Monday, September 7, 2009
Smarty Day Trip Series: Childress Vineyards
By Rachel H
Although summer is coming to an end, there are many weekends ahead to take advantage of some of our Smarty Day Trip ideas. Today I would like to tell you more about Childress Vineyards. I know that it does not sound like the type of place that you would normally take children, but we spent an afternoon there with our kids and it was fantastic. Childress Vineyards is located in Lexington, which is less than 20 minutes from the I-40/US-52 intersection. Just take 52 south and you are there in no time!
I would recommend taking your family here any weekend from May-October because they offer Music in the Vineyards during these months from 11am-3pm. These performances are free, and so much fun. We visited when a beach music group was playing and we loved sitting on the lawn listening to music for the afternoon. I will admit that I am not usually a wine-drinking gal, (sorry Mr. Childress) but I did have a glass of one of their signature wines that afternoon and it was excellent.
The kids loved the nearby pond and dancing around on the lawn. My favorite part of the day was the delicious lunch we had on the balcony. The weather was perfect for an outdoor lunch, and I swear it was the best chicken salad sandwich I had ever eaten! The building itself is gorgeous and makes you feel like you are visiting a Tuscan villa!
The winery also has free tours and tasting rooms during the week and on weekends. (Please check the website for exact times.) On Friday, September 18th, the vineyards are hosting a Harvest Party from 7-10pm with wine, food, music, and the annual grape stomp, so this might be a good time to line up a sitter and have a date night!
Another date that caught my eye on their website was Wednesday, November 11th. From 10am-8pm, they are hosting a Christmas Open House with discounts on all wine. They will have hourly drawings along with wine, cheese, bread and fruit to enjoy while shopping. Live music will be from 5-8 p.m. Sounds like a fun day with the ladies to me.
There is also a shopping center next to the vineyards that I think only has two stores presently in it, but one is Mike Helsabeck’s gallery. Mike is a local artist from High Point, who is an Appalachian State Graduate (Go App! It’s great to be a Mountaineer!) Definitely check out the gallery if it is open and if your children can enter without destroying anything!
Visit the website for more details. I hope you enjoy Childress Vineyards as much as we did!
3 comments:
The pictures look beautiful! It doesn't even look like anywhere around here - what a nice retreat. And great idea to take the kids when they have music. I had heard the food there was delicious. Can't wait to check it out!
We always pass here on our way to Charlotte, but never really thought about stopping before. We'll have to coordinate a stop here on our next trip down. Thank you for the tip!
Leslie
We love Childress Vineyards. You are right in saying that it feels like you are in a Tuscan Villa or somewhere a million miles away. Great choice for a day trip.
Post a Comment