Brevard, NC Goes For "Cool" Cachet

It's a well-known hot spot in the "Land of Waterfalls", but now little Brevard, North Carolina, is making a run at the title of "Coolest Small Town in America" on the Budget Travel web site.

The magazine is seeking out towns with populations under 10,000 people that have an up-and-coming "quality of life, arts and restaurant scene, or proximity to nature." With the Blue Ridge Mountains nearby , the Brevard Music Center and Brevard College in town, and downtown streets filled with eclectic shops and fine restaurants, the people of Brevard think their little town deserves the title.

Apparently, a lot of people agree. With the list whittled down to 21 towns across the country, Budget Travel has asked its readers to vote and comment on its list. At this point, Brevard appears to be in a neck-and-neck battle with Ely, Minnesota among readers.

The poll closes on May 9, but it will be the magazine's editors who will have the final say and put it into print in the October issue. To take a look at the list and cast your own vote and/or comment, click here. For more on Brevard and The Land of Waterfalls, go to www.visitwaterfalls.com.

Orton Plantation Gardens Turns 100

This week, the Orton Plantation outside of Wilmington opens for 2010. It is also celebrating the 100th season of the Orton Plantation Gardens, one of NC's favorite garden and wedding spots.

The history of Orton is as fascinating as its gardens are beautiful. Started as a rice plantation in the early 18th century, the plantation survived two wars and several owners to become a popular stop along the Cape Fear River. It is also known as the birthplace of Wilmington's film industry (Dino DiLaurentis filmed Firestarter in the plantation house in 1984), and Luola's Chapel on the plantation grounds hosts dozens of weddings every year.

With the 100th anniversary of the Gardens in mind, the staff at Orton has made extensive renovations to open up views of the river and preserve the colonial rice fields. Be sure to check it out if you happen to be in southeastern NC this year!

Asheville Listed Among World's Top Beer Cities

Last year, we told you about Asheville's amazing tie with Portland, Oregon for the title of "Beer City USA". Now, there's a new accolade for the city's microbrew scene: online travel site Gadling listed Asheville as one of the 24 Greatest Cities in the World for Beer. Listed alongside places like Dublin, Munich, and yes, Portland (both Oregon and Maine), Gadling had rave reviews for everything Asheville:

"Underdog Asheville beat out brew king Portland in a battle for "Beer City USA" in 2009 and some Pacific Northwesterners will never forgive them. But they should. Along with a big city-worthy music scene, a drop-dead-gorgeous mountain backdrop and good old southern hospitality, Asheville has one brewery for every 10,000 of its citizens, including the rocking Highland Brewing Company. That puts it right at Portland's heels with the second most breweries per capita in the U.S."

The article goes on to mention Asheville's three big beer fests: Brewgrass, Oktoberfest, and Winter Warmer. So apparently, the secret is out: Asheville is now a world powerhouse in the microwbrew scene. Cheers!

VisitNC Welcomes Spring!

OK, technically, we're jumping the gun by a few weeks... but it's now March, and that means Spring is on its way to North Carolina. VisitNC is honoring that fact with a colorful photo gallery on its homepage, plus a ton of new content for those anxious to celebrate the season.

Spring color in NC goes in the reverse order of our famous fall color, starting in the azaleas and tulips of our coastal gardens, taking bloom in the dogwoods and Bradford Pears of the Piedmont, and then spreading to an explosion of pink-purple rhododendron blooms in the mountains throughout the month of June.

And it's not just our flora that springs to life these days... people here just seem to want to go outside and celebrate. Just about every weekend over the next several months, communities large and small hold their big spring festivals, honoring everything from produce (potatoes and blueberries) to products (buggies and hams) to great tunes (Merlefest & Beach Music Fest). Soon, there'll be baseball from Asheville to Zebulon, and in just a couple months, NASCAR will be back in Charlotte with a big race and a brand new Hall of Fame!

So, as you can see... spring is already shaping up to be a great season in NC. And even if the weatherpeople say it's not here yet, it will be soon. We guarantee it.

"Hollywood East" Gets New TV Pilot

Boosted by a brand new NC film industry incentive package, Wilmington and its EUE Screen Gems film studio is welcoming a new medical drama to town.

The yet-untitled production has set up offices at EUE, and will be begin filming a pilot episode sometime in March. According to the Wilmington Star-News, producers will likely use a hospital set at Corning for some of the scenes in addition to the studios' sound stages. The ensemble drama stars Rachelle Lefevre ("Twilight") and chronicles the travels of a mobile medical team that helps in medical crises around the country. Wilmington was chosen for the pilot because of North Carolina's varied locations as well as the new 25 percent film tax credit. Networks usually announce which shows make their schedules in the middle of May.

Wilmington is known as "Hollywood East" in the film industry, and the EUE Screen Gems studio is the largest film & television production studio east of Los Angeles. The town and studio are currently the home of the WB drama One Tree Hill, which is wrapping up the filming of its seventh season in mid-March.

Weather Delays I-40 Reopening

Despite the best efforts of NCDOT crews, bad weather has slowed repair work on the Interstate 40 rock slide near the North Carolina/Tennessee state line. The DOT announced Tuesday that it is pushing the completion date back one month, to at least late April.

Work on the slide has been hampered by 25 inches of snow and 17 inches of rain between December and February, both well above historical averages. The road has been closed since October, when a 150-foot slide buried the road under tons of rock and dirt.

If there is a silver lining to the delay, it might be that DOT engineers have discovered five other sites in the Pigeon River Gorge that could be susceptible to rock slides and will work to make those areas more stable while the road is closed. Officials hope that doing the additional work now will prevent major rock slides in this area of Interstate 40 from happening in the future.

For the latest news on the rock slide repair and detour information, please click on the links in the "I-40 Rock Slide Updates" section in the right column of this blog. The information will remain there until the road is reopened.

Terrific Truffles on Weekend Menu In Asheville

Ahhh, the truffle. That fancy French fungi that can make a dedicated foodie weak in the knees. If you love truffles, or are perhaps just curious about them, then you need to be at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Asheville this weekend during the 2nd Annual National Truffle Fest.

Apparently, the truffle has gone American, at least to the point where it deserves a culinary event all its own. The focus at this three-day festival is on the black, French "Perigord" truffle that is now grown right here in the USA, but other truffle varieties will receive attention as well. Organizers say that as the number of truffle cultivators and food enthusiasts enamored with this culinary treasure increase, so does the demand for an event dedicated to the American truffle industry.

Event functions include a wine reception, truffle seminars, culinary and wine education, a truffle and wine dinner, an exciting risotto competition with celebrity chefs, and the crowning event - The Chef's & Vintner's Gala. The Gala features truffle-laden creations prepared by visiting celebrity chefs, fabulous wines, and dancing the night away. Proceeds from the event benefit the Frankie Lemmon Foundation, which helps ensure the availability of therapeutic, specialized education for children ages 3 to 6 who are developmentally disabled.