[piano intro] - Next on "North Carolina Weekend": join us from the Longleaf Hotel and Lounge in Raleigh as we bring you overnight stays around the state.

We'll visit The Inn on Pamlico Sound, learn about the historic hotels in Winston-Salem, and explore the historic Magnolia House, 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.

[cheerful music] [cheerful music continues] [cheerful music continues] - Welcome to "North Carolina Weekend," everyone.

I'm Deborah Holt Noel, and this week, I'm at the Longleaf Hotel and Lounge in Raleigh.

What started as a 1960s Travelodge is now a renovated modern spot with a mid-century flare.

The hotel brings guests a unique stay right downtown, while the lounge serves as a hangout for guests and locals alike.

We'll explore it more throughout the show, but first, let's head east to the Outer Banks village of Buxton, where I spent a wonderful weekend of leisure and fine dining at The Inn on Pamlico Sound.

[pleasant music] - Buxton is a little tiny town on Cape Hatteras Island, which is off the east coast of North Carolina in an area that most people know as the Outer Banks.

My name is Natasha Quidley.

My position is the general manager of The Inn on Pamlico Sound and Cafe Pamlico.

Buxton is very popular.

We are in fact a very popular tourist destination.

We get travelers from all over the world.

Summertime is very busy, but the off season is a wonderful time to visit and it's much quieter.

- Hi.

- Hi, Deb.

I'm Natasha.

Nice to meet you.

- It's nice to meet you.

- Welcome to the inn.

- This is beautiful.

It's like paradise.

- I think so.

Come on, let's get you checked in.

So The Inn on Pamlico Sound is a European-style boutique hotel.

So we have 13 rooms here at the inn.

They're all named after Coastal North Carolina flowers.

We have queen rooms that overlook the sound, up to premium king rooms with double jacuzzi bathtubs and beautiful decks that overlook the sound.

Our Jasmine Room is the room that most of our brides and grooms stay in.

We serve fresh coffee in the morning right outside of your door, fresh baked goods every afternoon at check-in time.

Water sports is a large thing here, whether it's kite surfing, whether it is fishing, charter fishing.

Cape Point is right here in Buxton.

It is known as the red drum capital of the world.

We have standup paddleboards and kayaks and bicycles on site that are free for our guests.

This is somewhere that you're going to be able to relax and enjoy your time.

- [Deborah] The Inn on Pamlico Sound has the feel of a private home on an island resort, especially relaxing poolside under the shade of its crystal pavilion.

This feature became their most recent addition from a rebuild after Hurricane Matthew.

Owners Steve Nelson and Sherry Elder shared a bit of The Inn's journey with me.

- You're inside of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which is another wonderful thing about here.

I spent a large portion of my career in corporate America.

The first time I came here, I came here for vacation, not really thinking too much about it.

I came here and it was the first place I had ever been home.

But I used to travel a lot and I had traveled to to large portions of the world, but I fell in love with Southern Europe.

It was just beautiful.

So this place is basically modeled after places I had stayed across Europe, primarily Southern Europe.

- He wants everyone to come.

He is very open about that.

We've had weddings, you know, so just everyone.

- [Deborah] Sounds like a very welcoming place no matter who you are.

- Mm-hmm.

- Included with your stay is a hot made-to-order breakfast.

On the breakfast menu, there's an absolutely delicious Belgian waffle with fresh berries and cream.

You'll find a gorgeous avocado toast on rustic whole-grain bread with a perfectly-poached egg, and a shrimp and grits with Andouille sausage and smoked Gouda cheese that's a guest favorite.

The Inn is located right here on the waters of the Pamlico Sound.

Nice and easy waters so it's perfect for me to take a kayak out.

I just grabbed a kayak, which is right here on property, and invited my buddy Aaron Tuell to join me out on the water.

- Awesome.

- You ready to do this?

- Yeah, let's go do it.

- All right.

- Number one, it's the fall and it's probably, yes, most locals, the most common answer for the best time of year would be the fall season when things are, the air temperature's really nice.

It's warm, but it's milder than the summertime.

What's interesting about the Pamlico Sound and Hatteras Island is it's like what I tell my kids, like I can try to remind 'em how special of a place that we're in 'cause if you look behind me, you know, you can see the horizon.

- [Deborah] For me, calm waters like these are just right for an easy paddle.

More adventurous visitors will appreciate the surf side of Cape Hatteras, where the wind and water provide an exciting playground for flying kites, riding the waves, or both.

A year-round attraction for guests of The Inn and visitors is the Cafe Pamlico, offering probably the best fine dining on Hatteras Island.

- We have fresh fish from right off the docks here in Hatteras Village.

It's about 10 minutes down the road, and that's delivered just about every day.

Scallops, crab cakes, lobster, tuna's probably our most famous fresh catch that we get.

We have an amazing filet.

You can get that regular or you can get that Neptune so that comes with crab meat and lobster.

So we kind of specialize in local seafood and then we use a lot of herbs and vegetables that we actually grow here on our property.

- If you're ready to step outside of The Inn for just a little bit, there's a really cool bookstore, Buxton Village Books, that's just two miles from here and it's really easy to just pedal on over, maybe about 15-minute ride.

Let's go.

An energizing bike ride lets you see a little more of the island while taking in the salty air.

And this bookstore is just the excuse you need to indulge in some leisurely reading.

At Buxton Village Books, you'll find the charm of an independent bookstore, an interesting selection of local and national titles.

And take a moment to read these little notes on the walls.

They tell the story of this building, which dates back to the 1860s and was constructed entirely from shipwreck timber.

You might not expect to find hospitality, fine dining, and upscale accommodations in the middle of one of North Carolina's barrier islands, but you will at The Inn on Pamlico Sound and Pamlico Cafe.

[upbeat music] The Inn on Pamlico Sound is at 49684 North Carolina Highway 12 in Buxton.

Cafe Pamlico is open for breakfast Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., brunch on Friday and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and dinner nightly from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m. To find out more, visit them online at innonpamlicosound.com or give them a call at [866] 995-7030.

Down the road in Winston-Salem, they make it easy to travel back in time.

We visited three historic hotels that date back to the 19th century with direct ties to families and industries that have had a profound impact on the city as we know it today.

Our first stop is historic Brookstown Inn.

[warm music] - The Brookstown Inn is very unique.

It's a part of our community.

The history to the mill really was, in my opinion, the beginning to the town of Winston-Salem.

The Fries family was compiled of many business leaders.

This family basically started the cotton mill.

They brought the railroad here to town for the cotton.

The inn consists of two different mills and they are conjoined by a courtyard.

We have 70 rooms on property, all of which are different.

You walk into a room and the ceilings are 12 to 20 feet high and you see the original wooden beams to the mill.

All the brick that surrounds you is also original to the mill.

You really just experience the cotton mill itself.

We offer a complimentary hot breakfast buffet.

We do an evening wine-and-cheese in the lounge every evening, we do cookies and milk at bedtime.

People remember staying at the Brookstown.

They remember how it made them feel.

The best way for me to describe it is a home away from home.

[Sally meows] Come on, Sally.

[soft bright music] - When we think about the story of Winston-Salem and we think about the history and where we've been, we have to consider the Gray family.

Mr. Gray was the original CEO of Reynolds Tobacco.

He was the right-hand man to Reynolds, R.J. Reynolds, who lived across the street, Mrs. Gray had a vision when she thought of moving out here to the country with Mr. Gray.

The goal was to build a manor house that had its own rolling hills up front that gave the same feel of a European-style home.

We have five historic buildings on property.

Each has their own individual unique feel from the Manor House that we're in now, in Mr. Gray's suite, to The Mews.

The Graylyn second floor is the original sleeping rooms of the Gray family.

We still have those bedrooms intact and sell them for a guests to stay in so they can experience what it was like back in 1932 when the Grays first moved into the Manor House.

We do not put new holes in walls.

We find new ways to hang pictures.

If we tear a floor up, we put it down with what was there in 1932.

Our guests love talking to staff and as they walk through the home, they don't realize that the Persian Card Room walls are from the 17th century and they can touch and feel 'em and have breakfast right next to them.

In many museums, that would be an unavailable area.

We want this to be a home that everybody can enjoy as if they were truly just a guest of Mrs. Gray.

If you're coming to Winston-Salem and you're looking to understand its history and its rich legacy, you have to stay at Graylyn to truly see what one of the founders of this area built.

Mr. Gray was part of what has become Winston-Salem.

[exuberant music] - The Reynolds Tobacco Company came in with the attempt to build a modest building, but in reality, built this grand, beautiful building that sits, almost a hundred years later, still intact.

It was the tallest building on the East Coast.

And the Empire State Building was built because of how much they loved the design of our building.

They operated as their headquarters.

Eventually they outgrew the building and they moved next door into a bigger building, which they built as well.

Kimpton came in with our ownership group and reimagined the building and really transformed the space.

Being built in 1929, it's very much Art Deco inspired, so you'll see a lot of the brass and the straight lines, the metal, the tobacco-brown plaster ceiling, the gold leaf accents.

So there's a lot of kind of pizazz to the Art Deco basis.

We are pet friendly, so no matter what size, shape, or really anything, we joke, "as long as it can fit through the door, we'll take it" and there's no additional fee for that.

Yes, we can provide a bed to get a good night's sleep, but there's also some amenities that you can enjoy while you're here.

[exuberant music continues] The restaurant is named Katharine after R.J. Reynolds' wife, Katharine Reynolds.

You know, you have the R.J. Reynolds building, you have the Katharine Brasserie and it would be French inspired because of their love for travel, and then the special place that France played in their relationship.

Within walking distance we have Bailey Park behind us, which is a great green space, Innovation Quarter's over there as well.

There's a lot of walkable bars and restaurants, breweries.

- There are unique features about historic hotels that you can't find.

You are experiencing something that has a special connection to this place that says Winston-Salem.

- To find out more about the historic inns and hotels of Winston-Salem, go to visitwinstonsalem.com.

Another place that's building on history is in Raleigh, where a 1960s Travelodge has been completely transformed into a modern mid-century gem.

Right now I'm here with Christine McDonald, the COO of Loden Hospitality and Management.

I'm so excited to be in this space because it's just- - We're so glad to have you.

- so elegant.

- Thank you.

- Tell me a little bit about the visitor experience.

- When we designed the Longleaf Hotel and Lounge, we wanted it to be a place that really kind of leaned into those mid-century modern kind of characteristics.

We wanted it to feel really cozy, very welcoming, very much sort of that unassuming North Carolina spirit.

Clearly, we're in the lounge, this is our main amenity, and this was designed not only to be sort of a respite for travelers and guests who are staying here, but we really wanted it to be a place that locals wanted to hang out as well.

So not only do we have this vibey lounge experience, but we have this really large patio that brings in live music, bingo night, fun events.

In the rooms we have luxury linens.

Mattresses were really important to us.

We invested in that.

Really specialty amenities like MALIN+GOETZ.

So there were little touches that we thought were important.

When we acquired it, it was a Days Inn, and a lot of the things were kind of covered up, but we knew they might be there.

And we found this really fun postcard, the original postcard from the Travelodge here.

And we could see that there were some interesting, like mid-century modern breeze blocks, very kind of classic shapes and forms.

And so in that discovery period of the renovation of the the motel, we were able to uncover some of those things.

And then when we were looking at like what kind of materials do we wanna emphasize, we looked at things like terrazzo, which is like a really classic mid-century modern material.

The bar counters, for example, are terrazzo that we had made custom for us in Charlotte.

We've really become known for our wine program, our really specialty cocktails.

We really like to lean into sort of mid-century classics.

Right now, we're featuring an Appalachian Negroni, which is a classic Negroni featuring an Appalachian liquer.

In the morning, guests can come down, we have complimentary coffee, we also have a nice coffee program, so if they'd like to get something a little more, that's available.

And then some wonderful bakery items that are, you know, fresh-made every day.

- And the location is perfect for enjoying everything that's right here in the city.

- [Christine] I mean, the location is fantastic.

I mean, if you're heading from the north of town, heading south through town, we are right there.

And it's in with walking distance to the museums, to restaurants, to nightlife.

Yeah, we're pretty lucky.

- What do you hear back from people who've had an opportunity to stay overnight?

- Hmm, some of the things that we hear, our level of service, that very welcoming spirit, we're kind of known for that.

You know, a lot of folks say, "Wow, like you've taken this, you know, 1960s Travelodge and really transformed it into something that I didn't even think was possible."

And there's also a sense of pride as you come into downtown.

We've created this iconic neon sign "Long Live Longleaf," which leans into this idea of the preservation of the longleaf pine in North Carolina.

And it's really a statement that welcomes you into downtown.

And we didn't want it to be like an over-the-top period piece.

We wanted it to be something that was, you know, a lot more sort of, "come on in, sit down in our lounge, our den."

- Well, I think you've accomplished that goal.

- Thank you.

- And I look forward to seeing more of it.

Thanks so much.

- Thank you.

[mellow music] - The Longleaf Hotel and Lounge is at 300 North Dawson Street in Raleigh.

Their lounge is open Monday through Thursday from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from noon to midnight.

It's also open Sunday from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. To book a room, go online to thelongleafhotel.com.

Back in 1949, Louise and Arthur Gist were the first African Americans to own property on Gorrell Street in Greensboro.

They opened a 14-room motel that hosted entertainers and musicians, very well known.

75 years later, the Historic Magnolia House stands and I decided to experience it for myself.

Let's take a look.

They call it the house that soul built.

[lively music] Each of the rooms at the Historic Magnolia is styled in captivating character and bold colors, modeled after the personalities and legacies of people who once stayed here.

- The Carlotta.

[gasps] This is prettier than I expected.

Let's go explore a little bit.

[lively music continues] - Good morning, how are you?

- You must be Natalie.

- Yes.

- It's so nice to meet you.

- You too.

[Deborah laughs] How are you?

- Had a fun time talking to you on the phone, getting everything set up.

- Yes.

- I'm delighted to be here.

- Same.

Oh, welcome home.

- [Deborah] Thank you so much.

I feel like I'm at home already.

Tell me a little bit about some of these items.

Are they directly related to the Magnolia?

- The Historic Magnolia House is a 1949 Green Book hotel.

And so for those that are not familiar with the Green Book, it is what we like to call the Yellow Pages for African American or Black Americans when they were traveling during Jim Crow.

So what we have here is what we call our Negro Travelers Toolkit.

The chauffeur's hat was extremely important.

Having the chauffeur hat, not only in the car, but hanging up in the backseat, actually keeps them safe from being pulled over by the police, and not only in the backseat, but hung up in the window, allows them to portray themselves as the driver of the car or the chauffeur.

- [Deborah] They had to be so clever.

- You wanna join me at the table?

I'm a little hungry and we can talk over food, I know that's how Mama Gist did it now.

- Look, we can talk over food.

- Okay, let's do.

[laughs] [comfortable music] - This is a really beautiful room.

- Thank you.

- Good morning.

- We have bacon, and we also have sausage links.

- I can move that over here.

Oh, my goodness.

- And Chef has pancakes.

- Hey, chef!

- And strawberries.

- Good.

- Are you Mama Nicole?

- I am Mama Nicole.

- Now, see, I thought Mama Nicole, I was kind of expecting like a little old lady.

[all laugh] - Oh no.

- Well, I am.

By heart, by heart.

By heart.

In my heart.

- You take care of people.

- Yes.

That title is because I guess that's what I love.

That's what makes me feel good.

That's what makes me feel fulfilled.

- These are delicious.

[laughs] - Aww.

- I love these.

- [Natalie] I'm a sucker for crispy edges and so I'm looking- - I love the crispy edges too.

I'm loving like how brown they are, but moist on the inside.

- Mm-hmm!

- Louis Armstrong, one of our extended stayers, you know, he'd stay with us for like two and three weeks at a time, and he would sit over in this window over here in the ballroom and just clean the trumpet while Mama Gist, i.e.

Mama Nicole, would come and feed him biscuits.

Now, he ain't like bacon, [Deborah laughs] but I don't know that he didn't like bacon, but it was molasses and ham- - Ooh, yes.

- for him.

- You have a very close relationship with this place.

- Mm-hmm.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

When dad purchased the house from the Gist family, he purchased it with the intentions of keeping it from being demolished.

I said, "Dad, how are things going?"

And, you know, he was just like, "You know, Nat, you know, I've been at this for a long time.

I'm working every day back and forth in Durham, so it's just getting really tough."

So I said, "Well, you know, why don't we do this?

What do you think if I come in and let's try this for a couple years.

Let's see how things go.

And if we need to sit down and have a conversation again, we'll sit down and have the conversation again."

- You were open.

- And so that's literally how it started.

Fast forward to here we are today over pancakes and I ain't having that conversation anymore.

- Here's to daughters building legacy.

- A blessing, indeed.

Cheers to that.

Yes.

[gentle music] - Natalie's mission doesn't stop at providing a beautiful, welcoming bed and breakfast for visitors.

She wants to be intentional about preserving Black historic sites, reconnecting them to their communities, and using the space to educate others.

That's why she established the Magnolia House Foundation to offer education programs like a shoebox lunch, where participants are served a lunch in a shoebox as they learn the history of "The Negro Motorist Green Book."

As I explore the halls and colorful rooms throughout the historic Magnolia, it's warm and familiar.

I think about the greats who've experienced her comfort and freedom well enough to think, to laugh, sit down to a warm meal, dance a turn, or just rest easy.

And I see why, still today, those who visit will feel welcomed home.

The historic Magnolia House is at 442 Gorrell Street in Greensboro.

To plan your stay, give them a call at [336] 617-3382 or visit them online at thehistoricmagnoliahouse.org.

Hmm.

Christine's right.

This Appalachian Negroni is truly special.

We've had a great time here at the Longleaf Hotel and Lounge in Raleigh.

It's a wonderful place to stay or enjoy a cocktail in their lounge.

And if you've missed anything in tonight's show, remember you can always watch us again online at pbsnc.org or find us on our YouTube channel.

Have a great "North Carolina Weekend" everyone.

Cheers.

[bright upbeat music] [bright upbeat music continues] [bright upbeat music continues] [bright upbeat music continues] [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.

[bright music]