SOLO ROADTRIP: GREENSBORO, WINSTON-SALEM, & CHARLOTTE (SC+NC)

the next day i packed up and made my way towards greensboro, which is only an hour away. about ten minutes through my drive i realized my side door open, oops. just another reason to pull over at the nearest starbucks (wowza they keep raising their prices).

once reaching greensboro, the first stop was guilford courthouse national military park. in 1781, the largest revolutionary war battle of the southern campaign was fought here. the battle contributed to the surrender in yorktown (a quickie synopsis of the battle can be heard in the musical hamilton).

this was the first time i did a driving tour at a national park. it was pleasant. i really can't get over the sound of birds chirping even thought i get them outside my own window back home.

the carolinas have soooo many flowered trees. more are to come.

next, i drove to downtown greensboro (it's itty bitty) to see the historic woolworths. the old department store is now the international civil rights center and museum. in 1960 a series of nonviolent sit-ins were organized and executed. it eventually led to the removal of the segregation policy implemented by the department stores. 

unfortunately you can't take pictures in the museum. also, nobody told me i was supposed to go with the tour so i ended up walking aimlessly. i think the worker thought i was one of the many school kids that were there and assumed i would just tag along with them. i did get to see the counter, that was pretty cool.

 a a cute little memorial of the woolworths sit-in.

the last stop of the day was old salem in winston-salem. this was probably the biggest disappointment when it comes to attractions. you have to buy a $20+ ticket to go inside almost all the building in this area (which i could not justify paying), so i only looked inside a few little shops. other than that, there really isn't anything to do. there aren't even any informational signs explaining the buildings or people.

the settlement was founded in the mid 1700s by morovians, protestants from the kingdom of bohemia (now the czech republic). they were exiled, settled in other colonies, and then came to salem. the site shows the way of life of the moravian (reminiscent to how i would imagine amish life, but what do i know).

to get to the historic area from the parking lot, you have to cross over this cool wooden bridge.

i thought i would spend a couple hours, but instead just took a stroll, bought a cookie, and walked back to the car,

strangely enough there is an all girls liberal arts college in the historic area. i walked through the college and there were tons of flowers...

...and more.

i then made my way to the hotel which ended up being the most secluded accommodation during my trip. i was going to go to a steak n' shake, but since this one going to be my one good meal of the day i did not want fast food. there was not many options to eat, so i ended up eating at an applebees. i'm not complaining. i love me a good applebees. i was also called darling. i love how it is normal to call strangers sweet names without being condescending.

i had a blackberry iced tea with shrimp, salmon, mashed taters, and broccoli.

for this night, i stayed in a days inn. room was pretty raunchy, but i am pretty easy to please.

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the next morning i left for south carolina (even though later that day i would be returning to north carolina). the destination was brattonsville, an unicoroporated community and open air museum. the buildings on the 700+ acre site are from the 18 & 19th century. the museum prides itself for being the location of the revolutionary war battle known as huck's defeat.

really this is a museum showcasing a family who lived in the carolina back country and i found that interesting. it was unlike anywhere i visited during my trip. i would say for having a decent expectation, this turned out to be one of my favorite sites during my entire trip. to add, you had to take a long lone road for 14 miles.

on a side note, the museum forgot to mention that the inspiration for birth of a nation was a descendent of bratton and a resident of the site.

i went a little crazy with the photos. the rooms had such nice colors and light.

i remember lots of wasps in this room.

i also learned about bumble bees (unlike the standard bee you see in la). to get to the different buildings, you have to walk through a field of bumble bees. i was so paranoid and squeeling, but a local told me they don't sting unless you really upset them. she also told me to beware of red ant mounds. besides bees and ants there were wasps. what fun. people probably thought i was crazy.

i made a flower crown. i had not made one of these since elementary. i ended up giving it to a tree branch.

there were also farm animals.

besides pigs and sheep, there were horses and chickens.

on my way back to the car, i met the two older ladies that warned me about the red ant mounds. i had a nice chat with them about history and my trip. we said good bye and they told me, 'keep history alive.' that was nice.

south carolina is known for their palm trees (it's on their flag)

the next and last stop was back in north carolina, charlotte to be exact. i visited the levine museum of the new south, the most extensive museum about the reconstruction period. it was interesting to learn about the transformation of the south after the civil war. i had never though about how the south had to create a new identity after the war. slavery was so integral to the culture and economy. the south changed from slaves picking cotton to people from all walks of life working in the cotton mills.

the museum was fun and i loved how they interpreted history. the museum was set up so you could touch objects. in one section, was storefronts of a early 20th century downtown. you could go inside a department store and a barber shop. i love things like that.

also, who knew charlotte is the location where the orange barrel was created (but the traffic cone was created in los angeles, suck it). now a lovely quote:

'charlottes official city flower! the orange and white plastic traffic barrel...it's every bit as plentiful as the dogwood - and blooms a lot longer.'

- allen norwood, charlotte observer, 1988

i walked a few blocks away to a little soul food place i read about in one of my travel books. this was one of the few instances where i ate at one of the places recommended (as i have said before, i tend to eat at places out of convenience).

merts.

blackened salmon, macaroni and cheese, stewed tomatoes and okra, and warm cornbread.

i then made my way to the hotel, which was a doozy. here is where i experienced some crazy drivers. it did not help that my hotel was located near an airport and driving near airports is confusing. i stayed in a quality inn. this was probably the nicest room during my trip.

i had already eaten, but since i had called it an early night decided to walk across the lot to a cracker barrel. i had heard about them, but had never gone and man was it wonderful. i am smitten towards cracker barrel. i love the gift shop, the customer service, the food, the music, and the decor. i also discovered the witchcraft known as the goo goo cluster latte. 

besides the latte, the lady let me order off the lunch menu so i could get smaller portions. i had chicken fingers, broccoli, fries, and 2 biscuits i saved for breakfast the next day. i also bought from their general store earrings, a scarf, a coffee sign, and a box of goo goo clusters. i love how when people compliment my earrings at work i tell them i bought them at a cracker barrel. i'm classy like that.

i also got caught up with my travel journal.

now for a song! i should have done this in the last post, but i am going to pick a song that talks about north carolina. funny enough, i first discovered this song during my trip and did not realize until i returned to la that it even mentioned nc, raleigh to be exact. darius rucker (and hootie and the blowfish) is from the state and the song is actually a cover. it was based off a portion of a bob dylan ditty, which makes it even cooler. it is about a guy in new england who travels to raleigh to meet a gal. here is 'wagon wheel,' by darius rucker. enjoy!