One of our favorite places to visit within a short drive of Raleigh is definitely Fearrington Village. Over the years, we’ve probably been at least a dozen times; some visits are weekend-long gifts from parents and some are short day trips with friends or family, the dogs and baby. Whatever our reason for visiting, we always have delicious food and spend some quality time with the belties!
Located only 35 minutes from Raleigh in Pittsboro, Fearrington Village is one of the cutest places for a romantic weekend, nibbles at the beer garden, storytime with baby, a delicious brunch, or a quick visit with the beltie cows and goats. You can combine any or all of those options and you’ll have an awesome time. Here are just a few of the features of Fearrington Village: a quaint, luxury inn with a french Fearrington House Restaurant, a day spa, a casual breakfast/dinner restaurant (The Granary), a beer garden (The Roost), a deli (The Belted Goat), beltie goats and cows, large reception areas for weddings, cute shops, and a bookstore.
Our most recent visits were in August when I wanted to get a quality Sunday drive with my new car and a fun lunch trip with my friend, Kristina, and her daughter, Lucy. Both times we loaded up the car and set off to visit the belties and grab a tasty lunch from the Belted Goat.
Thumbs up: beltie cows and goats (no petting), landscaping, dining options: sit-down casual, take out, or fancy french at the Inn, lodging, BEER GARDEN, pet-friendly (except for the Inn), wine selection at Fearrington House Restaurant
Thumbs down: lack of an outdoor pool for Inn guests
Trip ideas: romantic weekend getaway (check out their packages), New Years celebration, storytime with baby followed by lunch and beers from Belted Goat, brunch at the Granary followed by visit with the animals, live music and nibbles at the Roost beer garden
If those ideas haven’t excited you, check out their website for so many more fun events like: wine/beer classes, farmers’ market, Halloween Festival & more.
Here are some pictures from over the years and from our most recent August trips:
Fearrington 2009
Fearrington 2010
Fearrington 2011
Fearrington 2012
Oh, boy! It’s been a few weeks since I last posted about our trip to Grandfather Mountain: partly because I’ve been busy with other things, but mostly because I’m still wrapping my head around conquering the Profile Trail and Calloway Peak. Yes, I used the word “conquered” when describing this hike.
At 2.3 miles you reach Profile View, which offers a spectacular view of the Grandfather Profile. After you pass Profile View, the terrain gets much steeper and harder to ascend. At 2.7 miles you reach Shanty Spring, which is known for being the “last sure water” spot. We refilled here on the way back down the mountain as we did not come prepared with enough water. Shanty Spring is a great rest area offering a lot of shade and a cool drink before ascending the strenuous path of boulders, which lies next.
Continuing on, we headed to Calloway Peak, which includes climbing three different ladders suspended between large boulders. It was unlike anything we’d climbed before, but so were the views at the top: the sky was so blue, the mountains so green and you could see for miles.
