[piano intro] - [Deborah] Next on "North Carolina Weekend," All aboard!

Join us from the North Carolina transportation museum in Spencer.

We'll ride a roller coaster in Banner Elk.

Visit the New Hope Valley Railroad and take a Water Bug tour of Beaufort.

Coming up next.

- [Advertiser] Funding for "North Carolina Weekend" is provided in part by... Visit NC.

Dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smokey Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of barrier island beaches.

You're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

[upbeat cheery music] ♪ - Hi everyone, welcome to "North Carolina Weekend."

I'm Deborah Holt Noel and this week we are at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer.

Right now I am on a 1924 Turntable at the Roundhouse here at the museum and you can ride it too.

Once home to the largest steam locomotive repair facility in the Southeast.

This museum features all types of transportation history.

Fire trucks, airplanes, cars, and of course trains.

In fact, this is the largest repository of rail relics in the Carolinas.

And it gets over 150,000 visitors a year.

We'll explore more throughout the show, but first let's head to Banner Elk and the first Alpine coaster in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Producer Rob Holliday takes us on the ride.

- [Rob] There's a new way to make your way down the North Carolina mountains.

And this one doesn't involve skis, snowboards or tires.

- [Eric] Our track is 3,160 feet long.

So a little over half a mile, pretty fast and lots of twists and turns.

Even though it's a quick ride, people have a great time doing it, cause it's just, it's thrilling.

- [Rob] "It" is the Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster where sleds slide down a set of tracks built into the side of a mountain near Banner Elk.

Eric Bechard and his family opened Wilderness Run in 2020.

- [Eric] We wanted to build something that was good for the community.

Something that would be fun to come to work to.

And it is, it's a joy.

It's fun.

It's awesome to hear people laughing and kids having a great time.

- [Rob] The Alpine in the name is a nod to where the idea for the coaster came from.

Eric and his wife saw an Alpine coaster during their travels in Europe and dreamed of building a version here in the states.

- By March 2019, we were dragging steel up this hill and putting concrete in and started constructing our Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster here in the mountains of North Carolina.

- [Rob] The tracks are custom designed for the specific terrain where the coaster operates.

Accommodating the half mile of track on the Wilderness Run course comes with a real benefit.

- [Eric] To be able to squeeze that amount of track on this particular piece of property.

We had to put in the 540 circle and that we have two 360's and a whole bunch of twists and turns.

- [Rob] It all begins at the bottom where a ski lift like cable pulls each sled up more than 200 feet to the top of the mountain.

- I liked the right at the very top, the getting ready to go.

It's that build up, the anticipation.

- [Rob] That was my experience also.

The trip up to the top is not for the faint of heart, but the views are incredible.

And I think it's gonna be a pretty epic ride.

A ride powered by gravity, which takes over when the cable releases from each sled at the top of the mountain.

Whooo!

- [Eric] The speed is, we're set at around 26, 27 miles an hour.

Give or take.

- One of the nice things about this is that you actually can control your own coaster.

You push forward to go faster.

You pull back if you need to pull the brakes up.

But you are in control of your own ride.

And that is nice.

- [Eric] Being able to control your own speed, allows the person to have a whole different experience than when you're on a roller coaster.

- [Rob] And that may include a chance to take in both speed and scenery.

- [Michael] I definitely like the wilderness surrounding.

You're kind of in the woods, off the beaten path.

It's like nothing I've ever done before.

It's not like your big theme park rides.

- [Eric] We ask people not to stop unless there's an emergency because there are people coming around behind them.

There are safety mechanisms designed, so people don't bump into each other.

- [Rob] A safety feature that helps make it possible for young rider to take to the tracks.

- [Anita] If you got a little one, the little one can ride with the parent or you know if you got older children, they get to drive on their own, enjoy it.

And be able to go to speed they want, you know as fast as they want.

It's just a really good place for the you know, a family to share a time together and have fun.

- [Rob] To help spread crowds evenly, Wilderness Run ask visitors to sign up for a check-in time online before they come to ride.

- [Eric] Most people will get their three ride bundle and ride all three rides consecutively.

They just stay on the sleds.

We don't make people get off the sleds and get back in line.

They can just stay on the sled and ride all three rides if they choose.

- [Rob] And when those rides are done, there will soon be another activity available.

Wilderness Run is building an adventure course next door to the coaster.

- It's very fulfilling, to know that we built something that people will enjoy.

We want people, families, individuals, couples to come up here and enjoy the mountains more than once.

There are a lot of wonderful things to do in this part of North Carolina.

- [Deborah] The wilderness Run Alpine Coaster is at 3265 Tynecastle Hwy in Banner Elk.

And it's open every day.

For more information, visit their website at wildernessrunalpinecoaster.com The North Carolina Transportation Museum even includes boats.

Both old and new, like this wooden dugout canoe and the motor boat over my shoulder.

Let's go for a boat ride in Beaufort.

We are heading to the Crystal Coast for an up close unforgettable Water Bug Tour.

- [Captain Dickinson] I'd like to welcome everybody aboard the Water Bug tour today.

My name's captain Johnny Dickinson.

I'll be your captain and guide as we go along, I'll be telling a little bit about local area and the local wildlife.

So if you have any questions, go ahead and raise your hand and I'll try to the best I can.

- [Rob] Captain Johnny Dickinson is taking another group of passengers out to see the sites along Beaufort's waterfront on his Water Bug tours.

- We just left Beaufort.

Beaufort's the third oldest town in North Carolina behind Bath and New Burn.

It was settled in 1709 and incorporated in 1722.

We start out, I tell 'em a little bit of history about the town of Beaufort.

And then we get out and start talking about the Rachel Carson Reserve.

They have a lot of history, nature, and wildlife here.

And a lot of people like to come to see the horses.

You look right up here ahead of you, you see the land mass here.

That's part of the Rachel Carson Reserve.

Rachel Carson Reserve consists of five islands here.

And on those islands you have 28 horses.

You look right here ahead of you, you see two of the 28 horses.

They were brought here in the early 1600, 1700's.

And got the shipwrecked here, on the islands here and been living here ever since.

We see dolphin a lot of time on the way, we have over 250 species birds, we watch along the shore.

Never tell 'em but you might see a sea turtle pop up.

It's just hard to say what you're gonna see on our trips.

- [Rob] The tours last from 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how often passengers want to stop to take pictures.

- [Kim] Oh, I love it.

They're they're very thorough and informative.

It's an easy ride and it's not too long.

So you can actually bring, I brought my two year old granddaughter on it.

All the touristy events in Beaufort are so fun.

And so it's a great thing to do when my relatives come in or guests come in from out of town and it's a, it's not too expensive.

And it's just a nice little cruise down the Taylor's Creek.

So I like to do that.

- [Captain Dickinson] We use a lot of those floating docks in the area here because the tide rises about three, three and a half foot.

- [Rob] In addition to talking about the area's history, geography, wildlife and notable landmarks, Captain Dickinson shares his local knowledge too.

He tells passengers about Beaufort's 200 homes on the National Register of Historic Places.

And he talks about how the real estate trends have changed over the decades.

- [Captain Dickinson] Up to about 60 years ago.

Hardly anybody wanted to live on the waterfront except for your commercial fisherman.

But since then, as you can tell over here on the Front Street of Beaufort here, you can see the houses closed in here quite tightly.

And it's caused the property value be quite high over here, on the waterfront of Beaufort.

- [Rob] Dickinson is a bit of a Water Bug himself.

- [Captain Dickinson] Well I used to tournament water ski.

We used to tournament fish for King mackerel and just vacation.

Go out to camp out on the islands here.

I've been on the water all my life, started out with a five horsepower motor back when I was about 10, but I love being on the water.

- [Rob] Dickinson's tours also help tourists plan their visit.

- [Captain Dickinson] You have the Finz restaurant right here.

And right next to that, you have the Front Street Grill at Stillwater, both nice restaurants.

We get a lot of people from all up the Eastern seaboard and a lot of people from Ohio, Virginia and even Michigan and over in the Midwest.

We're coming back in here to the docks.

I get enjoyment talking to different people.

Find out where they're from.

I want them to know a lot about Beaufort.

I mean Beaufort is a nice little town.

Thanks for going with us today.

Hope you had a good time.

Enjoy your rest of your vacation here on the Crystal Coast in Beaufort.

- [Deborah] Visit Water Bug tours at 610 Front Street in Beaufort.

And to book your cruise, go to waterbugtours.com Here at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, you can take a ride on a vintage train like this one, which takes you on a 25 minute tour of their 60 acre site.

Another place where you can ride a vintage train is in Bonsal.

At the New Hope Valley Railroad.

Let's take a look.

[loud train whistle] - [Victor] Railroads were a very important part of building the United States.

This country started out on the East coast as the colonies eventually grew all the way to California.

And a big part of that growth westward was based on railroads.

- All the board!

- [Jake] This line you're riding on was built in 1903 and was purchased by the original Norfolk Southern Railroad in 1924.

Where it was used to service the American tobacco industry in Durham, North Carolina.

In 1983 the line was put up for abandonment and four miles of the line were purchased by the East Carolina Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society who founded the North Carolina Railway Museum and the New Hope Valley in that same year.

- Welcome to North Carolina Railway Museum.

We've been here as a all volunteer non-profit operation nearly 40 years now.

- We've got a four car train set with a caboose.

Full size train.

It goes about four miles up into New Hill in the woods and then comes straight back.

It's great fun.

A lot of kids have never even seen a train, let alone ride on one.

- I love the train.

- [Jim] The second thing very important is our G scale or garden scale model railway.

And that's here.

There's six tracks running all the time.

About a thousand feet of track.

- [Victor] A lot of kids become glued to fences.

They're watching Thomas and all other trains go round and round.

And it's hard for parents in some cases to get them actually away from the garden to come ride the real train.

Because so much of everything at this museum has started out in the early eighties, was done on a shoestring.

[loud train whistle] So the cars that we actually carry our passengers are were never built as passenger cars, their ex Army and Marine flat cars.

Who used to carry tanks.

But we actually had to go about and build the sides in the roof.

So our customers can ride on the train and look around to the country side free and unobstructed as it was a passenger car.

Here in our main facility.

When we're running trains, we open up all of our exhibits and cars and they can actually go in and see an old railroad post office.

They can see inside cabooses.

- Wow!

- [Victor] They can see just a number of pieces of old railroad equipment.

- Look at that window!

All in the spirit of trying to show North Carolina railroad history.

As they enter in the area here, it looks like a yard.

This is kind of what a railroad yard would've looked like in a small Southern town at one point in time.

But we've arranged the equipment here, including the railroad post office.

And there's a little gift shop museum and other cabooses.

They can go in and out of those.

And there's usually a docent there as well.

- This is a museum and a gift shop.

And the museum parts are across the top, are lanterns.

And over here and down below the rest is all train related merchandise.

This original car was used during World War II as a food car.

And somebody decided to shoot at some point or another and put two bullet holes from the inside out.

And there, you can still see 'em today.

And we laugh.

We don't know why they're there, but we laughed that somebody got mad at the food and expressed their dislike.

[train whistle] - [Victor] We do have the Goldstone Depot that we moved here in 2017.

We're still doing the restoration to work.

There'll be displays and so forth in there.

And it's really historical building 1884.

- [Jim] On days when we have special events like our Brew and Chew, we've got a beer vendor here and we've also got some kind of a food cart.

So we're looking forward to seeing more people come down this year for our various events.

- If anyone comes here, they have to go on this train ride.

It's, it's so much fun.

And the food is pretty good too and the beer.

And we've had a great time.

It's just been wonderful.

- [Deborah] And if you've ever wanted to operate a locomotive, get ready for the adventure of a lifetime.

- [Mike] This is the Operate-a-Loco program.

So what we're gonna do today is we're gonna get on board a diesel locomotive.

So my job you know, as we're going northbound is make sure that, you know, I'm kind of teaching you how to do things.

- Yep.

- If got a good feel for it on the way back, I'll be hands off and then, - Okay.

- And just let you have it.

- All right.

- We're going to operate the throttle and the break and go down the track.

We'll blow the whistle at all the road crossings.

[train whistle blowing] and we'll keep an eye out for any trespassers or any wildlife on the track.

And we'll have a very safe trip.

- I would definitely recommend this experience.

Not only is it fun, if you like trains or if someone you know likes trains, it's a great experience.

And also supporting a volunteer run non-profit.

- [Jim] The best place to go to look for information about our schedule and our pricing to buy tickets is triangletrain.com Our website has a calendar that comes up.

You just click buy tickets and it shows you all the rides, of the availability, how much they cost and a little description of each attraction during the ride.

- We had a great time.

- It was great.

It was so much fun.

- Yeah, it was beautiful day.

[in unison "It was great!"]

[in unison "We loved it!"]

- [Jim] I just think it's best to come down and experience it.

Just get the feel for a bygone era where things used to be.

It's fascinating.

- [Deborah] The New Hope Valley Railroad is at 3900 Bonsal Road in New Hill.

To plan your visit, go to triangletrain.com They have buggies here at the North Carolina Transportation Museum.

That date back to the 1800's.

Now if you like some fun facts along with your ride, then head to New Bern where you will discover more than three centuries of history and beautiful architecture on one of their super fun trolley rides.

Let's join Clay Johnson on the riverfront.

♪ Pepsi Cola hits a spot, ♪ ♪ 12 full ounces ♪ ♪ That's a lot ♪ - [Rob] Tour guide Alice Rucker is refreshing her passenger's memories about a popular refreshments original jingle.

♪ Pepsi cola is a drink for you ♪ - Yeah!

[clapping] Thank you.

[Alice laughing] - [Rob] You just can't get around a discussion of Pepsi and its birthplace of New Bern.

But there is so much more to this town's 300 year history.

These new Bern trolley tours are designed to provide a complete overview in just 90 minutes.

- And it spans everything from the colonial times and the starting of Tryon Palace, all the way through to present day.

- [Rob] Bengel was on a marketing committee in the 1990s that decided a trolley would be great for New Bern's tourists.

She and her husband found this trolley body on a bus chassis in Phoenix.

- [Sabrina] And we purchased it and had it shipped back from Phoenix back here to New Bern.

- [Rob] For 18 years, the trolley has been traveling the streets of downtown New Bern and telling its history.

- [Sabrina] This is an easy way to find out a great overview of a community, of a historic community.

- It was a very short battle that started about seven in the morning, over by one in the afternoon.

And someone said that was perfect timing for a late lunch.

- [Rob] Alice is one of about eight tour guides.

They all have their own style and expertise.

Alice is a historian with a deep love of New Bern's past.

- She wants to really recount the history of the different periods that you will see as you go along the tour.

- [Rob] The tour goes by historic buildings and places where historic buildings no longer stand.

- So we now have a new house on the corner where this building once stood.

- [Rob] The tour goes by the homes of historic figures.

- [Alice] Major John Day fought in the Continental Army under George Washington.

- [Rob] The tour also includes some of New Bern's rich African American history.

- [Alice] Amelia Green was born into slavery.

She petitioned the court for her freedom in the late 18th century.

- [Rob] The tour is peppered with both fact and folk lore.

- Everybody wants to hear about ghosts and who might be in a house or not might be in a house.

- And behind this low brick wall is the Day's family burial plot.

- [Rob] There are two stops on this tour where passengers leave the trolley to get a closer look at historic sites.

The first is at New Bern Cedar Grove Cemetery, Christ Episcopal Church established the cemetery in the 18th century.

And it's on the National Register of Historic Places.

It's more than 1000 marked graves includes the burial sites of some prominent figures in our nation's and states history.

- Gaston, North Carolina, Lake Gaston, Gastonia, Gaston County, all named after Judge William Gaston.

Well they outgrew the first church, wanted a larger one.

- [Rob] Christ Episcopal Church is the other stop where passengers get out for a closer view.

The church was built in 1824 and is also on the National Register of Historic Places.

- George Washington, James Monroe, when they visited New Bern worshiped at Christ church.

- [Rob] Passengers say these trolley tours provide a richer experience than touring the town in their cars or on foot.

- We had walked around town earlier, but to have that history with it was enjoyable and informative.

And you know, we got something more out of it than just seeing the buildings.

- When you're in a car, you know, you can't stop and read all the signs, the traffic's there and you get on the trolley.

You sit down, you relax, they explain everything to you.

Point out the high spots.

Then if you want to go back and stop in front of one, you can do that.

- We just felt like it was very important to tell the story and let people experience the charm of our community.

And that is our slogan experience.

The charm.

- [Deborah] The New Bern Trolley runs Monday through Saturday at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM.

And on Sundays at 2:00 PM only.

To book your ride, visit newberntours.com These trains date back to the early 1900's.

Can you believe that?

Perhaps our state's most iconic train is the beloved Tweetsie.

This famous steam engine has been delighting kids and adults for more than half a century.

Throw in some wild west adventure and you've got a rootin' tootin' time in Blowing Rock.

[upbeat folk music] [loud train whistle] - [Chris] Tweetsie Railroad has been here since 1957.

It's one of the first theme parks in the nation.

The first theme park in North Carolina.

- We've been doing this for a long time.

Entertaining families.

- Tweetsie's like a fun amusement park.

And you can like hang out with your friends and family and all that.

- [Deborah] If you're looking for a wild west adventure, that includes trains, animals, rides, food and live entertainment Tweetsie Railroad might just be the place you're looking for.

- [Chris] I would say that the trains are what makes Tweetsie Railroad special.

That's what we're built around is the steam locomotives.

- All aboard!

Casey Jones, let's ride.

[loud train whistle] - [Chris] Tweetsie was the nickname, the railroad got when it was actually an operating railroad in this area.

The train ran from Johnson city to Boone every day from 1919 to 1940 and local residents just nicknamed the Tweetsie.

And that's where the name came from.

- [Deborah] After East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroads ceased all narrow gauge operations.

The old number 12 was the only original steam engine that survived the scrap heap.

- [Cathy] Well Grover Robins started Tweetsie Railroad.

He was a huge train enthusiast and he found the train up in Virginia and brought it back here to be in the mountains of North Carolina.

- [Deborah] In 1957 Tweetsie Railroad debuted with the number 12 as the main attraction.

Over the next few years, it evolved into the wild west theme park we know today.

- [Cathy] The train ride is, is like our main vocal point of the park because we are called Tweetsie Railroad.

And it's a wild west show.

- Fun.

A little fast.

And cool.

- [Maverick] You got action adventure, some comedy it's kind of a wild west stunt show, try to wow the kids.

And so they'll see all kinds of horses and interaction with the guests and the customer and just trying to entertain and make sure everyone has a good time on their day here at Tweetsie.

[burlesque music playing] ♪ Spend a little time with me ♪ - [Chris] There's things here that never go outta style.

There's some new shows.

There's some old shows.

The rides have been here since 1960 and there's some brand new rides, but there's things here that are timeless.

And that's what people seek out at Tweetsie railroad.

- [Deborah] Once you've ridden the rides at the county fair, enjoy the panoramic views on the chairlift to Miners Mountain.

Here you can try your luck at panning for gold, ride more rides and visit the famous Deer Park Zoo.

- Its fun, you can feed animals.

- I love goats.

[goat bleating] - [Chris] Deer Park Zoo is one of the most popular attractions at Tweetsie.

Every family loves going to the Deer Park.

They go sometimes several times while they're here at Tweetsie Railroad.

It's got deer, it's got goats.

It's got Llamas, it's got burrows.

It's got emus.

There's a variety of animals up there.

- [Deborah] No need to pack a lunch because there's plenty of food options in the park.

A visit to Fudge Works should be added to the to-do list.

Watching them make the fudge is unbelievable.

- We have traditional fudges just like everybody does, but we try to be creative and we try to offer things that you just don't see at any other fudge shops.

- Well first of all, I want our guests to enjoy their day here with their families and take away the memories they've had with their families.

That's, that's what we're about.

And having that time, because I think we're, we're rushing all the time.

So they get to spend some quality time here at Tweetsie.

- [Chris] Wild west family fun.

That says it all.

We're wild west.

We're all about families.

We're all about fun.

- Just all great!

- [Deborah] Tweetsie Railroad is at 300 Tweetsie Railroad Lane in Blowing Rock.

And to plan your visit there, go to tweetsie.com Well that's it for tonight's show.

We have had a fantastic time out here at the North Carolina Transportation Museum.

It's a really fun place to explore.

And if you've missed anything in today's show, just remember you can always watch us again online at pbsnc.org Have a great North Carolina weekend everyone.

Good night.

[upbeat cheery music] ♪ - [Advertiser] Funding for "North Carolina Weekend" is provided in part by... Visit NC.

Dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions from the Blue Ridge and the Great Smokey Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of barrier island beaches.

You're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

[piano outro]