Our ride for the day.
I am still learning Chatham County. I have heard the names for months now: the pottery studio, the orchid greenhouses, the tiger sanctuary, and a festival in the woods, but I had not been to any of them. So when The Chatham Chamber loaded a bus at The Guild Apartments at MOSAIC on Thursday morning for its #VisitChatham Bus Tour, I had to be on it.
By the time we returned at half past five, I had seen a 25-year-old orchid and stood a healthy distance from Amir, the first tiger I have ever seen in real life, and a bobcat named Winston. I had tasted a fruitcake that quietly dismantled every assumption I have ever held about fruitcake, and I had watched a mayor who doesn't take himself too seriously greet a busload of visitors with very tempting cupcakes, some of which were red velvet.
Rebecca Dickenson, the Chamber's president and CEO, had built the day on a single principle she stated early and enforced without exception: timeliness. "This is the only way this works," she told us. The itinerary was tight. Sometimes the transitions were tighter. When Rebecca said it was time to board, the bus filled. She had also made sure no one would go hungry. "We don't allow hangry on this bus," she said, and she meant it. There were plenty of snacks and drinks provided throughout the day. People's Coffee provided breakfast before departure with very tasty waffles and good coffee.
Vector Security presented the tour, and Fidelity Bank sponsored the bus. Their representatives set the tone early: friendly, easy to talk to, and genuinely interested in the people around them. Once we pulled out of the parking lot, the brilliance of the whole operation hit me. The seats were unassigned, allowing you to connect and network with other members of the community along the way. The county is changing fast, and the people shaping that change seem to have very little patience for pretense.
And a note on the ride itself: our driver, Don, from Eco Styles, navigated the county's country roads with a precision that bordered on miraculous. Think experienced airline pilot safely landing a plane. All of us had several moments to cheer, knowing that the steering wheel was in great hands.
Carolina Tiger Rescue sits on 67 acres of forest in Pittsboro and is the only wild cat sanctuary in North Carolina accredited by both federal officials and the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. Kris Marino, the executive director, rode with us to the property and told the sanctuary's story on the way. She introduced herself by mentioning that she owns eight dogs and actively trains them. Anyone who cares for and trains eight dogs and loves big cats has officially impressed me.
Carolina Tiger Rescue in Pittsboro.
Amir, tiger from Honduras.
Mark Hewitt Pottery. Carol Hewitt took the guide's seat on the bus and offered an image I have not been able to shake: her husband moved to North Carolina for the clay the way a chef might move to Italy for the olive oil. Mark Hewitt grew up in Stoke-on-Trent, England, where both his father and grandfather served as directors at Spode, the fine china manufacturer. He chose a studio over a factory. He and Carol arrived in Pittsboro in 1983 and built three kilns on their property, including a modified 14th-century Thai design. They have been making pottery here for more than forty years.
Carol and Mark, greeting members of the tour at Mark Hewitt Pottery.
A piece on display at Mark Hewitt Pottery.
Orchid Gallery. Jeff Baldwin operates greenhouses on Hanks Chapel Road that hold between 2,000 and 4,000 plants at any given time. What I did not know, and what delighted me, is that you can board your orchid there. Jeff describes the service as a spa, not a hospital. If your orchid still has leaves, even if it has not bloomed in longer than you care to admit, they will take it and care for it until it flowers again. The fee is $2.50 a month. Jeff showed us a Cattleya orchid that is 25 years old, and he mentioned an orchid that is at least 100 years old. He also offers growing classes for anyone who would rather learn to do this themselves.
Orchids at Orchid Gallery.
The Plant. Lyle Estill, who calls himself the Ring Leader and Lion Tamer of The Plant, hopped on the bus before our arrival and set the stage. I had assumed The Plant was a single restaurant. It is not. It is a 17-acre campus of nearly two dozen businesses anchored by what Pittsboro calls its Chatham Beverage District. Fair Game Beverage Company produces wine and spirits from North Carolina-grown ingredients, Starrlight Mead makes honey wine, and a brewery keeps 16 beers on draft. Kingston 99 Kitchen serves Jamaican food that I will be going back for. An event venue with live music is there, and a maker space is on the way. If you have spent time at Golden Belt in Durham, imagine that with more land, more sky, and a patio where you would happily lose a Saturday evening.
Lyle Estill, Founder, Fair Game Beverage Company and The Plant
Jason Rhoden,Owner, Kingston 99 Kitchen, one of the lunch providers at The Plant.
The Wheelhouse at The Plant.
Downtown Pittsboro. Theresa Thompson, the Downtown Director for the Town of Pittsboro, joined us for the drive through downtown and proceeded to reveal the planning, the strategy, and the partnership behind building a downtown worth visiting. It was truly fascinating hearing about the work that is being done to make Main Street the main street that you remember to visit.
Theresa Thompson, Downtown Director for the Town of Pittsboro.
Goldston Mayor Jonathan Hensley.
Goldston. Mayor Jonathan Hensley and a town commissioner met the bus carrying cupcakes, which tells you something about them before they say a word. The mayor talked about the shape of the town and the developments underway, and he invited every one of us to Old Fashion Day, the town's longest-running festival (60 years!) on Saturday, October 10.
Southern Supreme. In Bear Creek, there is an edible gift shop called Southern Supreme that sells, of all things, fruitcake. I understand your skepticism. I shared it. But the tour included a tasting, and I will tell you plainly: whatever you think you know about fruitcake, Southern Supreme's version will require you to reconsider. Their apple cider may have changed every future fall afternoon, Thanksgiving Day party, and Christmas morning. The Holiday Open House runs through Sunday.
Southern Supreme in Bear Creek.
The showroom, dressed for the Holiday Open House.
Mt. Vernon Springs. Cindy Schmit of the Chatham Historical Association joined us on the bus and unspooled stories faster than I could take notes. The spirit tours. The histories layered into buildings that most people pass without a second look. The story of the healing waters in Siler City. Then we stopped at the Mt. Vernon Springs Waters Source itself. The full story of this place and what it meant to the region deserves more room than a paragraph, and it will get it later in this series.
Cindy Schmit of the Chatham Historical Association.
At the Mt Vernon Springs Waters Source.
Between stops, Neha Shah of the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention and Visitors Bureau spoke to us about tourism across the county. One detail stood out: Chatham County ranks fourth in the state for tourism revenue generation. That number puts into perspective every stop we had made and every business we had walked through.
Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge. The Refuge was founded in 2012 and occupies 45 acres of pasture and woods, home to more than 100 rescued farm animals. A staff of seven and more than 100 volunteers provide lifetime care. It was the first farm animal sanctuary in North Carolina to earn accreditation from the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, and our guide told us it was named Sanctuary of the Year. They offer public tours and educational programming throughout the year.
Meeting the staff of Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge.
Goats at Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge.
Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival. The day ended at Shakori Hills, where we toured the grounds and attended the opening ceremony for the 22nd fall festival. There is programming for children and adults, with a wellness section and a sustainability section. Food trucks, ice cream, and vendors are on hand, along with free well water and the shade of beautiful trees. Africa Unplugged was playing when we arrived, and there was a song I am still trying to identify. The music across the weekend runs from bluegrass to zydeco and a great deal in between. The festival continues through Sunday. At the gate, a four-day pass is $205, and single days range from $53 to $76. Chatham County residents receive $5 off day tickets with proof of residence, and children 12 and under enter free with a parent or guardian.
The main stage at Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival.
The festival grounds, under the shade of the pines.
Josh Aron Rudy, volunteer at the Town of Pittsboro booth, one of the vendor booths at the festival.
This is the beginning of a series. Over the coming weeks, every stop on this tour will receive its own feature in The Pittsboro Post. I am going back to each one, this time introducing myself as the Post, to ask the questions the bus did not have time for. Next Friday: Goldston, the day before Old Fashion Day.
My thanks to Rebecca Dickenson and The Chatham Chamber for assembling a day that showed me more of this county than I had seen in all the weeks before it, and to Vector Security and Fidelity Bank for making it possible.
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