Since I established the #outaboutnc community on Instagram in late January, we now have over 3,000 photos in the public feed for our online travel guide.  I check it daily and I love seeing what people in North Carolina are recommending for others to see, do, eat, and where to stay when they visit North Carolina.

We have a lot of scenic photos, but we're still working on getting the other travel recommendations up. I think hotels and inns are more my own personal thing so we have less of that, but I'm so thrilled that N.C. locals and tourists are embracing the hashtag. I've learned about so many places since I started the feed.  I try to feature at least one photo a day on the main @Outaboutnc Instagram account. This photo is from Mt. Holly, N.C., which is a place I've not visited in North Carolina.

Sunny Creek Farm Sprout Salad, @jswoof Mustard Blossoms Laughing Owl Popcorn, @texaspetesauces Vinaigrette #salad #vegan #vegetarian

239 steps, 1 stunning view || Duke Chapel 

The family had a blast watching the #surfers at #fortfisher this weekend

Tea time at the Camellia Cottage in the Wilmington historic district. Pick your favorite pot.

Hiked in #Montreat before our lunch. Such a lovely view and the sound of the water was so soothing.

This beautiful, renovated villa is the home to Tenuta Carlini winery, owned by Andrea Carlini, and his wife, Angela Benwi. 

This gorgeous and chic couple were our hosts for the evening. Tenuta Carlini vineyards sits on 10-acres in the Monte San Bartolo Natural Park in the Marche region of Italy. When Andrea was a university student in the late eighties, he decided to explore Viticulture, where he studied the grapes of an old vineyard. His passion led him to plant new vineyards, using scions of indigenous grapes of old vines, which are still considered the best clones of Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Albanella. The whole process is way over my head, but the bottom line is that the vineyard is small thus allowing a limited production, and the quality is exceptional. The wine is wonderful. Tenuta Carlini is considered to be one of the best wine makers in Central Italy. 

We tasted three wines, and a brut.  Andrea made the brut in honor of his wife, who is a professional violinist. The label showcases a violin and the brut is called Pianeta Classico. His gift was a complete surprise to her. Italians are so romantic. 

When I was there that evening, I instagrammed the following: 

It was a lovely and memorable evening.  Bellissimo!

Andrea and Angela plan to turn the beautiful villa at the winery into a bed and breakfast in the future as well. 

Want to Go: 

Tenuta Carlini

Strada Fontanelle, 3.61121

Fiorenzuola di Focaara

Tips for Travelers wanting to Travel to  Le Marche, Italy

We stayed in Hotel Sans Souci in Gabicce Mare on the night we visited the ruins of the San Bartolo National Park, Gradara, and the Tenuta Carlini winery. We had a delightful dinner at Falco Ristorante before returning to our hotel. The next day we checked out, and explored the cities of Pesaro, Fano, and Senigallia.  To begin to plan your trip to the Marche region, start by visiting the Discover Marche website. The Le Marche region is diverse, and I have it linked to the area I traveled on this press visit.

Link-up with us and use the hashtag #IGTRAVELThursday on Instagram

Disclosure: I was fully-hosted blogger for TBDItaly, and the press trip to this area of Marche was part of my experience. 

The #IGTRAVELThursday founders are back with our Travel Thursday posts via Instagram photos. We took a hiatus over the summer. I think we all needed the break. We've made one big change to our #IGTravelThursday link-up though. It will happen just once a month now, and it will always be the first Thursday of each month. This is a great way for you to learn about other travel destinations here.


As an original founder, I've decided to keep my posts centered around resorts and hotels with some destination travel mixed-in. Sometimes, I will feature other Instagram accounts. Often times, I will use my own Instagram photos with my own spin.

To kick off the series again, I'm sharing a few photos that I took on a recent trip to Greensboro, N.C. to cover a fantastic food event called, "Savor the South".

Greensboro is about an hour or so west of Raleigh, my hometown. When I pulled up to the valet area of the O.Henry Hotel, a a Four-Diamond boutique hotel in Greensboro, this is what greeted me?


I love it. This English classic takes guests around town.

The hotel has an entire fleet of English taxis. At dinner, the owner of the hotel told me that he has a mechanic in Greensboro that he keeps quite happy.



Teatime at the O.Henry hotel also made me quite happy.

It's about the only hotel that I have found so far in N.C. that offers cream tea, a light afternoon tea, and a high tea. I adore having these choices. Most luxury hotels I've visited just offer the full tea menu.



Since I had eaten for two solid hours at the #SavortheSouth tasting event, I had to choose cream tea because I will never ever pass up a scone, but I was too full to eat anything else.

Tea service at the O.Henry was a complete delight. The next day I found myself sitting in the courtyard for coffee. Can you say charming?


I loved my time at the O.Henry. So much so that I ended up matching the bathroom for an event. That was so unplanned, but quite funny. My Mom said I made her dizzy.


Grab a cup of tea. Sit back and read some of the great IGTravelThursday posts that are linked up this week.

Be sure to check out the #IGTRAVELThursday hashtag on Instagram and post your photo as well.

To learn more about Greensboro, N.C., visit http://www.visitgreensboronc.com/