweet bay and red bay and that's where it gets its name Carolina Bay.

There are four creeks that feed into Lake Waccamaw.

All of those are filled with what's called tannic acid that comes from the peat soils that comes in.

So if you were to take a clear glass and put in Lake Waccamaw it would look like you have a glass of tea.

That dark tan color comes from those tannic soils that flow into the creek.

Lake Waccamaw State Park has a wide range of activities here for folks to do when they come in.

Our visitors love our hiking trails.

Coming out here to view wildlife.

[birds chirping] We have two boardwalks scene, boardwalks out here.

Swimming is allowed in the Lake.

It's basically any, you can access the Lake in any point on the State Park if you wish to go in the water.

A camper can go, we have a couple of water sites they can can access the Lake right through their campsite or through our Lake shore trail here.

You can access at any point through the State Park, into the water if you choose to do that.

There are different origins or theories on how the Lake formed.

One of the most popular is, is meteorite theory.

We also have what's called the sink hole theory.

We have a swimming fish theory and the one they kind of give the most credence to these days is called wind in wave theory.

The wind and wave action theory basically says, millions of years ago when the waters receded to the coast where we know the ocean is now, it left large pools of water that were out here and the dominant wind pattern from the North to Northeast that came here made elliptical eddies basically that carved out these oval shapes.

There are several theories out there, of course.

So that's the four biggest theories here for Lake Waccamaw.

One of my future concerns here as superintendent is the protection of these waters.

We did have a scare back in 2012 we had an invasive plant called hydrilla that came in.

If we had left that untreated, we were looking at about 95% coverage of hydrilla within a very short period of time within about five or six years.

My worry is not so much of the eradicating hydrilla 'cause I feel that we have really got a good handle on the hydrilla like, how do we keep other invasives coming in?

So the future of this lake is gonna depend a lot on the education to the public to make sure that people properly sanitize and clean their boats when they put on the waters of Lake Waccamaw and also when they take off because they don't wanna take anything out of the Lake that could be infected to another water body or a natural water source in and around North Carolina.

[birds chirping] [gentle music] It's a peaceful place.

People just enjoy the peacefulness, the serenity of coming out here just join the wildlife viewing opportunities.

Enjoying a nice quiet day on the trails, picnicking, camping.

We hope to continue those opportunities for many more to enjoy.

- [Deborah] Lake Waccamaw State Park is at 1866 State Park drive in Lake Waccamaw and like all of our State Parks they're open every day except Christmas.

For more information, give the park a call at [910] 646 4748 or go to ncparks.gov Across our State in the foothills, you'll find a Tuscan style vineyard and winery where you can not only sip award-winning French and Italian wines, you'll also find a nationally certified wildlife habitat.

Come with us to Raffaldini Vineyards in Ronda.

[guitar music] - Yadkin Valley is sort of the epicenter of vinifera which is European grapes and wine making in North Carolina.

- [Jay] The industry is flourishing Wilkes County is embracing it, and I think we're just beginning to peel back the onion as to the potential for Wilkes County and the wine industry.

- [Recounter] Jay Raffaldini is a successful stock trader but had another passion he wanted to explore.

His family had a longstanding tradition of making wine in Italy.

So he decided to purchase an abandoned farm near Ronda to plant great vines native to their country.

- Drinking wine is part of my Italian heritage and I wanted to maintain that in the United States cause I'm a first generation Italian.

So my both my mother and father were both born in Italy.

- [Recounter] Initially, there were two objectives when planning out the property.

- Did two things.

The first was, it stirred the soul of fellow Italians.

It reminded them of where their family came from and the second, which is for all people, not just Italians is when you walk on to this property you have what I call an exhale moment.

You walk around and you're like, Oh okay, now I can unplug and reconnect and that was the purpose for all people not just Italians.

- It's kind of a very Mediterranean experience.

You feel like out of place when you come here.

The ambiance, the whole decoration, the whole place just transports you.

It's has been a very rich experience.

- Raffaldini is a little piece of Italy.

We've been to Italy, and this is gorgeous.

I brought my sister here from Ohio to visit and she loves it.

- [Recounter] As you make the turn onto a winding road that leads through the vineyard, you're rewarded with breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Suddenly, you feel as though you're in a different place in time, with an Italian Villa as the centerpiece.

- [Jay] Classic Tuscan style and nothing is uniform, right?

If you've been in Italy before you see these beautiful villas is you know, they're, you know, they're made up all these different rocks because of it has been there for 500 years.

- It's definitely beautiful.

The roses and fray and the grape vineyards and the mountains.

It's just beautiful.

It's a paradise.

- We are the only Italian theme winery in the entire state so you came to the right spot.

If you're a big Italian wine lover.

- [Jay] The only white we have is a white called Vermintino which of course comes to the province of Sardinia.

And in terms of the red we have Sangiovese.

Sangiovese is the main grape used Chianti.

Then we have Montepulciano and next we have what we call Sagrantino and then we have a grape called Piedirosso which is a blending grape that we have.

And then we're planting Trebbiano which is from the Central to Northern part and that'll be the base for our sparkling wine.

- The Montepulciano I think it's a reserve.

Very fine, very, very soft wine to have actually is the one that I'm taking home.

- If I had to describe one word, of my feelings in Wilkes County and what it means to me, the word would be home.

It is that karmic, it is that essence of what I want to leave to be and to be surrounded by these people, this vocation, this wonderful area.

- [Deborah] Raffaldini Vineyards and winery is at 450 Groce Road in Ronda and they're open every day except Tuesday.

For more information, give them a call at [336] 835 9463 or visit them online @raffladini.com There are all kinds of things to discover out here at the North Carolina Botanical Garden.

This is the Paul Green cabin.

Paul Green was an outspoken social activist and one of the South's most revered 20th century writers.

He's best known for his plays including "The Lost Colony" which is still performed every summer on Roanoke Island.

The North Carolina Botanical Garden has different habitats representing each region in North Carolina including the mountains, Piedmont, sand hills and coast.

They also have a native American garden and a carnivorous plant collection.

We spoke with Janna Starr to find out more about this special place.

Janna, the Botanical Garden is just so beautiful.

Can you tell me what's your mission and what do you think makes it so popular?

- Yeah so the Botanical Garden, we are conservation garden.

So we're really focused on protecting and educating visitors about native plants that are native to this area and really beneficial for local wildlife.

We've got things in bloom from April through November.

So we'd love for folks to come out, visit us year round.

You can walk through the garden and see what's native.

You might be able to identify, I have that in my backyard or I've seen that on the nature trail.

So it's a great place to come and learn about native plants and why they're so important for our animals and our insects and for us too.

- Where are we exactly?

And aren't you all connected with UNC somehow?

- Yes we are.

So we're a part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

We've been here for over 50 years.

Sometimes folks get us a little bit confused with the Arboretum, which is out in Asheville which is also a great place to visit but we are located here in Chapel Hill in Piedmont region of North Carolina.

- So Janna, how does the garden actually practice some of its sustainability?

- Yeah.

So sustainability is really infused in everything that we do, from our mission of conservation in native plants to our buildings and our hardscapes.

So you'll see here, when you walk around you'll notice our plants that promote biodiversity and we do a lot of outreach and education as well for youth and for adults on botanical art and also the science of botany, but also our buildings.

So we have a Leed Platinum facility with our education center.

So the building prioritizes sustainability with water conservation, you'll see large cisterns that hold 54,000 gallons of rainwater and we use that rainwater to then irrigate and water our plants.

We also have solar panels on the roof that help us conserve energy.

Geothermal wells that help us regulate our heating and cooling that are 500 feet deep.

It's a pretty amazing building and so I definitely recommend that people come on out, check out our facility.

- Well, it's great to know that you're right here in the triangle.

I'll definitely visit with my daughter.

She loves plants and flowers.

It's a beautiful space.

Great way to support sustainable living.

- Great.

Well, we hope to see you around.

- [Deborah] The North Carolina Botanical Garden is at 100 Old Mason Farm Road in Chapel Hill and the Display Garden is open Tuesday through Sunday.

Admission is free.

For more information, give the garden a call at [919] 962 3531 or go online to ncbg.unc.edu Just a few miles from the Botanical Garden, is another green destination that's actually a very popular restaurant in craft brewery.

It's called Top of the Hill and now it's distillery is a member of the NC GreenTravel initiative.

- It's kind of the quintessential meeting place in Chapel Hill.

Socially, this is where people come and I think it goes beyond just being a bar.

This is where everybody meets.

- It's the heart of Chapel Hill.

It may be just a brewery and just a restaurant to other people, but to true Carolina fans, it's home.

- [Narrator] But in the mid 90s, Top of the Hill or TOPO as it's frequently called was still a dream.

Scott Maitland was a UNC law student when he learned of plans to put a chain restaurant in the building popping up on Franklin Street.

He took a big leap of faith.

- I didn't wanna see my new hometown dominated by a chain restaurant.

So I had no money, no experience, but I came up with the idea and dedicated my third year of law school around it getting the actual restaurant brewery open in 1996.

Top of the Hill was created for the entire community to come together and have a place where everybody could kind of relate to and I think we've done a pretty good job of becoming the social crossroads of Chapel Hill.

- [Narrator] Over the years, TOPO was evolved into a crossroads of another kind, a place where a broad based menu meets a brewery and a distillery intersects with outdoor dining.

- [Scott] We do a lot of things I think it's pretty unique.

The original restaurant that started in 1996 it was about 10,000 square feet.

It's got about a 2000 square foot outdoor deck get lunch, dinner, late night.

We have Sunday brunch.

- The view the food, the people, the service is great, the different types of foods that they have.

It's not just one type of food.

There's many different types.

- We are a completely from scratch kitchen.

Our customer base ranges from people that, may have not had a very adventurous cuisine up to that point to folks that are world travelers and so we need to kind of, you know, balance all of that.

- My go-to every time I'm here is the buttermilk fried chicken entree.

It's number one, since I was 18 years old.

I think I've gotten that every single time I've come TOPO.

- [Shelby] TOPO is my favorite restaurant throughout North Carolina.

I come here for the nachos and the brewery.

- [Scott] A brewery that can create about 1900, 2000 barrels, a year.

Six or eight beers on tap at any given time and through the course of a year, we'll rotate through and have 20 to 22 beers on tap throughout the year.

- I love any local beer.

There's lots of breweries around Chapel Hill but TOPO has some really great loggers, some really great pale ales even the way they name the beer it's pretty awesome.

- [Miranda] Thank you.

I ordered the old world white.

It's kind of like a citrusy flavor that I like.

It's not too heavy.

It's pretty light, easy to drink.

It's made right here in house and fresh right here in front of me.

- [Narrator] TOPO takes pride in brewing the rotation of beers served at the main bar and a TOPO separate back bar next door but the commitment to producing onsite beverages doesn't end there.

TOPO also serves up spirits crafted and its own distillery.

- [Scott] We make six different spirits now.

We've got the gin, the vodka, the moonshine, the two different whiskeys and organic spice rum.

- [Narrator] The distillery, brewery, menu and scenic Chapel Hill views entice visitors to TOPO year round.

The place sees a spike in the winter and spring months though, as a certain activity takes center stage.

[man applauding] - [Shelby] TOPO is the best place to watch a game because he gives you the atmosphere in the sense that you are in the heart of Chapel Hill.

- The sports experience is integral to the Chapel Hill experience and I think that that's the way we look at it as the Chapel Hill experience, right?

We're not a sports bar, we're a Chapel Hill establishment.

What we're really looking for is a sense of community and one of the things that we really rally around is of course our basketball and other sports teams.

And I think that that's the thing that makes us special not necessarily the actual amount of TVs on the wall.

- [Narrator] From the very beginning Scott Maitland has designed TOPO to offer a wide ranging and unique experience that's also independent and local.

As the establishment begins its third decade, he wants that mission to endure.

- You ask anybody about their town and say, Hey what do I need to do?

I guarantee you within the top five probably top three things is there's gonna be some restaurant that's unique to that town that makes that town different.

And I like to think that hopefully we're in that conversation for Chapel Hill.

- To have something that is specifically Chapel Hill, that is this town.

This town is so special in so many ways to have something that's kind of born here is why we keep coming back.

- [Deborah] Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery is on the third floor of 100 East Franklin Street in chapel Hill.

And they're open daily for lunch and dinner except on Tuesdays.

For more information give them a call at [919] 929 8676 or check them out online @topofthehill.com The Proximity Hotel in Greensboro is nationally recognized as a high performance green building and adjacent to the Proximity, the owners opened up a little French bistro where their commitment to sustainability thrives and their menu of locally sourced ingredients is delicious.

We sent Bob Garner there to check out the Print Works Bistro.

- [Bob] One of the first things you need to know is that the Print Works bistro and the Green Valley Grill at the O.Henry hotel owned by the same folks, have been named to the top 100 brunch spots in America by open table.

That isn't taken for granted.

- It's like throwing a party and getting a thank you note that you know is sincere to hear something like that it's like great.

Some folk are enjoying the party we're throwing.

Now let's go throw out another one tomorrow and the next day and the next day.

Cause you know, it's sort of, you know, restaurant tourist work is never done, you know, it's as good as the last meal you serve.

- Print Work started as a French bistro but it's been heavily contextualized or adapted to the local area through lots of experimentation.

Avocado toast, for example, seems like more of a California thing than a French thing but it's definitely a thing you see and hear about most everywhere and it is terrific here.

Look at this, bacon avocado on nice challah bread and then poached eggs on top.

So all that rich egg yolk, runs down in there.

Oh, that would be so rich even without the egg but with the poached egg on top and the bacon that is exquisite.

You talk about strong visual appeal, Print Works makes its own cinnamon buns for brunch and they are things of absolute beauty to say nothing had been incredibly delicious.

Warm vanilla sauce, that is just perfect.

Vegetables are not just an afterthought or add on at Print Works.

A perfect case in point of the crispy deep fried Brussels sprouts with shallots and leeks tossed with preserved lemon vinegar, garnished with all natural bacon and drizzled with honey chili aioli.

Another striking breakfast and brunch specialty, this one born out of Dennis Quaintance growing up in Montana, is a glorious looking hash built around savory richly flavored short rib.

It's served in a sizzling black skillet and top appropriately with a couple of fried eggs.

I've had all kinds of corn beef hash and roast beef hash and whatever but that short rib, that may be the best hash I've ever had.

- The whole idea is that we're not, you know, cooking the next thing that's on the cover of some food magazine, we're cooking things that we genuinely enjoyed somewhere else or at home or at somebody else's home and then we're enjoying doing this as a community effort.

So, you know, we're living the dream.

- They're always working on in refining the menu here at Print Works bistro.

You will find it absolutely delightful.

- [Deborah] Print Works bistro is at 702 Green Valley Road in Greensboro and they're open for lunch and dinner daily and don't forget their lovely Sunday brunch.

For more information give Print Works a call at [336] 379-0699 or visit them online @printworksbistro.com Well that's it for tonight show.. We'd like to thank the folks at the North Carolina Botanical Garden for hosting us and if you've missed anything in tonight's show just remember you can always visit us again online @pbsmc.org/ncweekend Have a great North Carolina weekend everyone.

[gentle 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.