Day Trip To ‘The Heart of Carolina’: Lions, Tigers, Pottery, And Orchards…Oh My!

ASHEBORO, NC – Only an hour and a half drive from Raleigh or Charlotte, Randolph County in ‘The Heart of Carolina’ is a perfect destination for a day trip. The towns of Archdale, Asheboro, Franklinville, Liberty, Ramseur, Randleman, Seagrove, Staley, and Trinity are located within Randolph County with Asheboro being the county seat. Asheboro is also home to the North Carolina Zoo.  Seagrove is the “The Handmade Pottery Capital of the United States.” Millstone Creek Orchards in Ramseur offers exciting, educational, and interactive orchard tours year-round and presents a variety of “holly, jolly” activities, events, and products during the holiday season.

Also located in Randolph County are the Richard Petty Museum, (celebrating NASCAR’s all-time career victory leader), the Uwharrie National Forest with fantastic hiking trails, and The NC Pottery Center. Randolph County is also the home of Victory Junction, founded by NASCAR’s famed Petty family. According to Randolph County’s website, this facility will provide camping experiences for chronically ill children on a 65-acre site near Randleman. The camp is the latest of the “Hole in the Wall Gang Camps” founded by actor Paul Newman.

Let me tell you about my experience on a day trip to ‘The Heart of Carolina’ the Saturday before Thanksgiving. 

North Carolina Zoo

Debbie Foster Fuchs (North Carolina Zoo PR Officer) Provides an Overview of Zoo

The first stop was for a guided bus tour of the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, the nation’s largest natural-habitat zoo with 500 acres of exhibits and over 1,700 animals. The animals live in habitats representing two regions—Africa and North America—plus a global Desert. 

In the North America habitat, a herd of bison and elk was viewed from one of the four overlooks, along with the sighting of polar bears, black bears, red wolves, and other animals. Rhinoceroses, giraffes, zebras,  and, of course, elephants, who came out after the weather got a little warmer, were spotted in the Africa habitat. The Desert is a glass-domed building designed to recreate an arid, colorful desert. Blue-tongued Skink, free-flight birds, vampire bats, sand cats, other animals, and a large variety of flora were in the structure.

The new 10-acre Asia Continent expansion is in development and is scheduled to open in 2026. Asia will highlight iconic species such as tigers, Komodo dragons, Asian otters, majestic cranes and hornbills, and many more exciting additions!

Reopening in April 2023, the Zoofari is an exclusive tour of the 40-acre Watani Grasslands, in a specially outfitted, open-air vehicle. An experienced zoo educator will introduce you to nine species—nearly 100 animals. Available year-round from Monday through Friday, the Zoo offers Ride-and-a-Guide which features a golf-cart ride led by a professional guide who is knowledgeable about all species at the Zoo. I suggest people set aside at least four hours to an entire day (depending on stamina!) to see the zoo.

For more information, visit www.nczoo.org.

Lunch at The Flying Pig

A variety of options were available for lunch in the revitalized downtown Asheboro area. The Flying Pig, located at 208 Sunset Avenue, was selected as it was described as a “VERY family-friendly restaurant” offering stone-cooked pizzas, pig nachos, wings, angry okra, salads, sandwiches, homemade NY cheesecake, and their famous salty fried pickles. It proved to be a perfect choice. All the food ordered was fresh, tasty, and in ample portions. Customer service was excellent. Games were on the televisions so the bar area was pretty lively but not to fret if that’s not your thing. The Flying Pig has two sides, one without a bar or TV. Their hours of operation are Sunday, 12 – 11 pm; Monday – Thursday, 5 pm – 11 pm; Friday, 5 pm – 1 am; and Saturday, 12 pm – 1 am. 

A few of the other restaurant choices in downtown Asheboro:

• Farm To Table Cafe (at the North Carolina Zoo): fast, casual selections, and also doing some seasonal local sourcing;
• Taco Loco (138 Sunset Ave): fresh, lively interior with fresh-Mex favorites;
• Black Lantern Tea Room & Bakery (137 Sunset Avenue): serves teas, soup, sandwiches, and decadent sweets;
• The Table Farm Bakery (139 South Church Street): Saturday brunch/lunch classics; open to 3 pm. Lovely restaurant and bakery in a former textile mill building. 

Seagrove NC During Pottery Festival Weekend

It is easy to see why Seagrove is known as “The Handmade Pottery Capital of the United States.” Nestled in the countryside of North Carolina you will find the largest concentration of working potters in the United States. Enjoy your day on a self-guided driving tour down some of North Carolina’s scenic byways. Within a 20-mile radius, there are over 50 pottery shops to visit. Seagrove offers a range of pottery, from functional everyday use to contemporary, sculptural, and folk art, to historical forms from the past. Seagrove is open year-round with shops open nearly every day of the week throughout the whole year.

Two pottery festivals took place on the Saturday and Sunday before Thanksgiving. It was explained that some potters make 25 to 30 percent of their year’s income during these two days. 

The 15th Annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters Pottery Festival and Studio Tour is an indoor sales event with holiday-themed pottery, art pottery, sculpture, home decor, functional cups, plates, etc. There were also potter workshops and demonstrations. It was held at Thompson Arts and Event Hall at Historic Luck’s Cannery (798 NC Hwy 705 East, Seagrove, NC). This is also known as NC Pottery Highway. All of the vendors here are Seagrove-based potters. 

The 40th Annual Seagrove Pottery Festival was at Seagrove Elementary School (528 Old Plank Road). The festival includes potters and traditional craft people from other parts of the state who participate along with potters from Randolph County. Some other crafts were available as well. There were family-style educational activities, craft demonstrations, and local food varieties.

The nonprofit North Carolina Pottery Center (233 East Avenue, Seagrove NC) is the only state-wide facility in the nation devoted solely to pottery. Designed, funded, and constructed through the labors of many citizens, the center opened to the public in Seagrove on Nov. 7, 1998. Consisting of three buildings, the NC Pottery Center’s main center building is roughly 6,000 square feet and contains permanent and temporary exhibition spaces, open storage, a gift shop, offices, a kitchen, and restrooms. The open, well-lit interior of this building features natural wood and numerous windows. One of the other buildings is used as a living space for the center’s artist(s)-in-residence and periodic interns, with the other having wheels, electric kilns, and other clay-working equipment. Visit www.ncpotterycenter.org for more information.

Christmas Season at Millstone Creek Orchards

Millstone Creek Orchards (506 Parks Crossroads Church Rd., Ramseur, NC) is a family-owned and operated orchard that loves sharing what we do and helping everyone to enjoy the wonders of Mother Nature. The 18 acres are full of farm-fresh blackberries, blueberries, peaches, grapes, apples, pumpkins, and pecans, which are all available for u-pick.

During the Holiday season Millstone Creek Orchards offers  Christmas @ The Orchard with activities that include but are not limited to:

• Christmas with the Kringles: An adventure focused on Christmas fun and holiday cheer that includes a Mini Photo Session (~5 minutes) with professional photographers & 2 digital images (per group), a visit with Holly, the Christmas cow, the orchard hayride, visit with Santa & Mrs. Claus, Christmas cookie decorating & reindeer food creation station.
• Christmas Wreath Making Workshop: The workshop instructor will lead you through the process of creating the perfect wreath for your home, using a mix of fresh-cut greenery and other holiday accessories, including a bow for the finishing touch. Also includes hot cider /chocolate and a hot apple cider donut tasting.
• Granny’s Goodies: All things sweet & delicious come from Granny’s Goodies. Fresh apple cider donuts, hot cider, hot chocolate, ice cream, fudge and so much more. Open Saturdays (11 am – 4 pm) and Sundays (1 – 4 pm).
• Fire Pit S’mores Roasting: Warm up on a chilly afternoon by their fire pits!  S’mores packages & roasting forks are available at Granny’s Goodies. Available Saturdays (11 am – 4 pm) and Sundays (1 – 4 pm).

For more information, visit www.millstonecreekorchards.com.

If you prefer to make a weekend out of it, here are some recommendations of places to stay.

Randolph County Tourism Development Authority

The Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing organization for the Randolph County Tourism Development Authority representing Archdale, Asheboro, Franklinville, Liberty, Ramseur, Randleman, Seagrove, Staley, and Trinity. Located at 500 Albemarle Road, Asheboro, North Carolina 27203, the Bureau is open Monday – Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

The Interstate 73/74 Visitor Centers are staffed and operated by the Randolph County Tourism Development Authority in cooperation with the NC Department of Transportation and are located one mile south of Seagrove on both North and Southbound lanes. For more information on the I-73/74 Visitor Centers, including location and staffing, go to this link: VISITOR CENTERS