We love living in the Queen City, but sometimes a girl’s gotta get out of town for the weekend to relax and recharge. And in just a few hours drive, you could be sipping drinks by the ocean at Isle of Palms, S.C. or hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains. But if you avoid the living room when your husband is watching golf, you may not have considered a road trip to PINEHURST. When the U.S. Open golf tournament was held at the famed PINEHURST resort in June, I was surprised to find out the historic town was only a two-hour drive from the Queen City. And with a four star spa, tempting Southern cuisine and those fragrant pines, the Pinehurst area has lots to offer beyond the golf course.
Home to the revered “No. 2” golf course, the Pinehurst resort is known for its old South charm – you can envision generations of belles sipping mint juleps on the verandahs of its Carolina Hotel. The resort’s accommodations also include the Holly Inn and Manor Inn, as well as condos on the fairways or nearby Lake Pinehurst (a cozy B&B like the Pine Crest Inn is another lodging option). Depending on the level of golf enthusiasm among you and your travel companions, you can plan an itinerary with or without a tee time. You could easily spend the day lounging by the huge pool at the Carolina Hotel, get your game on at the tennis courts or walk/bike scenic trails around the village.
The Pinehurst spa is a must-visit for your weekend agenda. The village was founded as a health retreat in 1895, and some still believe the pine-scented air has healing effects (take deep breaths just in case they’re right). When envisioning the world-class spa, a team of botanists and chemists captured local scents such as pine and magnolia in their signature treatments. You may never have thought of pine needles as a health booster, but massages such as “Heart of the Pines” include a “signature pine needle brushing experience” to help increase circulation and detoxify. The spa menu also includes Southern-inspired treatments like the Sweet Tea Sugar Scrub. Before and after your treatments, you can luxuriate in the spa’s cascading whirlpool, steam room and sauna, or swim laps in the pool.
You can dine in your tennis whites or cocktail attire at one of the Pinehurst resort’s nine restaurants or venture out to eateries in the Village or neighboring towns. The Four Diamond rated 1895 Grille in the Holly Inn serves upscale Southern cuisine, featuring local ingredients such as cheese from Celebrity Dairy in Siler City and Chapel Hill Creamery. For lunch after golf or tennis, you can find classic American fare at the Ryder Cup Lounge in the Carolina Hotel, including burgers made from meat ground daily in Pinehurst’s butcher shop. In the village, you can sample award-winning farm-to-table cuisine at Elliott’s on Linden, or find a juicy steak at Ironwood Pinehurst. For more exotic flavors, check out the Asian-influenced 195 – American Fusion Cuisine in nearby Southern Pines. If you’re craving BBQ, get your fix at the family-owned Pik N Pig in Carthage.
If you’re traveling with the girls, pop into Lady Bedford’s Tea Parlour and Gift Shoppe in downtown Pinehurst for high tea (they serve much more than Earl Grey with a menu of 60 plus kinds of loose leaf tea from around the world). You’ll feel like Kate Middleton observing this English tradition in Victorian elegance (they also serve breakfast and lunch).
The Pinehurst resort flows into the Historic Landmark Village of Pinehurst (designed by the same landscape architect as NYC’s Central Park), where you can shop for pottery, antiques and clothing in the midst of New England style charm. Check out Magnolia 61 for chic home decor, gifts and accessories, and The Village Fox for women’s fashion. Take a complimentary walking tour to learn about the unique past of Pinehurst, or book a carriage ride through the Pinehurst resort. Just a few minutes from Pinehurst, you can take care of your Christmas list by shopping the wares of more than 100 pottery makers at Seagrove Pottery in the Sandhills.
You can also find a bevy of boutiques and restaurants along the main drag of historic Southern Pines (drop by Gypsy’s Charm for an eclectic selection of antiques). Southern Pines also has appealing hotel options as home to The Jefferson Inn (a boutique hotel) and the Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club/Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club (a longtime favorite retreat for golfers).
I don’t have any plans to start playing golf, but I’m dreaming of a trip to Pinehurst after learning about the allure of this legendary North Carolina retreat.
