Sunday, March 25, 2007 — A group of local business minded individuals who would like to see the development and expansion of tourism in Stanly County had a sneak peak of a new business that aims to offer activities for tourists in and around the county.

Uwharrie Tours headed up by Tim Beebe and Ellen Whiteside, owners of The Bed and Bike Inn in Gold Hill, is a new venture the couple hopes will draw out of towners in to see some unique spots in the region. While the couple offers several planned tours, they emphasize the ability to “create-your-own.”

“About six months ago, we started discussing the possibility of purchasing a small bus to do wine tours, shopping tours and adventure tours,” Whiteside said.

The couple scoured the area looking for eclectic, one of a kind businesses to take people to and give them an unforgettable shopping experience.

“We also added unique dining venues to complement the shopping adventure. Since there are four vineyards within a 30 mile radius of us, we felt like their was a definite need to provide transportation to these vineyards,” Whiteside said.

Now, with the tour bus up and running, the Friday group visited It’s In the Barn, Carolina Lily, The Green Goat Gallery and Old Stone Vineyard.

It’s In the Barn, a rustic Albemarle business run by Donna and Paul Rubio is off the beaten path and featuring pottery, birdhouses, handmade goat milk soap, gardening items and local crafts, it is a one of a kind shop tourists would come back to visit again and again.

“I think that what the tour guides selected for us were very unique to the area. The proprietors of It’s In the Barn are exceptional people, you get to know them personally and they add a whole different dimension to the experience,” local entrepreneurs Martha Kinnecom said.

The next stop after a long drive through back county roads and scenic byways was Carolina Lily at the Farm, a Salisbury 1890 residence that offers two extensive gift shops and a gourmet luncheon served in a clay flower pot.

Seasonal menus include delectable recipes right out of Southern Living and can be enjoyed on Julie Apone’s outdoor patio.

Other concepts Apone has created include a tea party-in-a-hat, intricately decorated gardens and two shops that feature gourmet goodies, jewelry and collectibles.

“Carolina Lily is great for ladies. You can sit under trees and have lunch served in clay flower pots. I loved her (Apone’s) gardens and shops. It was like being in a fairy tale and so relaxing,” Kinnecom said.

“I think people people are just going to love it (the tour). It’ll add a whole new dimension to the area.”

After a leisurely lunch and more shopping, the bus load visited the Green Goat Gallery in Spencer and were able to watch a local potter at work, and on the way home swung by Old Stone Vineyard on U.S. 52 for a tour and wine tasting.

“This is a piece of a big puzzle, it’s part of a mosaic we’re trying to develop here to encourage and increase our tourism based business. To add this component is so great. People can come and stay for several days because there’s so much to do. You can go to Seagrove for pottery, get involved with outdoors activities like golf and kyacking, see gold mines, and go shopping,” Albemarle Downtown Development Corporation Director Vicki Coggins said.

“This is just the beginning. We’re at the infancy of developing tourism. Carolina Lily was such a delightful place and is just one example of the many well kept secrets in our area. I commend Tim and Ellen for being creative thinkers and I think this will be the first of many more creative businesses to come,“ Coggins said.

From out-of-towners looking for a unique way to spend the day to a corporate office wanting to build hiking up a mountain or taking a kyacking adventure, Uwharrie Tours is a flexible company that wants to show off the area’s assets and hidden treasures.

“I think it was a pretty amazing tour and it is going to do great things for tourism in Stanly County. It gives you the opportunity to discover new places,” Candice Norman of the Convention and Visitors Bureau said.

Beebe and Whiteside have networked with fellow Uwharrie Recreation and Tourism Association (URTA) members of the region to offer adventure packages that would include mountain biking through Middle Ring Cycles, canoeing and kyaking through God's Country Outfitters, and golf through the Badin Inn Golf Resort and Club.

“We are networking also with other regional businesses to offer ATV-ing, and horseback riding. Two adventures we find extremely unique are night mountain biking on the Woodrun Trails guided by Middle Ring Cycles and moonlight kyaking trips on Falls Reservoir by Mountain Creek Outifitters,” Whiteside said.

Uwharrie Tours, just one example of what’s to come for the regional tourism approach, will offer diverse tours, increase tourism and encourage economic development in Stanly and surrounding counties.

For more information about creating a unique tour or booking an adventurous day out, contact 704-463-0768.



Kim Kinnecom can be contacted at snaponline24@yahoo.com