Getaway and Reynolda

While my parents were visiting we planned a day and one night away. We started our day at The Table for breakfast.  The decor is so fresh and comfortable.  

My date

We had a relaxed breakfast and the owner had us pick a pastry to take to our Inn to share later in the day. 

Ready to head out on our destination, Reynolda village and gardens. 

This is a picture of the outside of the greenhouse, it has been so rainy and humid here and I did not realize my lens was foggy.

orchids, they were all amazing

The gardens were gifted to Wake Forest but originally were part of the Reynolda estate, which was built by RJ Reynolds and his wife Katherine. 

there were vegetables

grapes

flowers, I love echinacea

the gardens are huge, this is a view back toward the greenhouse

the roses were amazing and there were hundreds if not thousands of bushes

the children's playhouse

Reynolda house, actually I should say a portion of the house because it was too big to fit in one picture

The house is now a museum and you can pay to tour, it was well worth the 14 dollars.  Bill and I wore a device around our neck that you could enter the number into for a room or a painting and you heard the narrator give you history.  At times it was family or staff from the Reynolds family. Much of the original furniture is still present.   In the basement of this house is a bowling alley, shooting range (rubber ducks), a skating rink, bar, ping pong tables, billiard table, changing rooms, squat quart (like racquetball I guess) and a pool. 

The rest of the village, at one time they had a post office, school, barns, and servant quarters on the estate, has been turned into restaurants and shops.

I highly recommend you read The Gilded Leaf by Patrick Reynolds and Tom Shachtman, even if you are not into history it is fascinating.  RJ Reynolds became a multimillionaire with the tobacco industry and his brother Abram eventually developed reynolds wrap.  So much of the Reynold's fortune was invested in Winston (which became Winston-Salem). 

You can visit the gardens for free and of course shop at the village.

 

This building was just down from our Inn and I thought it was cool, it is right in the middle of the road, and it may actually be a residence.

We stayed at the Brookstown Inn, which was built in 1837 and was an old textile mill.

We returned to Mozelles for dinner and it was fabulous. 

We had a great time away!