Five things we learned from Travel Geeks North Carolina 鈥� mountains, moonshine and barbecue
On 9 March, National Geographic Traveller teamed up with Visit North Carolina to host Travel Geeks 鈥� mountains, moonshine and barbecue, an event bringing together an expert panel to discuss all things North Carolina. Writer and musician Emma John, bloggers Carl Hedinger and Christina Riley of NC Tripping, chef, restaurant owner and musician Cheetie Kumar, and PR consultant for Visit North Carolina Margo Knight Metzger joined National Geographic Traveller contributing editor Jo Fletcher-Cross to talk about subjects as diverse as bluegrass music, wild horses, family adventures, farm-to-table eating and craft beer. More than 650 people registered for the event; here are some of the key things we learned:
1 The barbecue is incredible
There鈥檚 hot competition for the best barbecue in North Carolina 鈥斅燼nd styles vary (Eastern is usually whole hog with a thin sauce made of vinegar and spices; Western, also known as Piedmont or Lexington, uses pork shoulder and a vinegar-based sauce with tomato). 鈥淥n a barbecue trail, we ate our way round historic pits, and at The Skylight Inn, in Ayden, I had one of the best bites I鈥檝e ever had, said Christina Riley. 鈥淚t was a whole hog barbecue, chopped so that the skin was perfectly crispy. I鈥檒l never forget it.鈥�
2 It鈥檚 all about fresh ingredients
鈥淭he cuisine of North Carolina isn鈥檛 about caricatures like mac 鈥檔鈥� cheese or coleslaw,鈥� said Cheetie Kumar, explaining why she uses so many seasonal, local ingredients at her restaurant, Garland, in Raleigh. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about grown produce. It鈥檚 important to remember that it鈥檚 an agricultural place 鈥斅爐here are farmers and fishermen, there鈥檚 hog-raising and poultry.鈥� Farm-to-table eating is really popular throughout the state, as it鈥檚 the natural way to use all the great produce that鈥檚 available.
3 Beer can be part of an adventure
Asked to choose just one place to visit in the state, Margo Metzger went for the mountain town of Brevard. 鈥淚t鈥檚 home to hundreds of waterfalls; it鈥檚 an outdoor adventurers paradise. The town is really cool, there鈥檚 a great vibe and it鈥檚 also a great beer town,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 home to some of the most storied breweries in the south.鈥� In the Zoom chatroom, many of our attendees also chimed in with recommendations for craft breweries to visit, including TwoBoros Brewery in Wilkesboro, Foothills Brewing in Winston-Salem and the Beericana聽Craft聽Beer聽& Music聽Festival聽in Holly Springs, which takes place in September. Christina and Carl also pointed out that most craft beer places are really family-friendly, too.
4 It鈥檚 super friendly
鈥淭ravelling as a single person, there鈥檚 nowhere better than North Carolina,鈥� said Emma John. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an easy place to make friends. There鈥檚 nothing strange about eating alone 鈥� in fact, you鈥檒l probably be invited onto another table. There鈥檚 friendly conversation everywhere.鈥�
5 It has music at its heart.
All our panellists were passionate about North Carolina鈥檚 musical heritage. 鈥淚 grew up listening to bluegrass,鈥� said Margo. 鈥淎s an adult, my dreams came true when the IBMA World of Bluegrass festival came to Raleigh. It鈥檚 become the biggest festival there 鈥� a time when the city is awash with music.鈥� Emma suggested visiting Asheville for music, too. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a music city,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t has the most incredible live music scene, spanning everything from folk to bluegrass and old-time to rock and pop. It has these great venues, like The Grey Eagle and The Orange Peel.鈥� The way to get into local music, she said, was to 鈥渂e a bit brave 鈥� go to things like fiddlers鈥� conventions and music festivals. During the summer, there鈥檚 music in every town at every weekend. Go to the local festivals 鈥� even if there鈥檚 only a dozen people watching, the musicians on stage are as good as anything you鈥檇 see in the Royal Albert Hall. They are at the absolute top of their game鈥�.
Watch the full discussion here:
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