Life Members' Tours

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Tour 1 - Childress Vineyards, Bob Timberland Gallery,  Dempsey Essick Gallery and Country Craft Store

Childress Vineyards
Childress Vineyards is a world-class winery where everything is extraordinary.  Styled like an Italian Renaissance Tuscan villa, Childress Vineyards is nestled at the gateway of the Yadkin Valley.  Wines featured include:  Chardonnay, Viogneier, Pinot Grisio, Sauvignon, to name a few.  All of this was inspired by the vision of NASCAR team owner Richard Childress.

Lunch will be at the YMCA in Lexington (along with Tour 2, RCR Racing and Childress Vineyards).

Bob Timberlake Gallery
Nestled in the heart of North Carolina’s Piedmont region, the Bob Timberlake Gallery invites visitors to step into the artist’s life and immerse themselves in his world.  The Gallery showcases Timberlake’s original artwork, reproductions and personal memorabilia, as well the popular home furnishings collection that has made him a familiar name in homes across the country.

This tour will also include a stop in Lexington, N.C. at the Dempsey Essick Gallery and Country Craft Store.

Tour 2 - RCR Racing Museum and Childress Vineyards

Richard Childress Racing
Richard Childress Racing is legendary in field of NASCAR racing teams.  Visit the race shop where six championships were earned.  See nearly 50 race cars driven by Richard Childress, Dale Earnhardt, and others.  This is a very interesting and educational tour about RCR and NASCAR.  Also included is the Richard Childress Wildlife and Conservation Gallery which includes Richard’s own hunting trophies.

Lunch will be at the YMCA in Lexington (along with Tour 1, Childress Vineyards and Bob Timberlake Gallery). 

Childress Vineyards
Childress Vineyards is a world-class winery where everything is extraordinary.  Styled like an Italian Renaissance Tuscan villa, Childress Vineyards is nestled at the gateway of the Yadkin Valley.  Wines featured include:  Chardonnay, Viogneier, Pinot Grisio, Sauvignon, to name a few.  All of this was inspired by the vision of NASCAR team owner Richard Childress.

Tour 3 - Old Salem (Historic Town of Salem and Old Salem Toy Museum) and Tangelwood Extension Arboretum

Old Salem
Old Salem, located in Winston-Salem, NC, is one of America’s most authentic living history attractions.  This tour will begin with a self-paced tour of the Historic Town of Salem.  Costumed tradesmen and women re-create life in Salem by producing essential goods like tool, ceramics, furniture, and metals using traditional practices of long ago. Salem welcomes you into this eighteen and early nineteenth century community of homes, shops, gardens and even a functioning bakery.

The Old Salem Toy Museum houses the country’s most comprehensive and impressive collection of antique toys.  The self-guided tour leads visitors through two floors of beautifully detailed toys, providing an entertaining look at the lifestyles and play habits of children prior to 1920.  

Box lunches at Old Salem Visitors Center.

Tanglewood Park Extension Arboretum
The magnificent arboretum at Tanglewood Park is a public garden containing diverse flora, perennials,herbs, trees and shrubs, which are planted and maintained for the education of landscape professionals, area youth and adults,as well as for the enjoyment of the residents of the Piedmont. Master Gardener volunteers, under the leadership of Toby Bost, Forsyth Cooperative Extension Agent and Director of the Arboretum, are restoring and revitalizing the arboretum. 

 

Tour 4 - Mount Airy, NC (Andy Griffith and Mayberry) Tour

Step back to a simpler time when you visit Mount Airy.  Actor Andy Griffith grew up here, and it's no coincidence that a stroll down Mount Airy's Main Street reminds people of the town of Mayberry from The Andy Griffith Show.

Begin your tour of Mount Airy at the Visitor Center which houses the world’s largest collection of Andy Griffith memorabilia.  View a short film and examine exhibits about Mount Airy’s other famous citizens: Siamese Twins, Eng and Chang Bunker; singer, Donna Fargo; Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart; and bluegrass musician, Tommy Jarrell.

Tour Mount Airy and learn about life in Mount Airy and the “ Mayberry State of Mind:  Mayberry fans will enjoy seeing Snappy Lunch, the Old Mayberry Jail, Floyd’s City Barber Shop, and the Andy Griffith Playhouse and Andy’s Homeplace.

Lunch will be on your own at one of the several dining options along Main Street.  To take advantage of the full Mayberry experience, visit Snappy Lunch and wrap your hands around the monumental pork chop sandwich, a Mount Airy tradition for over 50 years.

 

Tour 5 - Seagrove Pottery and Southern Supreme Bakery

Seagrove Pottery

This tour will begin with a visit to Seagrove Creations Pottery Gallery and Hearthside Coffee Shop in the pottery Mecca of the southeast, Seagrove, NC.   There will be time to shop from 50 potters wares, observe over a dozen craftsmen’s talents, enjoy complimentary muffins, and learn about this unique area.

 

Next, participants will board the bus and travel to Crystal King Pottery and Folk Art.  This unique pottery shop specializes in face jugs, salt glaze, and folk art.  A variety of biblical and animal figural sculptures are available. Unique stone benches and stepping stones are also a treat to see and own.

We will then travel to the Westmore Family Restaurant for lunch.  This restaurant has a very nice selection of family dishes and specializes in seafood.   Westmore’s is a favorite of the locals.

Jugtown Pottery and JLK Jewelry at Jugtown Pottery will be our last stop in Seagrove.  Jugtown Pottery is one of the oldest pottery establishments in the area and specializes in dinnerware, vases and jars as well as fine American crafts.  JLK Jewelry has beautiful sterling silver jewelry set with pottery stones, semi-precious stones, gold and /or copper. 

For a complete description of the Seagrove Pottery area, visit the webite of the Seagrove Area Potters' Association.

Southern Supreme 
The last stop will be Southern Supreme Gourmet Specialties, known far and wide for its fruit cake (which actually tastes great!) and also for its gift baskets and other treats.

Now, get ready to treat your “sweet tooth.”  What started out in her garage as a hobby for Mrs. Berta Scott has now evolved into a world-wide business.  Her famous nutty fruit cakes were so popular she kept expanding her business until it now involves many of her family, and provides employment opportunities for many in the community.

The modern, spacious retail store offers a tasting area where you can sample a variety of products, including the famous fruitcake.  Although fruitcakes are not baked during the summer, many other products are.  If we are lucky we will see the kitchen staff in action, smell the aroma of fresh baked cookies, and maybe even sample some of them.  Plan to do some early Christmas shopping; this is a shopper’s paradise. 

 

Tour 6 - Replacements, Ltd. (1/2 day tour)

Founded by Bob Page in 1981, Replacements, Ltd. (located in Greensboro, NC) has the world's largest selection of old & new dinnerware, including china, stoneware, crystal, glassware, silver, stainless, and collectibles. Their 300,000 square foot facilities (the size of five football fields!) houses an incredible inventory of 11 million pieces in more than 250,000 patterns, some over 100 years old!

Replacements, Ltd.'s beautiful 12,000 square foot showroom offers a wide range of beautiful products and special sale items. Included is a museum that features over 2,000 rare pieces of china, crystal, silver, collectible plates, and figurines.

Each month, thousands of their customers replace broken or missing pieces, or add to their collection. In fact, they receive up to 10,000 telephone calls each day via their toll-free number 1-800-REPLACE (1-800-737-5223) 8:00 am - 10:00 pm ET, 7 days!  They  also receive thousands of online inquiries daily. Each piece they offer is carefully inspected and entered into a computerized inventory system.  Their computers are vital in maintaining the records of specific requests for each customer's file, allowing staff to quickly and efficiently locate dinnerware pieces for thousands of customers every day.