From Lowcountry originals and haute cuisine to beer and barbecue, the Carolinas offer a feast of options for gastronomically-inspired groups.
Frothy Finds
Boasting more breweries and brewpubs than any state south of Pennsylvania and east of Texas, North Carolina was dubbed by the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild, “The State of Southern Beer.” The current count of some 132 venues is almost double the total from 2013, when North Carolina Beer Month was inaugurated to celebrate the state’s beer craftsmanship.
Asheville, or “Beer City USA,” has the most breweries (20-plus) per capita in the nation. Hosting events year-round, Highland Brewing Company, the city’s founding brewery, is debuting three new event spaces later this year, including a rooftop bar accommodating 300 with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Catawba Brewing Co.’s new location has chic industrial private space for 150 people.
With 20 breweries of its own, Raleigh is home to the new Raleigh Beer Garden. Pending verification by Guinness World Records, the venue stands as the world’s largest beer garden, pouring 144 North Carolina craft brews on the first floor, 222 domestic and international brews on the second level and yet more at the rooftop bar.
In Johnston County, southeast of Raleigh, groups can explore the Beer Wine and Shine Trail.
Home to 12-plus craft breweries and with more on the way, Charlotte is among the fastest growing beer destinations in the Southeast. Options include tastings at the award-winning NoDa Brewing Company; The Unknown Brewing Co.; and Red Clay Ciderworks, Charlotte’s first cidery.
Craft beer is also in the spotlight in Greensboro, where Red Oak Brewery is America’s largest lager-only craft brewery and Natty Greene’s Brewing Company is the state’s third largest brewery.
Durham’s Fullsteam Brewery is as lively as its name, while New Bern’s new Beer Army Burger Company offers the area’s largest craft beer selection along with event space. Greenville has the lively Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery, and in Wilmington, the Port City Brew Bus offers guided tours of local craft breweries and bottle shops.
Good times are also brewing in South Carolina. Along with three moonshine distilleries, Greenville’s five breweries include Brewery 85, ideal for larger groups, and Swamp Rabbit among the picks for smaller gatherings.
In Myrtle Beach, New South Brewing’s tap room is ideal for group gatherings. Columbia groups can board the Brew Bus for tours of the city’s three breweries, Conquest Brewing Company, River Rat Brewery and Swamp Cabbage Brewing Company.
Hot Spots
From acclaimed hotel and resort restaurants to farm-to-table eateries and legendary BBQ joints, the Carolinas sizzle with dining draws.
This September, the historic 185-room Carolina Inn on the University of North Carolina campus in Chapel Hill unveiled the first major renovation of its restaurant in two decades. Reintroduced as Crossroads Chapel Hill, the new concept features authentic, regionally sourced Carolina cuisine from Executive Chef James Clark and expanded indoor and outdoor space, including seven areas for private dining and functions. Opened in 1924, the Inn, a perennial Forbes Four-Star and AAA Four Diamond honoree, also comes with versatile function and meeting space.
South of Chapel Hill, the Relais & Chateaux Fearrington House Restaurant is the nation’s sole green-certified AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five-Star restaurant. Groups have private dining, the Iron Chef-meets-Chopped-style “Ready Steady Cook” competition for 15 to 30 people, and for up to five guests, wine pairing challenges with Sommelier Max Kast.
Several of Durham’s top restaurants offer goat’s milk cheeses handcrafted by Elodie Farms in nearby Rougemont, which offers tours, classes and Dinner on the Porch events, featuring cuisine from top Triangle region chefs.
Queen City choices include Fahrenheit Charlotte in Uptown, Charlotte’s first open-air rooftop restaurant and bar, and The Asbury, a new Southern farm-to-fork restaurant located in the circa-1929 Dunhill Hotel. Venerable, too, is the Harvey Mansion Historic Inn and Restaurant in New Bern, dating to 1804 and offering six dining rooms, with buyouts available.
Wilmington Convention Center delegates can go straight from the meeting to a gourmet meal prepared by SAVOR…Wilmington Catering, the venue’s award-winning in-house catering team.
Erected in 1981, the peach-shaped Peachoid water tower alongside I-85 in Gaffney is an irresistible symbol of South Carolina’s bounty.
For groups, that means farm-to-table rewards in destinations such as Columbia, where event-capable restaurants include Terra, where Chef Mike Davis is South Carolina’s Restaurateur of the Year for 2015. Blue Marlin serves Lowcountry fare inside a former train depot, while The Oak Table boasts stellar views of the South Carolina State House. City Roots is a sustainable farm located in city limits which also hosts chef-led farm-to-table dinners.
Thoroughbreds Chophouse & Seafood Grille is a group favorite in Myrtle Beach, along with Cafe Amalfi and its private oceanfront dining room. Located on a barrier island near Charleston, Kiawah Island Golf Resort serves up a gamut of gourmet options alongside its world-class tennis and golf facilities.
Barbecue is serious business in the Carolinas. Calling itself “The Cradle of Cue,” North Carolina coordinates include Lexington, home to nearly 20 barbecue restaurants and October’s annual Lexington Barbecue Festival. Near Greenville in Ayden, the legendary 1947 Skylight Inn BBQ is topped by a replica of the U.S. Capitol dome.
While many of South Carolina’s BBQ shrines are found in small towns throughout the state, major operators include Maurice’s Piggie Park. Founded in 1939, the company has 13 locations clustered in the Columbia area and provides catering for events.
