North Carolina Favorites

Welcome to North Carolina Favorites!

Welcome to the blog of my favorite things from North Carolina! I live in North Carolina and absolutely love my state. I created this blog so that I could write about the people, places and things that I love in North Carolina. As I get time and travel around the state, I will post updates that I hope will share an aspect of North Carolina that is a little less obvious to people. I will try to focus on the hidden gems or take a fresh look and popular destinations.

Please feel free to add comments.

Haus Heidelberg

If you happen to find yourself in Western North Carolina with a hankering for good German food, you can't go wrong with a visit to Haus Heidelberg in Hendersonville. The food offered at Haus Heidelberg is genuine German cuisine and is the best I have had outside of Germany. They have a wide variety of authentic courses that will have you returning time and time again to try something differnt each visit. The sampler plate for two offers a good sampling of their best offerings that will leave you satisfied if not absolutely stuffed. The deserts are all very good and authentic.

They also have a wide variety of imported German beers with my favorite being the high gravity Spaten Optimator. The Optimator is a nice dark beer that has a very respectable 7.2 percent ABV. Haus Heidelberg offers the Optimator in a wonderfully massive 34 ounce mug I call the "goodnight" size. I have also found this size plesantly effective at curing back aches.

A good selection of wines are also available but I personally haven't tried any them. What can I say, I like beer.

The owner and staff are delightful and courteous. They all know the menu well and are very helpful when ordering.

Haus Heidelberg also has a small deli next to the resturant where you can purchase a number of speciality and imported items you just won't find anywhere else. Haus Heidelberg is located at 630 Greenville Highway in Hendersonville (28792). Their phone number is (828)693-8227.

Linville Falls

After a long and extended hiatus from enjoying the great outdoors on the many wonderful hikes and trails in North Carolina, I have returned to my senses. You know the story...Work, stress and other life distractions can pull one away from the things that really matter. Over time you just stop doing things you used to love and enjoy and then forget about them. Thankfully, my kids rescued me from this condition and asked the obvious question, "Why don't we go on hikes anymore?" I didn't have a good answer and realized (shamefully) that my youngest, who was 6, has never really been on a good hike. It was time to dig out the old hiking boots.

After a long and thoughtful discussion of the possibilities, we all decided to restart our hiking hobby on the Linville Falls trail. We wanted something short to see how our youngest would do and he really wanted to see a waterfall. While there are plenty of trails that fit those criteria, we selected the Linville Falls trail. We settled on this trail because it was short (about 1.5 miles round trip) and there were options to extend it if everyone felt up for it. I know that the Linville Falls trail is a very popular trail and can be very crowded at times but it was the off season (Winter).

The day of the hike was picture perfect. The sky was clear and the air had a nice crisp bite of cold to it. Upon arrival we immediately noticed that there were few cars in the parking lot. The crowds were not going to be a problem.

If you have ever been to Linville Falls, you know that the trail is probably the best you will ever encounter. It is very nicely maintained, wide and clearly marked. Our six year old quickly took to the experience and, as expected, was thoroughly enjoying the hike.

At The Falls
There is a reason why Linville Falls is so popular. The falls are impressive and absolutely beautiful. When we arrived at the falls, we were immediately soothed by the therapeutic sound of the falls. All of us couldn't resist the temptation to sit back and relax for a bit with the falls churning in the background. Even our six year old, who has an abundance of energy, was moved to sit down and take it all in for awhile. There is something about the sound of a waterfall that is just indescribable.

As expected, nobody in the family was fazed by the hike down to the falls. It is, after all, a short hike that is mostly downhill. But this was to be a trial hike to break in our six year old and see if hiking was something he would enjoy. Enjoy it he did and he was eagerly ready for more. Fortunately the trail offered us some options.

A Fork in the Trail
The nice thing about the trail to Linville Falls is that there are options to extend the hike around the opposite side of the gorge. For people, like us on that day, who are not sure how much of a hike they want, the trail offers flexibility. So when we encountered the fork in the trail heading back, we opted to continue our hike and took the extension on to the views of the falls setup across the gorge.

Chimney View
After 0.7 miles beyond the fork, Chimney View is encountered. This is the first view of the falls from across the gorge and is simply breathtaking. As with the other observation areas of the trail, the forestry service has done a wonderful job establishing and maintaining safe and beautiful observation areas. This particular observation point is nicely secured atop the gorge and gives a tremendous sense of height as you stare out at the falls that are across the gorge. While there is a nice short stone wall enclosing the area, the drop-off just beyond the wall is long and we did hold onto our six year old kind of tight.

Erwin's View
A short bit beyond Chimney View is the spectacular Erwin's View which offers the best view of the falls and the gorge. Once again, the forestry service has done a superb job at setting up and maintaining a great observation point complete with stairs and a short stone wall around the perimeter. Once again at this observation place my energetic six year old was moved enough by the view to just sit still and take in the view. From the high vantage point of the view, he liked to watch the birds flying through the gorge below us and imagine he was one of them. Guess what he talked about on the drive home.

Erwin's View is the last stop on the extended trail from Linville Falls and comes in at 0.8 miles from the visitor's center. When you factor in the side trails leading to the falls, Chimney View and Erwin's View you might be closer to 0.9 miles or a little shy of 2 miles total with the return trip.

The Return Trip
The return trip back to the parking lot was very pleasant. The pace always seems to slow down on the return allowing for more detailed observations of the foliage and beauty along the trail itself. There is so much to see on this trail.

Our six year old did fantastic and is looking forward to the next hike.

The Folsom Prison Gang

This is kind of a unique North Carolina favorite but I saw this band the other day and they were great. The Folsom Prison Gang is Johnny Cash Tribute Band located in Western North Carolina. They just formed this year (2007) but are comprised of highly skilled musicians that are very pasionate about performing the music of Johnny Cash as Cash would have performed it. They are not a Johnny Cash lookalike band, nobody tries to act like Johnny Cash, but they do stay true to the original music and are not trying to modernize the songs.

With an overwhelming songlist to select from, The Folsom Prison Gang managed to stike a good balance between the typical Johnny Cash styles of love, God, murder and life. They played all of my favorites as well as other great songs that I don't ever recall hearing before. I really look forward to seeing more of this band and hope that they do well.

You can visit their website at www.TheFolsomPrisonGang.com.

Deep Fried Peanuts

You can get just about everything fried in the South and peanuts are no exception. They are such a simple snack but Deep Fried Peanuts are unbelievable yummy! These highly addictive pods of flavor can be eaten with or without the shells that are cooked in the frying process. I personally like to eat about every third shell of a salted deep fried peanut or every other peanut of a flavored variety. They are typically offered in salted, barbeque, cajun and salt and vinegar. I have also seen a shelled version available if you just want to get right down to the business of eating the delicious nut.

You can find deep fried peanuts all over the Carolina's at gas stations and corner grocery stores. They are also available online at a couple of online stores. You can visit my favorite online supply by clicking here.

Coon Dog Day

The little town of Saluda has one of the best festivals in North Carolina. The annual Coon Dog Day festival that occurs each year on the Saturday after the 4th of July.

It is difficult to say exactly what makes this particular festical so special but I would say that the town of Saluda has a lot to do with it. Established in 1881, Saluda is a small mountain town located in the hills of Western North Carolina. With a scenic highway (176) leading through town, Saluda is a popular destination for tourists looking for a beautiful lunch, dunner or shopping destination. The railroad history and "Saluda Grade" also help to make this town a place of local interest that you just feel drawn to. Being up in the hills, the surrounding area is full of beauty and additional places of interest.

Take everything that makes Saluda such an attractive destination, throw in a festival that is also rich with history and tradition, and you have a combination of circumstances that makes for a really fun and enjoyable time. Perhaps this is why Coon Dog Day has occured every year for the past 40+ years to the joy of 10,000+ people.

Hundreds (possibly thousands) of festivals occur each year in North Carolina but this one is definately one of the better ones to attend. If you have never been to Coon Dog Day, you are missing out on a gem of an event.

Visit the town of Saluda's website(www.saluda.com) for more information about this event.

Moravian Cookies

One of the great North Carolina treasures are the Moravian Cookies from Winston-Salem. These cookies are very popular around the holidays (especially the spice cookies) but really could and should be enjoyed all year. They are claimed to be the "Worlds thinest cookie" and would have to be as I don't see how anything else could be any thiner.

So do yourself a favor and pick up some Moravian Cookies. They are made from a recipe that has been passed down through the generations and will become a favorite that you share with future generations.