By Nancy Lederer

Put on your travel shoes to move through time and space and be a part of the Carolina story,  “All Things Carolina from the Mountains to the Sea”.

As part of the Carolina Meadows Campaign on behalf of UNC-TV, we have two visual treats for your use to make this journey.

Stop by the Display Cabinet in the Center and partake of the many reminders of Carolina.  There is a tip of the hat to mountain music in the form of a fiddle, dulcimer and harmonica.  Certainly a reminder of some good old foot tapping or even clogging.

A trip through the products of the state; apples, sweet potatoes, pickles, peanuts, and of course hogs resulting in some of the best barbecue in the US.  We remembered the tobacco industry with a cigar press and cigars, tobacco box, and even a pack of Camels.  Search out the emblems of the infamous moonshine industry, the lost textile industry and the ever present and growing Carolina pottery.

“All Things Carolina” also celebrates the great universities and colleges in the state.  They could have taken up the entire cabinet, instead three of them are recognized, NC State, Duke and UNC.  March Madness Basketball will certainly be keeping two of these universities in the news.

Carolina, a state with many tourist and cultural opportunities invites you to consider taking a trip to the Lost Colony, the Carolina Ballet or Symphony, or a visit to the Seashore and Outer Banks where you can learn about Black Beard and Queen Anne’s Revenge.

There’s more there, keep looking!

Now, it’s time to move on down the hall to the mural hanging on the wall beside the Sun Trust Bank.  Designed, researched and painted by Bill Davis, Susan Gaca and Margaret Zircher, it tells much of the same story, with more beautiful visual detail.  It will require more than one visit to “see” all the NC history, firsts and notables depicted including George Washington, trout and deep sea fishing, the Biltmore Estate, Christmas trees and tobacco fields, boating, wildlife, and yes, even Carolina Meadows.  The many items depicted invites you to play a game of “I Spy” such as “I spy Old Salem” or “I spy a Native American”.  Have fun with it.

So, go to the Center, travel through history, tourist sites and special features of “All Things Carolina”.

See you on the journey!