6 minute read
ROCKY MOUNT MILLS
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By Paige Minshew
Despite these uncertain times, the Rocky Mount community can always be relied upon to make unforgettable memories.
Along the falls of the Tar River, Rocky Mount Mills provides a great opportunity for those experiences. The restored 28-acre cotton mill complex has brought together residential, commercial, cultural and entertainment amenities for thousands of people to enjoy.
Due to Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive orders pertaining to COVID-19 safety measures, this vibrant community has been at a stand-still for a few months.
During normal times, however, the mills hosts a plethora of activities from charity events to live music and also offers exceptional meeting and convention spaces.
The Power House is a versatile event space ideal for weddings, receptions, conferences and meetings. The Power House is a spacious multilevel indoor event space with attached open-air terrace and outdoor courtyards with riverfront views.
There are also several other indoor and outdoor venues at Rocky Mount Mills, including the first- and second-floor main mill lobbies and outdoor venues such as the beer garden and front lawn.
Rocky Mount Mills offers not only breweries, live music and good times, it also offers accommodations. For those who choose to enjoy a scenic view of the Tar River, living at the mills is the perfect place to call home. Residents are offered the ability to enjoy outside activities as well as good food and entertainment.
For a more laid-back, family-oriented atmosphere with bustling life just around the corner, the Village Homes may be just the place to call home. The Village Homes are located next to Rocky Mount Mills and along the Tar River. These homes are equipped with spacious decks and outdoor patios, high ceilings and architectural details inside. Each home has its own personality and fits in nicely within the mills community.
The Village Homes range in size from one to three bedrooms and all landscaping is maintained by Rocky Mount Mills. All homes feature charcoal grills as well as unique backyard games, from bocco to horseshoes.
If you’re after a more urban feel of living with a dash of city life, the luxurious lofts at Rocky Mount Mills make for an ideal place to enjoy every day. By living in the lofts, you become part of a community that offers easy access to local amenities, highways and activities. Units are available in one, two and three bedrooms.
Top (L-R, clockwise) 1) Rocky Mount Mills Development Manager Evan Covington Chavez stands in front of the main mill building. 2) Megan Smith draws a beer at Koi Pond Brewing Company at Rocky Mount Mills. 3) Katie Davison, left, and Jody Gerhard share a laugh while enjoying pizza and beer on May 13, 2017, during Pondapalooza outside Koi Pond Brewing Company at Rocky Mount Mills. (File photos) 46
1) The annual Hop Drop is held on New Year’s Eve at Rocky Mount Mills. 2) Etaf Rum prepares a drink on Oct. 23, 2019, at Books and Beans at Rocky Mount Mills. (File photo)
Rocky Mount Mills is also home to some of the most popular breweries this side of Interstate 95. Five breweries help keep the nightlife alive at the mills.
BDD (Bucken Da Dicey!) Brewing
Company — Founded by cousins Chazz Oesch and Matt Nichols, BDD heavily relies on its mascot Sasquatch as inspiration of brew names. Some of the favorites include “I’m Squatchin You” pale ale, “Wild Man Uncle” IPA, “Red Eyes” amber ale brewed with cinnamon and chamomile, “Monkey Man” saison brewed with ginger and tangerine, “Abominable Joe Man” French vanilla stout, “Squatch on the Beach” lemonade shandy, “el Quinametzin” Mexican lager, and “Squatch and the Giant Peach” a peach cobbler wheat dessert beer.
HopFly Brewing Company — Cameron Schultz joined the start-up brewery in 2017. The brewery creates beers that are bold and approachable. Cam has heavily expanded his brewery and has recently added a taproom at the mills.
Koi Pond Brewing Company — Opened in 2016 as Rocky Mount’s first craft brewery, the brewery and taproom, known as The Pond, features an ever-changing variety of unfiltered ales including pale ales and IPAs, stouts, Belgian beers, saisons and more. Koi Pond is family- and pet-friendly, offering wines and non-alcoholic beverages. Customers are invited to bring in food from the restaurant of their choice.
Rocky Mount Brewery — Briana Brake and Celeste Beatty collaborated to create Rocky Mount Brewery to brew signature craft recipes that celebrate the living culture and history of Rocky Mount. Brake, founder of Spaceway Brewery, seeks to not only reinvent simple and full-flavored craft-brewed beer but to create a sense of community through craft brewing education, innovation, activities and festivals and community ownership. Beatty has the same goals to raise the visibility of underrepresented groups in the beer industry. Rocky Mount Brewery is one of two African-American owned breweries in North Carolina. In a recent blog post by Holly Regan, Beatty says she “loves seeing people who are totally opposite finding themselves in the same place, having a conversation over a beer, and eventually finding common ground.”
Tarboro Brewing Company — Tarboro Brewing Company tapped its first beer in February 2006. TBC makes craft beers that are seasonal and spontaneous. In addition to beer, it also offers chef-inspired tacos and other dishes. TBC also operates food trucks throughout Tarboro and surrounding areas. By creating TBC, founders Stephen and Inez Ribustello, along with Franklin Winslow, hoped to increase interest and tourism in Tarboro, therefore bringing more business and helping the community make the community prosperous.
Lindsay Baker and Jason Boone of Wilson are frequent visitors of Rocky Mount Mills. When asked what’s the best thing about the mills, they emphatically replied, “knowing our fur babies are welcome. Our dogs Mr. Beauregard, Codex and Oswald always have the best time. We love how laid back the atmosphere is — not a bad place to grab a beer and delicious food.”
Ever wanted to experience living in a tiny house? Well, now you can at the mills. River and Twine, a tiny house hotel, is a collection of 20 boutique tiny houses crafted just for this idyllic setting by the Tar River. The hotel offers guests unique accommodations in walking distance to the mills community.
Nightly and extended rentals are available in River and Twine’s 20 tiny homes. There are also three guest suites located in a renovated 1900s mill house. River and Twine is a great place to unwind and experience a world away from your own.
If you want to enjoy the beauty of the Tar River, embrace the history of the mills, have your share of craft beer and chow down on amazing food, give Rocky Mount Mills a chance to check all of your boxes.
