Exploring North Carolina with KathieyV

Several months ago I was taking a solo adventure to visit Lake Lure.  After arriving, I wanted to enjoy my lunch on the lake, and I found just the place   Larkin's on the Lake .  What a lovely view!  It is also nice to know that time is not of great importance when visiting Lake Lure. You can choose to enjoy your meal inside or out, upstairs or down.  They have two menus on their site.  The downstairs and outdoor dinning  menu called the Bay Front Bar and Grill  and the upstairs  menu titled Larkin's on the Lake .  I chose to eat outside so I could enjoy the cool breeze off the water and the beautiful view. So lovely to sit outside.  After a long drive, it was nice to have a cold glass of wine. This is what I ordered....delicious! "LARKIN’S ®  WORLD FAMOUS SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP Our special recipe of spinach, artichokes, cream cheese and our signature blend of seasonings. Served with house-made tortilla chips."  My View This friendly du

It's time to try a new restaurant.  I was invited by my friend Cindy to  Town Hall Burger and Beer  in Durham.  Let's go.... After having a look at the menu I decided to get a classic cheeseburger.  Here is their description... " Certified Angus Beef patty, lettuce, tomato, onion & choice of cheese served on brioche." I also tried out the fried pickles  with jalapeño ranch. The burger was delicious.  I loved it. Fried pickles were really good too.  The jalapeño ranch was a bit too spicy for me.   I would probably go with plain ranch next time.   Being a wine girl I know very little about beer.  Town Hall seems to have a nice selection of beer.  Here is their list... Beer List ... They serve wine and Bottled Boylans Sodas too. The Bar. Cindy and I plan to go back to check out the bar.. Town Hall Burger and Beer Menu   I loved my burger.  Looking at his picture makes me want to go back today:-) They have daily specials

I love to travel.  I enjoy exploring my home state of North Carolina and across the state lines to other areas of the world.  Now that I am divorced I do travel alone.  I figure if I wait for someone to go with me I may never go, so I take the gladly accept the challenge of a solo adventure.  I do enjoy my time alone, but I also enjoy meeting new people on my travels.  I consulted Google on just how to connect with others while on a solo travel adventure. On my Google search, I found that this is a popular topic.  Some of the ideas are easy to do at a moments notice, and others take a bit of planning. Lodging:   There were many suggestions on places to stay that may open the door to meeting new people.  At an AirB&B you would be meeting the host family, and at a Bed and Breakfast, you would meet the owners and fellow travelers.  Some folks meet others while staying at hotels while relaxing in the hotel lobby or at the hotel bar.  Hostels were also highly recommended for me

One place that has become a regular stop for me on my Blowing Rock Adventures is Woodlands Bar-B-Que.  Rustic atmosphere, great barbecue and, every time I have been there, live music. Here is a quote from their site. "Our  Restaurant’s Menu  features barbecue beef, pork,  chicken and ribs plus home style Mexican food.  Family oriented with a rustic atmosphere." Woodlands " Serving North Carolina Barbeque in Blowing Rock NC since 1977." Woodlands It was my first experience tasting their chicken BBQ.  It was great. One of my daughter's favorite desserts at Woodlands is the Blackberry Cobbler. It is such a popular dessert that they ran out the night we were there.  No worries because we will be back:-) If you find yourself in Blowing Rock NC I suggest you check out Woodlands BBQ.   Happy Travels! KathieyV

I saw that one of my Meetup Groups was attending the  Triangle Russian Festival  In Apex NC.  I signed up, grabbed my camera, and I was on my way.  The Festival was held Feb 3 at the at the  Halle Cultural Center  in downtown Apex. There were many  vendors  at the event.  I loved the wooden Santas.  The intricate detail is impressive. Below are the goals as listed on their website... Triangle Russian Festival Goals 1 To introduce Russian culture to the general public, and to promote the understanding of the unique      cultural and ethnic heritage of the country. 2 To unite the Slavic, and the Central and Western Asian communities in the Triangle Area.  3 To reinforce Russian-identity among the Russian population in the Triangle Area.                                We  decided to eat at a small food table in the main hallway of the venue.  Here were our lunch choices....         I had the potato salad and a blini. What is a blini you ask?  I had to look it

Now for a bit of North Carolina Trivia.   The Venus Fly Trap... Here is wikipedia had to say about the Venus Flytrap. "The  Venus flytrap  (also referred to as  Venus's flytrap  or  Venus' flytrap ),  Dionaea muscipula , is a  carnivorous plant  native to  subtropical  wetlands  on the  East Coast  of the  United States  in  North Carolina  and  South Carolina .  It catches its prey—chiefly  insects  and  arachnids —with a trapping structure formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves, which is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces."  Where can you go to see venus flytraps in the wild?   There is a  Flytrap Trail  at Carolina Beach State Park.  You could also go to the  Green Park Preserve .  So if you are playing trivia and the Venus Flytrap comes up here is what you need to know.  The following information comes from  Apple Pest Control . *The Venus Flytrap is native to East coast of North and South Carolina. *Robot F