Local Area - Winter Announcements

It's been a little while since I've added to the blog, but we've been busy here at Derbyshire through the winter. We had three closings during a time when families are normally just regrouping from the holidays and planning for the new year. Over the past few months we've welcomed the new property owners, worked on planning our 5K race in May (www.DerbyDash5K.com), and given enough tours of the community to keep things hopping at the office.

Over the next few posts, I want to share a little more about where Derbyshire is located. One really great thing about this community is that you have the ability to enjoy a more rural, less-rushed life and still be near enough to all of those things that you would expect from a larger city. The proximity to gas, groceries, hospitals, shopping, and airports is closer than you would probably expect when you first drive through the rolling hills, horse farms, and beautiful wooded spaces that this area is so well known for.

However, in this first post, I wanted to share two really wonderful announcements that came out this winter. Both are of interest to the equestrian and the non-equestrian, although the first announcement will be a bit more exciting for the horsey folks.

We had heard some rumors regarding the purchase of White Oak Plantation. It turns out the rumors were true, and we will be welcoming a new "world class equestrian venue" just a few miles from the Derbyshire entrance. You can read more about the announcement here in the Tryon Daily Bulletin article that came out in January. Not only will this be a tremendous boost for the local equestrian competitors, businesses, and organizations in an already incredibly equine-focused community, but it will also provide an increase in the local economy in general in the form of additional revenue, sales taxes, hotel taxes, etc. as it brings more people into the area.

The second announcement, which is on a much smaller scale that the first, is the one that is probably having the most immediate impact on me and all of the other big-chain coffee shop fans. We officially welcome our first Starbucks last month. Derbyshire is less than ten minutes from the Ingles Market where the new Starbucks in located. I've already visited more times than I care to admit. I think this is a really great example of how this area offers the best of both worlds. You can enjoy a rural drive where the only thing that might slow traffic down is a carefully driven horse trailer and still be just a few minutes from picking up your grande mocha frappuccino (not to mention a bunch of great organic, unprocessed, healthy grocery finds at Ingles).

Next week I'll go into more detail about the local area and how close all of those important shopping/health/travel places are so that you can get your bearings, but right now I'm going to head out and pick up a latte. Have a great weekend!

Landrum, SC - Ken's Meats & Seafood and Dutch Country Foods

This week, the blog started with a link to the Southern Living article that included Landrum, SC. This quaint town is located just down the road from the entrance to Derbyshire. 

Over the past few days I've shown some of my favorite places in the small main street area (which is technically Rutherford St. in Landrum). Today, I'm going to show two grocery shops that provide access to great locally-sourced items and some unique items that shoppers wouldn't have easy access to without these locations.

Ken's Meats & Seafood was my first stop. Situated in the same block as the hardware shop, an art gallery, and Lucy's Boutique, it's easy to get to while out shopping around Landrum. In addition to carrying fresh meats, they stock basic groceries (cheeses, potatoes, onions, etc.) that make putting a meal together simple, without having to venture into a traditional grocery store. 

They also function as a bakery featuring cakes, pies, precious little petit fours, and some peach cannolis. Many of their breads are baked in house, with others coming from a nearby bakery in Greenville, SC. 

Next to the breads and also in one of their cold cases, you'll find items that would be great in a gift basket. Many of these prepackage foods items are ones that I've had to travel to a larger store to find, and now I know where I can find them locally. It's a great thing to keep in mind when you need a fast hostess gift!

Once you've had a chance to stock up on all of the fresh meats and baked goods at Ken's, you can head down one block to Dutch Country Foods. All of the items found inside of this shop have been sourced from the Amish Country (Ohio and Pennsylvania). I specify inside of the shop only because the first thing you see outside are wonderful peaches from Strawberry Hill (which was also mentioned in the article from Southern Living). Not that the farm is very far away, but it's wonderful to be able to run down to Landrum for peaches instead of having to travel a bit farther to Strawberry Hill. 

They carry great little candies, which you can see in the picture above, and a huge aisle lined with every type of spice, candy, and baking ingredient imaginable. I'm sure they don't carry everything, but it certainly looks like they do!

I ended up picking up some unique root beer that I hadn't seen before and some crispy green beans that were really very good, and yes, that is an incredibly random assortment of purchases.

After I had checked out, a lady was raving about the ladyfinger popcorn that they carry. Apparently it's smaller, hulless and more tender when popped. Guess I know what I'll be grabbing on my next trip! For those who desire to shop in locally owned stores, Ken's Meats and Seafood and Dutch Country Foods are wonderful resources.

Landrum, SC - Architectural Warehouse

One of my favorite stores to visit in Landrum, SC (which is located just ten minutes or so down the road from Derbyshire) is Architectural Warehouse. It is one of two locations (the other one being in Tryon), and they have so many unique items for the home.

When you walk in, you can't be quite sure what your plan of attack should be. I would recommend working your way to the right, around the back, up on the left, and then crisscrossing until you are absolutely certain that you have seen every wonderful item that the Warehouse has to offer. 

 

Each of the locations features antique and reclaimed items. The doors and windows are my favorite. We actually have two windows from Architectural Warehouse hanging in our Derbyshire sales office. They are such a great accent in a room.

I also loved the assorted hinges, door knobs and other small items. They have them all grouped together in this incredibly large white hutch. Can something that large still be referred to as a hutch? You won't have time to worry about that. You could spend quite a while, just in that section of the store, looking through every little detail in the cabinets and bins.

One area of the store that I also found myself particularly drawn to was the little English equestrian nook in the back. It can be seen in the middle of the pictures below. Every bit of that would fit so perfectly in a cottage at Derbyshire. I was also fond of the hunt and hound prints.

If you have a chance to visit Landrum, Architectural Warehouse is certainly one of the places that you will want to have on your "do not miss" list. You'll also want to make sure that you allow enough room in the car for all of your newly found, reclaimed treasures.

Local Town - Landrum, SC in Southern Living

This week we'll be visiting Landrum, South Carolina. It's a great little town that is located only ten minutes from the main entrance of Derbyshire. Landrum is the nearest downtown area for grocery shopping, drug stores, good restaurants, boutique shopping, and less expensive South Carolina gasoline!

The town was recently featured in Southern Living magazine. I think it's a great little starting point for the week. You can read more about it here.

Local Eats - Giardini in Columbus, NC

We are so lucky to have quite a few great restaurants near the Derbyshire community. One of those is Giardini, a wonderful farm to table Italian restaurant location about twelve minutes from the Derbyshire main entrance. The owners, Joe and Mary, focus on using locally produced foods in their dishes, and many of those foods come straight from the Giardini garden located behind this quaint yellow cottage.

I chose this past Tuesday to stop by the restaurant because I knew it was officially Pizza Tuesday. Of course that is one of the first things you see as you walk in, along with the tempting list of desserts (look closely at the bottom of the chalkboard) and the hard-to-resist cookies on the counter. Never has it been so difficult not to embrace the "eat dessert first" philosophy.

I resisted, however, and continued my photo tour through the restaurant. Giardini offers both indoor and outdoor seating. (They also have a pavilion that can be used for groups of twenty-five or more, but you'll see that in a bit.) Normally they have quite a busy dining room, but I chose to go right during the golden time between lunch and dinner so that I could be guaranteed to see the next part of the tour.

This is the built-in brick oven that stays very busy on Pizza Tuesday. The temperature stays at over 800 degrees, which allows these eleven inch pizzas to cook in just three minutes. For your information, this was a Drunken Fig pizza that belonged to someone else. I became overwhelmingly hungry after seeing this and headed upstairs to order my own.

While I was waiting a few minutes for my pizza to cook, Joe, who you will remember is one of the owners, sat down to have a little chat. They are such friendly, fun to be around people. We've had them cater several events and dinners at Derbyshire, and we always enjoy having them there!

One thing I would like to point out is the list of local suppliers that they use. If you'll notice at the very top of that list is the Giardini Garden. One really neat thing about that is that if you look at the top of the pizza menu it lists the Drunken Fig pizza, which you had just seen in the brick oven. Well, it's about time to be harvesting figs from the Giardini garden, and those will go into the pizza, and, well, I just thought that was pretty awesome. There aren't too many restaurants that I've been to that are able to say they grow their own figs that go in to a fabulous woodfired pizza.

This picture makes me hungry just looking at it. That was my portobello and porcini mushroom pizza with goat cheese. It has to have been the best pizza that I have ever eaten, and, yes, I ate it all.

After I finished trying to strike a nice balance between inhaling my pizza and savoring the delicious flavors of that pizza, Joe took me on a tour of the rest of the property. There are two more really unique things to point out about Giardini. One, they also have a portable woodfired pizza oven that can be taken to events for catering. You can enjoy any of their pizzas, or create your very own combination, anywhere!

 

The other very cool offering at Giardini is their tennis court! Joe plays tennis several times a week, and decided that a private tennis court would be a perfect addition to the back of the property (behind the garden). They even offer a tennis club where local residents can become members and play as much as they like.

Sidenote, the covered pavilion on the right of the tennis courts is the area I had mentioned before which is used for larger catering events. Right in front of that, which you cannot see in this picture, is a lighted bocce ball court. I told you Joe and Mary were fun.

Giardini creates wonderful, authentic Italian dishes, not just the pizza that I have fallen in love with. If you are in the area, stop by, check out their menu, and order something that you will be telling your friends about later.

Local Goods - Polk County Agricultural Development Center

One of the best parts about living in a more rural area in Western North Carolina is the fact that locally grown produce is easy to find. The people of Polk County have made it even easier to access homegrown foods by opening up the Mill Spring Farm Store at the Polk County Agricultural Center.

The Agricultural Center operates in a building that was once the old high school. Several years ago it was donated to the Polk County Soil & Water Conservation District, and now it serves as home for that office as well as many other organizations, local craftsmen and artists, and other individuals who enjoy operating their business at this unique location.

As you enter the building, walking past the community garden and outdoor kitchen, the large hallway serves as a resource center for those in the area looking to enjoy more of what this county has to offer. The chalkboard building directory points visitors to a multitude of different offices, and the brochure stand offers information on local farms, wildlife, and area attractions.

If you turn to the right and go all the way to the end of the hallway you'll find the Mill Spring Farm Store. Local craftsmen and farmers display their goods all week long (and on Saturday) so that you don't have to wait for a specific day to visit the local farmers market (although each town does have one).

On the handmade goods side, you'll find everything from woven baskets, to fiber art, to ornamental iron work (which is done by a local blacksmith who keeps a studio in the building). On the farm goods side there are vegetables, eggs, various canned goods and sauces, and even alpaca fleece!

The Farm Store is open Monday - Friday from 9:00AM-4:30PM and Saturday from 9:00AM-1:00PM. While I was there, two ladies who sell their goods at the store were also helping to run the register. They were very friendly and helpful, and I happily left with the items pictured below. For more information on the Mill Spring Farm Store you can visit the Polk Fresh website.

Volunteer Opportunity - Foothills Humane Society

Polk County has a wonderful animal shelter, the Foothills Humane Society. The shelter is located only a few minutes from Derbyshire, and each member of our team is a dog owner. So, needless to say, we are big supporters of Foothills. Two years ago we decided to start a charity 5K that benefits both Foothills Humane Society and Go Girls, a running club at the local elementary school.

With support from our community and sponsors, both 5Ks have been a tremendous success. The best part, each year a dog from Foothills has been adopted following the race. The "On The Road Team" always brings the sweetest dogs that are available for adoption. This volunteer group travels to various community events and helps to find "furever" homes for animals in need.

Photo Credit Whitney Collins

In addition to the "On The Road Team", Foothills also has many other volunteer opportunities. They rely on volunteers to act as dog walkers, help with fundraising events, foster animals, and fulfill many other duties at the shelter.

They also accept donations of dog and cat food for the pets "meals on wheels" program which aims to keep dogs and cats in the homes of their owners who are struggling with the cost of animal care.

Whether you're looking for an opportunity to volunteer in the community or for your new furry best friend, the Foothills Humane Society team will welcome you with open arms!

Photo Credit Whitney Collins

Area Equestrian Facilities, Clubs, and Organizations

One of our goals for this blog is to educated readers about the local organization and events for equestrians. We hope to be able to focus on them individually and give everyone a good idea of what it's really like. Until we have a chance to write about everything that is going on in Polk County (and there's a lot going on!), we thought that it would be best to go ahead and give a summary of the main facilities, clubs and organizations in the area. Please click on the title of anything that you would like to learn more about, it will take you directly to that organization's website. Happy exploring!

Eventing Facilities 

FENCE - Foothills Equestrian Nature Center

380 acre facility which currently hosts events for Tryon Riding & Hunt Club, Foothills Riding Club, Carolina Carriage Club, and other dressage and hunter jumper shows

Green Creek Equestrian Park

96 acre planned AA facility currently under construction, will be the new home for all TR&HC shows

Harmon Field

46 acre park which hosts multiple smaller horse shows

Fox Hunting

Tryon has two fox hunting clubs, the Tryon Hounds and the Green Creek Hounds.

Trail Riding

Two community trail systems in the area, CETA (Collinsville Equestrian Trail Association) and FETA (Foothills Equestrian Trail Association), connect to Derbyshire’s internal trail system and offer members access to over 165 miles of trails. 

Other Equestrian Organizations

Tryon Riding & Hunt Club

Non-profit organization which organizes the Block House Steeplechase, several nationally    accredited horse shows and horse trails, and the Any & All Dog Show

Foothills Riding Club

Equestrian club which organizes educational and recreational activities such as presentations, clinics, schooling shows and other mounted  programs focusing on dressage and combined training

Carolina Carriage Club

Carriage driving club which organizes and hosts several horse driving trials each year

Blue Ridge Hunter Jumper Association

Hunter jumper organization which plans various competitive events for members of all ages

River Valley Pony Club

Local chapter of the United States Pony Club

Western Hunter Pace Series

Series of competitive horseback rides held at a variety of locations throughout the Western Carolinas

The Foothills Equine Directory

Polk County really has many great resources for equestrians. One of the most important ones for those who are new to the area if the Foothills Equine Directory. For those of you who are not familiar with the directory, it is the most comprehensive list of equestrian services and resources available in the area. It lists boarding facilities, trainers, veterinarians, equine massage therapists, groomers, farm supply stores, and the many other resources that you would need to live comfortably in the Foothills with your equestrian companion(s). 

The booklet is compiled by the Foothills Riding Club, an equestrian club which organizes educational and recreational activities suck as presentations, clinics, schooling shows and other mounted programs focusing on dressage and combined training. The proceeds from their events are actually donated to other organizations in the area to further promote education and support for equestrians.
 

The current 80+ page directory is available now in many of the local stores. The Derbyshire team is happy to sponsor an ad that helps cover the production costs of this publication. It is such a valuable resource for the local equestrian community. If you own horses and are in the area, you should definitely pick one up. If you are unable to find one, stop by Derbyshire and we will locate one for you!

Our Favorite Bed & Breakfasts

 When people contact us to begin planning their visit to Derbyshire, the question of where to stay always comes up. Through our experience of visiting local inns and hearing the feedback of those who have spent the night, we've compiled our list of recommended B&Bs. Below you can find our summary on each location and link to their websites.

 

Closest to Derbyshire - Butterfly Creek Inn

The Butterfly Creek Inn is a beautifully decorated home that has been converted into a truly relaxing space for visitors. We've been sending people over to Sarah for years now,and everyone has enjoyed their stay. In addition to the above standard accommodations, guests can also schedule massage appointments onsite with a local massage therapist (who also happens to be one of our favorites).

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Owner - Sarah

Location - Columbus, NC - 10 minutes from Derbyshire

Summary of Features - new construction, very nice accommodations, full breakfast

Website - http://butterflycreekinn.com/

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Best Views - The Red Horse Inn

The Red Horse Inn is quickly becoming one of the most popular places in stay in upstate South Carolina. They were recently featured in Travel + Leisure magazine as one of "America's Most Romantic Hotels". You can read more about that here. 

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Owners - Mary & Roger

Location - Landrum, SC - 20 minutes from Derbyshire

Summary of Features - new construction, very nice accommodations, breakfast basket in room, private cottages available

Website -  http://theredhorseinn.com/
 

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Downtown Location - Pine Crest Inn

The 1906 Pine Crest Inn and Lodge in situated right in downtown Tryon, NC. In close proximity to restaurants, shops, and the Tryon Theatre, the inn also features its own restaurant, Carter's at Pine Crest, where they serve up 3-course gourmet breakfasts.

 

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Contact - Linda

Location - Tryon, NC - 20 minutes from Derbyshire

Summary of Features - historic inn and cottages, nice accommodations, very nice full breakfast, unique location - downtown Tryon

Website -  http://www.pinecrestinn.com/
 

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