[piano intro] - Next on "North Carolina Weekend," join us from the gardens at High Point University as we welcome spring across the state.

We'll visit the Madison Dry Goods, tour Winston-Salem's historic gardens, and sample the fair at The Purple Onion.

Coming up next.

- [Narrator] Funding for "North Carolina Weekend" is provided in part by Visit NC, dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of barrier island beaches, you're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

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

I'm Deborah Holt Noel.

And this week we are welcoming spring all around our state.

Right now I'm at the Mariana H. Qubein Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at High Point University.

The First Lady began collaborating in 2006 with faculty, staff, students, and volunteers to create her visions.

And now High Point University has over 30 gardens, with over 350 types of trees and over 2,500 plants.

This is the Topiary Fusion Garden, where shrubs and trees are carved into decorative shapes.

Aren't they beautiful?

We'll explore more of the gardens throughout the show.

But first, let's head to Madison, where Teresa Litschke discovered, if you're ready to head outside, you might wanna head to this historic country store that has something for just about everyone.

[gentle upbeat music] - Madison is historic and charming.

- [Michael] Hey, good morning.

How are you?

- It's a small community of people.

Everybody knows everybody, really.

- [Michael] I gave you a discount on this, Ms. Mavis.

- [Ms. Mavis] Thank you, sugar boy.

- Old country charm [laughs] is what I would say.

- [Teresa] Locals sure are proud of their town, built along the Dan River and, yes, chock-full of history.

- [Michael] Madison was founded in 1818 and named after James Madison, our former US president.

It was originally founded because of the river trade that was happening.

Then it became for tobacco sales.

- [Teresa] To supplement the growing commerce in town, a store called Penn Hardware opened on West Murphy Street in 1908.

- It was also a hotel.

Hotel Sterling, Webster, was on the second floor.

And then after that closed down, it became Knight and Suggs Funeral Home upstairs.

- [Teresa] In the mid-90s, it became Madison Dry Goods and Mercantile, most recently purchased by Michael "Smitty" Smith in 2023 and renamed Madison Dry Goods and Country Store.

- This has a little bit of everything.

We carry hats, jewelry, clothing for men and ladies, even some children.

We have antiques, we have food.

A lot of the food items on the country store side are local.

- I was here the other day, and we bought a soup mix over in the part where you eat over there, and it's worked out pretty good.

Potato soup.

[laughs] - [Teresa] Talk about knowing everybody, when Smitty decided to open a restaurant in his store, he couldn't think of anyone better to do it than Jennifer Briggs.

- Jennifer and I actually grew up together.

- Yeah, we went to school together.

So we already knew each other.

We're familiar and all.

- I noticed all the baking that she had been doing on the internet to advertising for herself, and so I wanted to incorporate her into the dry goods experience when people come in here.

- [Teresa] You can just imagine the smells coming from her kitchen.

- [Jennifer] So we do homemade sourdough bread made here.

We do homemade cinnamon rolls.

- Big supporter of any cinnamon rolls.

Yes.

- She loves them.

- They're big cinnamon rolls.

- Unfortunately, we missed the cinnamon rolls, which is what brought us here, but we're excited to try the food.

- [Teresa] Jennifer's talent for more savory dishes is just as delicious.

- So a hot bar with all sorts of good, home-cooked foods, desserts, and baked goods.

So yeah.

- [Jennifer] We do, like, meat loaves, baked chicken.

- Had baked macaroni and cheese and green beans.

- [Interviewer] How is it?

- Very good.

- Homemade chicken and dumplings.

Just the good stuff that you get at grandma's house.

- [Teresa] I'm not sure if grandma offers music after lunch, but Madison Dry Goods occasionally does in the community room upstairs.

- [Michael] We also have vendor spaces upstairs for antiques, vintage items, pottery, woodwork.

- [Teresa] There's also museum space upstairs, honoring the building's days as a funeral home and a hotel, with plenty of lingering guests that make themselves known from time to time.

- Some people have seen an apparition of a young girl on the second floor through the windows.

We've also had customers whose necklaces have fallen off their neck in the exact same location leaving one of the museums upstairs.

- Sometimes when nobody's here, like, you'll hear footsteps and you'll see the lights kind of jiggle a little bit.

And yeah, it's pretty wild.

[laughs] - [Teresa] It's all part of the charm that keeps customers coming back.

- And the fact that it's been preserved here, and you can kind of still walk in and kind of experience that.

- [Teresa] And that not only goes for the space, but how customers are treated as well.

- We hope that when you leave here that you feel like you've been back home.

And when you come in here, that you feel loved, that you feel cared for, and that you take a little bit of that home with you as well.

[upbeat music] - Madison Dried Goods and General Store is located at 234 Main Street in Madison.

You can stop by between 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM, Monday through Saturday.

And for further assistance, you can call them at 336-949-4499 or find them on Facebook.

Here at the Mark and Julie Phillips Sculpture Garden, you can actually find sculpture that was created by students at High Point University, as well as other North-Carolina-based artists.

It's really a peaceful place to explore.

Now, if you wanna step back in time as you welcome spring, Winston-Salem has three gardens that are rooted in history.

[gentle music] - The unique thing about Winston-Salem and its gardens is you can actually walk through the timeline of the history of this community just through its gardens, starting at Bethabara.

[gentle music] - If anyone's looking to explore the roots and the establishment phases of Winston-Salem, Bethabara is a really good place to start.

Without Bethabara, Winston-Salem might not exist as we know it today.

[gentle music] The Moravians soon realized that they were gonna need to develop an economy and a money system for the church.

They purchased about 100,000 acres of land known as the Wachovia Tract.

The preservation of natural history is just as important as the preservation of architectural history.

My favorite part of this garden would probably be the grape arbor.

Although some of the plants are similar, the grape arbor stands in the exact same place as the first.

[gentle music] We also have our medicinal garden, which is one of the first European medicinal gardens in the United States for the colonial period.

Dr. Hans Martin Kalberlahn was one of the original 11 settlers here.

His trade and specialty was medicine.

Once he got his garden planted, lots of people came seeking his medical practice and his medicinal herbs.

Bethabara actually translates from Hebrew to house of passage.

In 1766, they were reminded of their plans to establish Salem, which would've been the central city for the tract of land that they purchased.

[air whooshes] [upbeat music] - Bethabara really illustrates subsistence.

We're here in Salem.

It's a trades town.

They wanted to interface with the outer world a little bit.

Everything that we plant is historically accurate, well-researched plant material.

Seeds are humanity's inheritance.

We need to steward that inheritance and not waste it and save it for future generations.

- Even though we're so used to food and we're so used to plants being all around us, we don't really think about how much those plants have made us and shaped us, and still continue to make us and shape us.

This is where those connections are made.

We have over 200 varieties of heirloom plants.

We're really only trying to grow things that the Moravians were growing from 1766 to 1850, or that would've been grown around Salem from 1766 to 1850.

It really tells the story of everyone.

This town really started to shift after 1850 because Salem and Winston were joining together.

That starts to be kind of in the works before officially in 1913.

[gentle music] - At one point in time, Winston-Salem was the largest city in North Carolina.

RJ was the richest person in North Carolina.

And, you know, the community kind of fed off of that.

It fed off the success of RJ Reynolds.

Katharine was RJ Reynolds' wife.

She was the driving force behind Reynolda Gardens, behind Reynolda as a whole.

She made the decision.

She, you know, crafted the vision and executed it.

Typically, when you visit most estates, the garden sits tucked behind the house.

And here, it's very distinct, that it's off to the side, it's right next to Reynolda Road.

And, you know, the community has long enjoyed this garden.

I think one of the beautiful things about Reynolda Gardens is that it's more than the four acres that people typically associate it with.

Within that four acres, we have a historic Lord and Burnham greenhouse.

We have formal gardens that have historic roses, color-themed gardens, the blue and yellow and pink and white gardens, but that's the four acres.

And then when you get beyond that, there's two miles of walking trails that take you all throughout the estate.

We've got the historic house.

We have the Museum of American Art.

And then go grab a fantastic donut or a great meal in the village.

[gentle music] With the gardens, it's not just the plants.

It's about appreciating moments in time, because they might be fleeting.

You know, sometimes you have a daylily.

Well, that's just one day.

That's a great thing with a historic garden.

It's not just going to be frozen in time, that it will constantly look to its visitors of what we should be doing.

[gentle music] - The best way to find out about the historic gardens in Winston-Salem is to go to their website at visitwinstonsalem.com/thingstod.

This lakeside garden is not only beautiful, it's a basin that captures rainwater and runoff, creating the perfect environment for wildlife and plants.

Now with spring just around the corner, some of you're gonna wanna break out your fly rod and go through your tackle box.

Or you can just head straight to Boone's Fly Shop for all your fly fishing needs.

- Boone is a small mountain town.

We've also got a university right in the middle.

We have access to some beautiful streams, beautiful mountains.

[gentle music] - [Teresa] Located just a short drive from some of the best trout streams on the East Coast, a visit to Boone's fly shopping guide service is a good way to start your high country adventure.

- Yeah, we are a full service fly shop.

We offer all the gear, the flies, leaders, and tippet that you'd need to hit the water.

Most of the rivers up here are cold enough to sustain trout year round.

That's not very common for the Southeast here.

We're about as far south as you can go to enjoy cold, clean water that promotes healthy wild trout.

Look at that mayfly sitting on the surface.

- [Teresa] Guided fishing trips are available through the fly shop.

These seasoned pros know how to put folks onto fish and to ensure a good day on the water.

- So yeah, we'll meet here.

We'll get everybody, you know, supplied with their boots, their waders, their rods, and everything.

We, you know, typically offer anywhere between a four to an eight-hour trip that's walking wades in the river, where we get your boots and waders, of course, to walk up the river.

- In the mountains of North Carolina, we actually have an opportunity to do something that you really can't do anywhere else in the country, honestly.

The techniques and the tactics that you're using to sneak up on some of these wild trout, although you can compare them to other places, it is not the same.

Not a single day is the same.

And every experience that I have, especially with new people.

I mean, you can start your day thinking one way that the day's gonna go, and it typically goes in a completely different direction.

- [Teresa] In addition to fly fishing, back at the shop, you can try your hand at tying your own artificial flies.

- The part of the sport that's not required, of course, you can buy your own flies.

One, that brings more art to the sport.

That brings even more, you know, alone time and time to be artistic, to enjoy another part of the sport, which is fly tying.

- I'm gonna take some copper tinsel, and I'm gonna wrap that in the base.

And all that fly tying is, is basically just a bunch of layering.

So we tie our materials in at the back of the fly, and then we work them up to the front of the fly, and that's how we finish back kind of where we started.

And then I'm gonna snip that thread real close.

And then there we go.

A nice just olive soft hackle with a little bit of flash to it and then that orange hotspot.

[upbeat music] - We like to say we offer, you know, an experience.

One that isn't just about, you know, catching fish.

It's about enjoying the river, understanding, you know, what the trout are doing, where the food comes from, what their habits are.

And then, you know, from there, experiencing the outdoors in the way that we like to, which is fly fishing.

[upbeat music] - Boone's Fly Shop is at 140 Depot Street #1 in Boone.

And they're open daily.

Give them a ring at 828-865-3474, or explore their offerings online at boonesflyshop.com.

We came to High Point University just in time to catch the blooming of these, oh, fragrant lilacs.

Now, if your idea of welcoming spring is spending the night in a tree, say, well, Producer Rob Holliday discovered a place where you can do just that, and it's called Cherry Treesort.

- Beautiful living space, comfortable beds.

Not only hot water and heating, but we have refrigerators, microwaves, beautiful deck.

- [Rob] Amenities that are all more than 10 feet above the ground.

Not in a beach house, but in a- - Treehouse.

- [Rob] An abode among the branches, it's one of several here at the Cherry Treesort in China Grove, about 40 minutes outside of Charlotte.

- Cherry Treesort is, it's a 27-acre farm, and we have built seven treehouses out here, overnight rentals, you know, anywhere from 10 to 18 feet up in the air.

- [Rob] Treesort Owner Trent Cherry initially thought about building a cabin here when he bought the land back in 2015.

- We're looking at it, we're like, "You know, why don't we just build a treehouse instead?"

Make it nice like a cabin, all the amenities, and just do that.

And I said, "You know, if we can do one, let's see what two can do.

And then maybe let's see what three can do."

And we just kind of piecemealed it together.

They're done as nice as you can get with all the amenities.

But you still, when the wind blows, you can feel it move.

Like, we don't build stick houses.

Every one of our treehouses has a tree support.

You can feel the tin roof when it rains.

You can hear it.

I mean, you know you're in a treehouse.

- Every house is a different theme, a different style.

Everything is custom built.

- [Rob] Down to the finishing touches, like shelves and railing, none of the Treesort's houses are the same.

Each house is named after a member of the Cherry family, and they have varying designs and sizes, sleeping as many as eight people in some cases.

It helps make an ideal setup for groups of friends and families.

- Wherever your treehouse is located, you have lots of green space.

There's fire pits at every location, which is nice for, like, having the s'mores and the fun.

And then there's opportunities for everyone to gather around and enjoy each other's company.

We have been prepping our children for the treehouses for the past six months.

The anticipation of going somewhere where you can sleep, where your home is absolutely lifted up in the trees, it's unbelievable.

And so the children were so excited.

- [Rob] Even the ones who were a bit more comfortable on solid ground.

Most of the Treesort's houses are located in the limbs, but not all of them.

- Our daughter doesn't like heights, so they have these nice hobbit houses, and they're basically built into the side of the hill.

And there's two of them on the property right now.

It gives a nice difference for people that want to be up high and then people that just wanna be down low.

- [Emily Clark] It's underground, which is very cool.

It makes it incredibly warm and cozy.

It's really unique.

It's just enough space.

- The top is all grass.

So the children were up there doing cartwheels and playing, not getting too close to the side.

But for the most part, that's been the most enjoyable thing.

- We get a lot of both.

Some people come for the hobbit house and wanna stay in the treehouse.

Some people come for the treehouse and wanna stay in the hobbit house.

We've got a big 25-passenger wagon.

We give kids wagon rides.

- [Rob] One of several activities at Cherry Treesort that have nothing to do with the housing itself.

- [Emily Clark] There's lots of swings and a green space for the children to come play and run.

- [Cory] The children can run up and down the creek, and you really don't, I mean, you keep an eye on them, but they're not going too far.

Kids aren't on their tablets.

They're out enjoying nature.

- [Trent] They got 27 acres to run and do what they want.

There's no wifi on the property, which a lot of parents send me emails privately.

Thank you for not having wifi.

It's the best of both worlds out here.

Usually we have families that come and half the family loves the camp, and half the family wants to be in a five-star resort.

So you get the best of both worlds.

- [Rob] And more guests will be able to experience those two worlds.

There's an expansion planned in the years ahead.

- [Trent] We've got zoning for five more.

We plan on building two of those five this year and then seeing how it goes.

We're just trying to find that happy medium of how big do you get without getting too big, and also keeping the privacy of all of our guests so you're not... We don't wanna build them on top of each other.

- [Rob] Guests make their way to Cherry Treesort from all 50 states and even a few other countries.

Trent Cherry wants to make sure they all come away with a fun and unique collection of memories.

- It's really cool to wake up and look out your window from your bed and you're 18 feet up in the air in the middle of the wood.

One of the things that we enjoy is giving the experience to people that you can't get anywhere else.

[upbeat music] - Cherry Treesort is nestled at 1920 Flat Rock Road in China Grove.

To book your overnight stay, give them a call at 704-467-5496, or check them out online at cherrytreesort.com.

You just love the gorgeous red color in this flowering quince along the azalea path.

You know, welcoming spring brings to mind another color in the palette.

In Saluda, Producer Clay Johnson discovered a restaurant that's become very popular among the locals, and it's called The Purple Onion.

[gentle upbeat music] - [Chambli] I want the customers to hopefully come in here and be greeted with a smile, and they leave here with a smile.

- [Emily Lamar] I want their experience to be warm and inviting.

- [Clay] For its owners, Saluda's Purple Onion restaurant is about carrying on a tradition.

Susan and Lynn Casey started the tradition when they opened it in 1998 as a coffee house and cafe serving breakfast and lunch.

- [Emily Lamar] And it really just kind of took off from there.

- [Clay] A year later, The Purple Onion added dinner and live music.

- Their vision was to create a gathering place for this community where people could eat good, healthy food, listen to live music, and be together.

- [Clay] Susan's daughter, Emily, and her business partner, Chambli Stuber, took over the restaurant in 2020.

- We definitely carry those traditions, moving forward, because they are so important to what this place is.

- Wipe as you go.

Don't wipe on the floor.

- [Clay] Stuber is the executive chef, working with a tight staff in a tight kitchen.

- [Chambli] I enjoy what I do and who I do it with, so cooking is part of my life.

I cook just as much at home as I do in my restaurant.

- [Clay] She calls her menu Mediterranean inspired.

- Mediterranean is very fresh.

It's very local, clean, healthy.

And that's definitely where we go with our menu, but it definitely has a southern flair to it as well.

I grew up eating the southern food, so that's what I'm comfortable with, but I also try to keep it healthy, keep it clean.

We don't have a deep fryer in our kitchen.

We never will.

Trying to keep to those clean, fresh flavors.

- [Clay] And trying to stay organic.

- That's definitely important, even with our wine list.

We try to use as much local as possible.

What's in season dictates our menu.

- [Clay] From appetizers.

- [Chambli] This is a roasted beet and bruleed burrata with toasted rosemary focaccia.

- [Clay] To entrees.

- This is a Sunburst mountain trout.

It's topped with toasted almonds.

It's over a sweet potato, butternut squash, and Yukon potato hash with dry chorizo.

And then it's topped with a coriander and mint relish.

- [Clay] And The Purple Onion makes its own desserts.

- [Chambli] This is tiramisu layered with pastry cream and sponge cake topped with whipped cream.

- [Clay] There are craft cocktails too.

- [Chambli] This is the Smoky Mountain.

It's our signature bourbon cocktail.

It's made with Maker's Mark, blackberry, and lemon.

- We get people from Charlotte and Atlanta and Greenville and all over the place.

Susan really did create a destination here that people love to experience.

Our regulars are what makes this place super special to me.

I love creating those relationships.

- [Clay] Regulars like Scott and Barbara Cardais who've been coming here almost every week for nearly 15 years.

- Because it's the hub, almost, of the community.

It's just a wonderful, relaxing place to come.

- We feel like family here, and really the ladies and the staff treat you so well.

And they're very caring, and it's very sincere.

So it's fun.

It's a fun place to come.

- I think our locals think of it as a gathering place and a place to listen to great live music.

Now let's hear it for The Wilder Flower.

[customers cheer and applaud] [upbeat music] We always have a fantastic lineup every Thursday and Saturday night, and then we do concerts on Sunday nights.

[upbeat music] The vibe in here is beautiful.

I call it the heartbeat of The Purple Onion.

We love taking care of our customers.

My staff loves taking care of our customers.

We love getting to know them.

And I think that's something really special about this place, is that each of our customers become kind of a Purple Onion family.

- The Purple Onion is located at 16 East Main Street in Saluda, and they're open for lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday.

For more information, give them a call at 828-749-1179, or go online to purpleonionsaluda.com.

This is the Donald R. & Teresa B. Caine Conservatory.

It's just one of the many beautiful gardens that's located here on the campus of High Point University, and it's a great way to welcome spring.

If you want to take a free tour, all you have to do is go online and book it.

We've had a great time in tonight's show, and if you've missed anything, just remember you can always watch us again online at pbsnc.org, or you can find us on our YouTube channel.

Have a great "North Carolina Weekend," everyone.

[upbeat music] ♪ [upbeat music continues] ♪ - [Narrator] Funding for "North Carolina Weekend" is provided in part by Visit NC, dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of barrier island beaches, you're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

[upbeat music]