Outside Adventures During Covid

Wendi Hartup

weekends@yadkinvalleymagazine.com

Adventures During Covid WRITER & PHOTOGRAPHER Wendi Hartup

We've started taking more trips lately. Mostly to get my son away from screen time. He's 12 now so I've noticed it is getting a little harder to get him excited about our adventures. I'm not opposed to a few bribes just to get him in the car! Armed with our masks and spray sanitizer, we head out to locations within two hours drive or so.

We drove to Kansas back in late July to see my folks. On the way I used this website I found that provides great ideas for short trips of unique things to see. It's called AtlasObscura and you can use it almost anywhere in the world. I'll warn you if your kid is like mine, he is not into history (math is his jam). In his words, there are a lot of spots about dead people (graves, statues, plaques, ...etc.). So I've had to search a little more these days to plan trips that add a little history but feel less like school; even if that means we rush through an interesting center with explanations. The good thing is after I find something I want to see and he might enjoy, I do some additional searching of things to do nearby to combine trips.

About 1.5 hours south of Winston-Salem is Town Creek Indian Mound, Mount. Gilead, NC. This is the first and only National Historic Landmark in North Carolina that celebrates Native American culture. It was a very important gathering place for ceremonies, feasts and discussions for the Pee Dee people. We saw structures where people used to gather, a burial hut and the mound. Some archaeological digs showed that structures were built several times in the same location. There is a small restored prairie area surrounding the path leading to the mound. The visitor center, when open to the public, has fantastic Pee Dee history and they have quite a bit of artifacts as well as pottery discovered from the more than 50 years this site was studied. Other than exploring the structures and using your imagination to see life for the Pee Dee people, there is a lovely creek nearby and your kids can just run around with all the open space. We raced up the mound for fun to get to the shelter.

About an hour south of Winston-Salem we visited Zootastic Park in Troutman, NC. This drive through zoo was quite the experience. We got two large cups of food and drove slowly down the path. Expect to take about an hour to drive through the zoo. We saw all kinds of animals on the drive: bison, zebras, deer, alpacas, eland antelope, watusi cows and more. Donkeys, llamas and ostriches come right up to the car windows and even follow your car (well, they did the day we went as we were the only car for about 20 minutes or so). One ostrich stuck its head right through Zach's window. I was feeding a donkey or llama on my side of the car. Zach calmly said in a low voice, "Uh Mommy?" I looked over and he's got a freaked out look as the ostrich is chowing down. I urged him to throw a few out the window on the ground and eased the car forward. We learned if we lingered a little too long, the ostriches shoved all the animals out of the way to get more At Morrow Mountain State Park.

Zack at Town Creek Indian Mound

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featuring Park Models from food. It really was a fun experience but we didn't take any pictures as we just kept the car moving. Make sure to get there early for the full experience when the animals are hungry. We saw some beautiful tigers, a bear and giraffes at the end.

For a change of pace from Hanging Rock State Park, we visited Morrow Mountain State Park in Albemarle, NC. This park is only an hour and twenty minutes away and offers hiking, camping, paddling, fishing, horseback riding and a small swimming area.

The park covers 5,902 acres. There are gorgeous views from the top of the park where you can see parts of the Yadkin River. You can also see beautiful views of Lake Tillery as well as where the Uwharrie River enters the Yadkin River. There are many easy to moderately hard trails. They have clearly marked signage for trails based on length and the level of difficulty along with handicap accessibility. They have campgrounds for tents, trailers and RVs. Like many State parks they offer areas for remote backpack camping and rental of simple, small cabins. This is a park we plan to visit again to explore.

There are so many places you can visit from the comfort of your car but even better...get out into nature and enjoy the adventurous ride of your life. Each day can bring surprises in just small trips.

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Not‐to‐miss books written by

contributors

Mary Bohlen has been a contributor in Yadkin Valley Magazine since 2001. Her new book, Heritage Cooking, Inspired by Rebecca Boone is a classy, Heavily researched compilation of colonial cooking at the hearth and over the campfire, with history and fascinating photography of her career. Heritage is published by Mercer University Press, 2020, USA.

An artist herself and instructor at the John C. Campbell Folk Art School, June Rollins, has been with the Yadkin Valley Magazine family for over 16 years and has this year completed her dream with the release of her first novel,

She Lost Her Muse..

Set in NC, protagonist Poppy is an art student struggling to come to grips with her life’s complications. There are more novels to come!

The Williams Distillery was established by Joseph Williams in 1768, after his relocation to North Carolina from Virginia in what is now known as Lewisville. The whiskey was used by Joseph, his friends and family for medicinal purposes and "personal enjoyment," so it was important to Joseph that his whiskey be "the very best." Word soon spread about the quality of his product and demand rapidly increased. He went on to marry and build a home near his distillery after which he served in the Revolutionary War where he rose to the rank of colonel and was a revered war hero. He and his wife were parents to 12 children, the youngest of whom would continue distillery operations after his father's death in 1827. That son, Nicholas Lanier Williams, moved the distillery about a mile from its original location after he took over operations. In 1851, he built a larger, two-story cabin nearby which still stands today. Nicholas Lanier Williams' son, Joseph Williams was born in January, 1836 and began working in the distillery with his father as soon as he was old enough to help. Joseph built a second two-story cabin corner-to-corner with his father's cabin and married in 1863. During this time, Joseph and his father Nicholas ran the distillery known as "Joseph Williams Distillery" together. It was Joseph who introduced a new brand of whiskey Zeb Williams, one of the owners, conducting a distillery tour.

Unlock the Legend Old Nick Williams Farm & Distillery

WRITERS John & Carrie Byrd

called "Old Nick," in honor of his father. Nicholas Lanier Williams died on July 3, 1886. His son Joseph died just sixteen months later. The distillery would pass to yet another generation. Joseph's son, Nicholas Glen Williams, commonly known as Glen was born on March 28, 1865. Upon the deaths of his grandfather and father, Joseph Williams took over operations of the distillery. Soon after he saw a need for a change. Within a short time, he changed the name to "Old Nick Williams Distillery" and began to enlarge operations. Glen began buying additional raw whiskey from other local stills, aging and finishing it for distribution. He became wellknown as a master of refining and rectifying raw whiskey. In 1893, Glen was set up at the Chicago World's Fair and featured at the Paris Exposition seven years later, setting the stage for world-wide distribution. In 1902, when NC passed a law requiring whiskey only be produced in an incorporated town, Glen went to work to make Williams, North Carolina an incorporated town.

The distillery continued full operations until prohibition laws made it illegal to sell in NC. This forced them to distribute by shipping out of state. This distribution continued until his death, which left his wife with a large farm, 28,000 gallons of now-illegal whiskey and nine children to raise. After national prohibition was enacted, she had no choice but to dump and destroy all operations. Many years later, several discoveries were made on the property leading to many discussions and the excitement of bringing back the Old Nick Williams brand. In 2014, brothers Van and John Williams and their sons Zeb and Matt Williams, decided to move forward with their dreams. It was important their family history be presented. History is being made here. The story continues to be written. You can be sure these men will continue to "Unlock The Legend." To plan your visit: Old Nick Williams Company and Busted Barrel Cocktail Bar are located at 2675 Williams Rd. Lewisville, NC 27023. They have a variety of spirits including whiskey, bourbon, rum and vodka. They also have begun making and bottling hand sanitizer. Check their website or Facebook page for upcoming events.

To learn more or to book a tour: John & Carrie Byrd Yadkin Valley Wine Tours yadkinwinetours.com 336-408-3394

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