This is a sweet family run farm with great U-Pick strawberries. I feel like we had 5 lbs that were…read moregone in a week. They had 5+ varieties and the owner walked us out to show us where to pick and explain how the varieties were different. It was very family friendly, they had a play yard set up for their little one and ours joined in on the fun. They don't use pesticides so I felt safe with my little girl taste testing a couple. The folks were so kind and it wasn't overly done/expensive/crowded like a lot of other U-picks. It's a bit further out but well worth the drive!

My granddaughter got married at this lovely venue. The wedding planner was amazing. Every single…read moreminute of this wonderful event went perfectly. The family and wedding party gathered earlier for pictures. The wedding ceremony was held in an intimate setting followed by a cocktail hour then dinner and dancing in a larger building. They even had a trivia game set up in the upper floor. The venue offered everything: vast menu options, a selection of DJs to book, and even hair stylists. All of the flowers were freshly grown from the farm. Highly recommend this venue.

Beautiful grounds and outside ceremony space. As a wedding guest, I thought the staff was efficient…read moreand attentive. The catering company (City BBQ? or something like that), was fantastic. I assume catering was offsite, and the food was amazing. Fresh, hot and everything was perfectly seasoned. The reception space is beautiful, and is perfect for a memorable reception.

Beautiful and peaceful, bigger than I expected. Nice place to picnic or have a wedding. Easy to…read moreget lost in the beauty.

Beautiful visits and welcoming invitations for educational events. I can't imagine not wanting to…read morevolunteer, work or provide a contribution here. The artwork is inspiring, the gardens are peaceful and the staff is friendly.

This is a family owned "pick your own" farm right outside of Burlington where you can pick your…read moreown peaches right off the trees along with blueberries and blackberries during the growing season. Follow them on Facebook to keep up with what's available and hours of operation. Once you arrive, you can get an empty basket or bucket from under the shelter and head off to pick your peaches or berries and return to the shelter with your harvest where they will weigh it and ring up your purchases. Today was opening day for the 2017 season, the peach trees and blueberry bushes were loaded. The peach I ate when I got home was awesome. Also be sure to check out Jasper at "Jasper's Fresh Squeezed Lemonade" here at Buttermilk Creek, Jasper sets up his lemonade stand here and offers some cold beverages which was a refreshing treat after pickin' peaches in the summer heat. Jasper has his own Facebook page also for his stand so be sure to check him out.

Wish I could give more stars! A beautiful place. Delicious fruit. Wonderful owners! I highly…read morerecommend Buttermilk Creek Farm to anyone that enjoys wonderful fresh fruit!!

Educational and fun. This is a fiber farm and they have a nice little gift shop and online…read moremerchandise. Lots of alpacas and llamas to feed, see, and pet! The lan on staying approx an hour to get the guided tour. Best for elementary aged well behaviors kids.

This is my second visit to Alpacachino Ranch and it won't be my last. Ben and Angela are wonderful…read morehosts; so knowledgeable and full of interesting stories about each alpaca and llama. Their love for their animals is very evident and you can tell how well each animal is cared for. The tour was terrific from start to finish. I couldn't recommend this any more, and I can't wait to do it again. And again. Oh, and don't forget to stop by the gift shop full of fun and beautiful alpaca items!

Just sitting back in very hot New Orleans, wishing that this small but might arboretum was near me…read moreright now. It's a lovely space on the UNC campus with beautiful trees, shrubs and flowers. There are benches for sitting and taking a breath. When I was visiting there were students on laptops and people chatting and it just seemed the perfect place to take a deep breath. Parking is in the campus lots (if you have a pass) or on the street.

The past few weeks of pollen have had me questioning why it is I chose to live in North Carolina…read more But today, as I strolled through UNC-Chapel Hill's Coker Arboretum, I was reminded that all this yellow dust is worth it for the glorious, colorful display of trees and plants that grace our parks, neighborhoods, and streets. Coker Arboretum is a stunning little gem, tucked within an already beautiful campus. It's only 5-acres, but the space is well thought out with grassy areas in which to relax and read and secluded benches beneath the shaded canopies of trees. I loved the variety of flowers and plants, some of which I hadn't seen before. If you are in the Chapel Hill area, I definitely recommend a walk through this lovely arboretum. For a Spring Sunday, it wasn't crowded - a nice change from other larger gardens in the area, such as Sarah P Duke Gardens in Durham. Parking is unfortunately an issue at Coker, but if you come on a weekend, most street parking and lots in the area are free.

I had heard about liberty acres because of their capybara experience. I decided to check them out…read morebecause they were having a teacher event. It was an hour from Winston-Salem and a pretty scenic drive to the sanctuary. It is well signed so you know where to turn and go to park. The staff was friendly and once we checked in, we started exploring the animals. I got to pet so many exotic animals like kangaroos and alpacas. I really enjoyed petting the camel and cow. We did not pay extra to feed and play with the capybara's but I may do that in the future. Bring bug spray since you were in a wooded area with animals.

For some reason, a reel of a capybara from this place showed up in my Instagram feed. After reading…read moreabout this place on their internet place, we thought it would be a fun half-day trip from us. It's out there, but your GPS should be able to direct you. It's confusing at first because you pass a small parking lot, which is actually the parking lot for the capybara area. Keep driving and you arrive at the main entrance. We followed signs for admission expecting it to be in a building or something but it ended up being two people sitting at a table. We got two regular admissions, and they didn't give us a sticker or wristband or anything. I guess you do get a wristband if you pay extra for the capybara experience. Kind of odd since anyone can just walk around and they wouldn't know. We took a photo of their map and checked out all the areas. The animals are cool, and some are wandering around in open areas, even though they aren't really approachable. There was a food truck selling hot dogs, and the place also sells feed cups and gem mining kits (nobody was doing that on the day we visited). It's also cool that this place is an equine sanctuary. There are some shady areas but a lot of it is out in the open, so bring hats and sunscreen. We did see lots of exotic animals and enjoyed the experience overall.

HVCC is a fantastic country club, particularly if you are a golfer. The course is a tough par-70,…read morebut not penal. The course was designed by Donald Ross and was built in 1926. It is a beautiful walking course and when I'm playing by myself, I can typically play 9 holes in about 1:40. The golf course is really the difference-maker for Hope Valley, as it stands up very well to any course in NC. There was a PGA tour event here in the 1940s, so you know that the layout is strong. Hope Valley is a private club with an initiation fee. There are three levels of membership - SOCIAL (which allows you to use the pool, the restaurants and play golf 6 times a year - for a fee); TENNIS (which is social plus free access to the 7 clay and 2 hard tennis courts; GOLF (all the golf, tennis, pool, etc that you want) - and if you walk, there is no incremental charge for golf. I would say that the average monthly charge for family golf is $500, so you really have to like to play golf. If you play tennis, there are a lot of leagues and weekly events - like men's night, where the pro splits everybody up into even matches. After 2 hours of play, folks hang out and drink beer in the moonlight. It makes for a fun evening.

Every few months, we hold company meetings at this beautiful venue. The service is always top…read morenotch. The staff is extremely attentive and work very hard to keep the day flowing seamlessly. Kirby, one of the staff members, is simply superb. He remembers me from previous events and even had my drink order memorized. He is personable and truly works to keep the clientele happy. He served us all with a smile despite the fact that he had his college calculus final the next day. You honestly would not know if he was under any stress or pressure. Kirby is an absolute gem giving a great customer service experience.