[piano intro] - Next on "North Carolina Weekend," join us from the Greensboro Science Center as we celebrate our Earth.

We'll stay at a Treesort in China Grove, go on Green River adventures, and explore Weymouth Woods, coming up next.

- [Announcer] 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 Smoky 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.

- [Announcer] Funding for the North Carolina Year of the Trail Series is provided by... - [Announcer] SECU Foundation, proving how contributions from SECU members can generate the support needed to make a difference across North Carolina in the areas of housing, education, healthcare, and human services.

[light upbeat music] ♪ [light upbeat music continues] ♪ - Welcome to "North Carolina Weekend," everyone.

I'm Deborah Holt Noel, and this week we are recognizing Earth Day by celebrating our planet from the Greensboro Science Center.

This is an aquarium, museum, zoo, zip line, and treetop adventure park all in one.

We'll learn more about the Greensboro Science Center throughout this show, but first, let's head west where thrill-seekers flock to Green River Adventures.

[light upbeat music] - Awesome.

- Exhilarating.

- It was exciting, it was fun.

[zip line whirring] - Nice.

[laughs] - Whoo!

- Thrilling, exhilarating.

- Exciting.

- And awesome again.

- [Narrator] Those experiences were brought to you by Green River Adventures in Saluda.

- [Employee] This is where all of our trips will check in, they'll get their reservation sorted.

- [Narrator] General manager Samantha Miller says the Green River and the 18,000 acres of protected game lands it runs through create the perfect setting for outdoor adventure.

- A lot of our adventures are almost untouched by the hustle and bustle of mainstream cities, which is amazing because you get the green trees, you get the clean water, and you're just out in nature in this moderately remote area, but with guides who know what they're doing.

- All right, everyone, we're gonna start heading down.

Follow me.

- [Samantha] They have the experience and they wanna help you get an adventure and create those lasting memories.

- [Narrator] The Upper Green River Kayak Adventure is a four-mile trip through class II, III, and IV rapids.

- [Samantha] It's awesome for high adventure adventurers, high adventure kayakers that still want to be on a guided trip.

- [Narrator] The Lower Green River Kayak Adventure is a mellower, three-mile trip that includes some class I and II rapids.

- But if it's your first time in a boat and you're a little nervous, the lower green is gonna be an amazing experience to get that initial kayaking experience.

- [Narrator] Some prefer the guided trip.

- Guided with kids, you know, the first time, it may be a good idea.

We weren't exactly sure.

We've never been on this body of water before, you know, so we figured guided was the right way to go.

- [Narrator] Others like to go it alone on the self-guided trip.

- Well, this is kind of a date night for us.

We don't really get out during the pandemic for the most part and I wanted to kind of surprise her and do something different.

[zip line whirring] - [Narrator] You can also take a ride on The Gorge zip line.

- [Samantha] So it's 11 continuous lines through the tree canopy on the mountain side, and you essentially zig-zag your way down the mountain.

- [Narrator] And at the end of the trip, zip liners are peed down from the last platform.

- I'm an adrenaline junkie, so I love skydiving and mountain biking and anything that's gonna give me a little pump in my chest.

- All right, ready?

- Yes, sir.

Pick those feet up and you got it.

- [Narrator] I decided to give it a try, and it definitely got my chest pumping.

[zip line whirring] - All right, I got you there.

- Whoo!

- You maintain your proper zipping experience, and that was really wonderful to see.

- [Narrator] Green River Adventures also offers waterfall rappelling at the 100-foot tall Little Bradley Falls.

- It's great for novices, people who don't have any harness experience, and it's beautiful.

I mean, there's nothing little about it.

It's still 100 feet tall.

- [Narrator] Then there's Big Bradley Falls.

[light music] - [Samantha] The big Bradley is 200 feet, and that is our more high adventure waterfall rappel.

We do ask that people have some type of harness experience, rappelling experience prior to doing that just because it is a little bit more technical.

- [Participant] One, two, three.

Whoo!

- [Narrator] The company also offers an adventure called canyoneering.

- And that involves hiking, boulder hopping.

There's some rock slides, swimming holes, jumps, the whole gambit.

- [Narrator] All of Green River adventures can be great bonding experiences and even ways to overcome fears.

- I don't know how to swim and I'm scared of water, so I would recommend it for someone that has a fear of water, honestly.

- [Narrator] You're afraid of heights and you wanted to do this?

- I didn't know what I was doing.

So I was told by my girlfriend, "We're going on an adventure."

I didn't know what it was till we pulled in.

- And he's not afraid anymore.

I mean, he was the one that was like leading everything.

He did cable walking out of the group.

So, yeah.

- Some of the areas are a little remote, but the guides have experience with the activities.

They are helping foster these experiences and want to help you create this independence and confidence and make these lasting memories.

[light music] - Green River Adventures is at 111 East Main Street in Saluda.

To plan one of the many adventures they offer, give them a call at 828-749-2800, or go online to greenriveradventures.com.

This is the incredible Kiwanisaurus Treehouse Adventure, and visitors are encouraged to explore the ecosystem and discover local wildlife while you climb.

This looks like so much fun, but right now let's head to China Grove with Rob Holliday as he shows us another great place in the branches.

- Beautiful living space, comfortable beds, not only hot water and heating, but we have refrigerators, microwaves, a beautiful deck.

- [Rob] Amenities that are all more than 10 feet above the ground, not in a beach house, but in a- - Tree house.

- [Rob] An abode among the branches, it's one of several here at the Cherry Treesort in China Grove about 40 minutes outside of Charlotte.

- Cherry Treesort is, it's a 27-acre farm and we have built seven tree houses out here, overnight rentals, you know, anywhere from 10 to 18 feet up in the air.

- [Rob] Treesort owner Trent Cherry initially thought about building a cabin here when he bought the land back in 2015.

- We were looking at it and were like, "You know, why don't we just build a tree house instead?

Make it nice like a cabin, all the amenities and just do that."

And I said, "You know, if we can do one, let's see what two can do.

And then maybe let's see what three can do," and we just kind of piecemealed it together.

They're done as nice as you can get with all the amenities.

But you still, when the wind blows, you can feel it move.

Like, we don't build stick houses.

Every one of our tree houses has a tree support.

You can feel the tin roof when it rains.

You can hear it.

I mean, you know, you're in a tree house.

- Every house is a different theme, a different style.

Everything is custom built.

- [Rob] Down to the finishing touches, like shelves and railing, none of the Treesort's houses are the same.

Each house is named after a member of the Cherry family and they have varying designs and sizes, sleeping as many as eight people in some cases.

It helps make an ideal setup for groups of friends and families.

- Wherever your tree house is located, you have lots of green space.

There's fire pits at every location, which is nice for like having the s'mores and the fun or just having dinner or whatever you'd like to do.

And then there's opportunities for everyone to gather around and enjoy each other's company.

We have been prepping our children for the tree houses for the past six months.

The anticipation of going somewhere where you can sleep where your home is absolutely lifted up in the trees, it's unbelievable.

And so the children were so excited.

- [Rob] Even the ones who are a bit more comfortable on solid ground.

Most of the Treesort's houses are located in the limbs, but not all of them.

- Our daughter doesn't like heights, so they have these nice hobbit houses and they're basically built into the side of the hill.

And there's two of them on the property right now.

It gives a nice difference for people that want to be up high and then people that just wanna be down low.

- [Guest] It's underground, which it's very cool.

It makes it incredibly warm and cozy.

It's really unique.

It's just enough space.

- The top is all grass, so the children were up there doing cartwheels and playing, not getting too close to the side, but for the most part, that's been the most enjoyable thing.

- There was a good bank, and there wasn't really any good trees to kind of build on there.

We said, "You know what?

We're gonna put a a hobbit house underground."

They've been huge successes.

You know, you can't find those.

There's really not any like it.

And we weren't trying to mimic "The Lord of the Rings."

I've actually never watched "The Lord of the Rings," believe it or not.

We get a lot of both.

Some people come for the hobbit house and wanna stay in the tree house.

Some people come for the tree house and wanna stay in the hobbit house.

We've got a big 25-passenger wagon.

We give kids a wagon ride.

- [Rob] One of several activities at Cherry Treesort that have nothing to do with the housing itself.

- [Guest] There's lots of swings and green space for the children that come play and run.

- [Guest] The children can run up and down the creek.

And you really don't, I mean you keep an eye on them, but they're not going too far.

Kids aren't on their tablets, they're out enjoying nature.

- They got 27 acres to run and do what they want.

There's no wifi on the property, which a lot of parents send me emails privately, "Thank you for not having wifi."

It's the best of both worlds out here.

Usually, we have families that come and half the family loves to camp and half the family wants to be in a five-star resort.

So you get the best of both worlds.

- [Rob] And more guests will be able to experience those two worlds.

There's an expansion planned in the years ahead.

- [Trent] We've got zoning for five more.

We plan on building two of those five this year and then seeing how it goes.

We're just trying to find that happy medium of how big do you get without getting too big and also keeping the privacy of all of our guests?

So we don't wanna build them on top of each other.

- [Rob] Guests make their way to Cherry Treesort from all 50 states, and even a few other countries.

Trent Cherry wants to make sure they all come away with a fun and unique collection of memories.

- It's really cool to wake up and look out your window from your bed and you're 18 feet up in the air in the middle of the woods.

One of the things that we enjoy is given the experience to people that you can't get anywhere else.

- Cherry Treesort is at 1920 Flat Rock Road in China Grove, that's in Rowan County.

To book your tree house, give them a call at 704-467-5496, or go online to cherrytreesort.com.

[light upbeat music] [light upbeat music continues] Martha, this place is just amazing.

It's actually one of my favorite ways to spend a day because there's a zoo, an aquarium, a tree house adventure, and so much more.

Tell us about some of the other things that people can interact with and learn about Earth Day here.

- We try to celebrate Earth Day every day here at the Greensboro Science Center, and every season brings a lot of joy to us as well.

Earth Day is special.

It's a chance to celebrate the wonderful Earth that we have, but also take some responsibility for it.

And the conservation that we do here is really important both locally, nationally, and internationally, even.

- [Deborah] Martha, why is it important to recognize the conservation and environmental issues that face our planet?

- We have so much going on this spring.

We hope that people will help us celebrate Earth by coming out with a new nature trail to put kids outside, with a new solar system hike to find out where our planet falls with all of the others, and get a little exercise.

And of course we're opening up our tree houses, and butterflies will come follow in March and you can see all about native pollinators and how you can become involved in conservation.

- [Deborah] It's so much fun!

I love that.

How do you achieve your conservation mission throughout the year?

- There's always something going on here.

We hope that families come.

Children at a very young age are learning here and then hopefully coming back again and again and engaging with what we are doing and spreading throughout the community.

We do see ourselves as very community-based and hope that some of the tips and things they learn here they'll spread like ripples out in the world.

- [Deborah] Tell me about some of the outdoor spaces that people will experience when they get to visit.

- You know, springtime is a great time to experience the zoo and our grounds, but also to step a little further.

Out where our carousel is also has a zip line to explore.

SKYWILD is an aerial obstacle course to really explore value and appreciate the outside world around us.

- Martha, thank you so much for having us out here to the Greensboro Science Center.

I can't wait to explore more of it.

- And I can't wait to have you back when this place is full of butterflies.

- The Greensboro Science Center is at 4301 Lawndale Drive in Greensboro, and it's open every day from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

For more information, you can call them at 336-288-3769, or go online to greensboroscience.org.

Another way to celebrate the Earth is by becoming a steward of it.

Meet Mary Garrison, whose love for food and nature come together in a healthy, peaceful environment, not just for humans, but also for honeybees.

[light music] - Willabee's tagline is Be the Seed, and that basically brings you back to the micro level of a seed.

But with that one seed, that one individual person, with that fulfilling its purpose, you now have 20 seeds.

My name is Mary, I'm the owner of Willabee Market, located in Vass, North Carolina.

My market is a sustainable market that is focused on creating community and connection and alternatives to everyday lifestyle needs.

What inspired the market was a little bee that crawled up on my shoe, and he has become known to me as Will.

He had deformed wing virus, which opened my eyes to just this greater need.

We need solutions for them.

So that leads into how is our lifestyle, what are the choices we're making?

You come in to the counter and you weigh it.

We're gonna go get some laundry powder that is made right here and weigh it again, okay.

This whole vision started with the smallest creator amongst us, which was the bee.

[light music] It's a very personal thing, I think, to invite somebody into a hive.

It's that you're inviting them into something that's very special to you.

I'm giving them a little puff of smoke just to introduce, like saying, "Hello, I'm here."

When I go out into my apiary, it's a time for me to disconnect from a lot of chaos and connect with the bees.

It's like you're inside the hive at this point.

No one gets to see what goes on inside the hives.

I'm never scared.

I don't really know why.

This top box is a honey super, and this is where they would store the all the nectar until it turns into honey.

And this is what I take.

I don't take anything from the two deep boxes.

That's their honey for the winter.

I do think that the bees pick up on my mood and intention.

It's my form of therapy.

You can already tell this wax right here has the different colors.

This has already been used for a brood versus like a new golden type of wax.

One bee's life cycle equals to 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey.

As silly as it sounds, for Will, he had deformed wing virus and could not fly, but everybody is born with a purpose and his purpose was to raise awareness for his family.

So I'm just telling his story.

We need more people acting more of like a hive mindset.

- This is Catherine.

- Hi!

- [Mary] Each individual is making small changes that leads to big habits.

And then collectively, as a hive in our world, we can shift, replacing your plastic bag with a tote that you can bring.

And then it just trickles over into other habits throughout your home.

I partner with producers, creatives, artisans that have the same goal in mind.

- I know, my car smells like it now.

I don't know where to put it yet.

- I'm gonna just bring my refill.

- Yeah, His name is, Dan's wife is Amanda.

He is a active duty soldier and he got injured last year.

He's been pouring all of his attention and time into roasting coffee.

- I wanna make you holding it so I can see it.

So we've raised forest pork, and this is one of our hams.

This is one of our kielbasa sausages.

They live in the forest, get fed a non-GMO, soy-free feed.

Oh, and the kielbasa sausage is like the best sausage that I've ever eaten.

- [Mary] I hope that when people come to Willabee Market they are left feeling full, kind of like the containers that they bring into the store to get filled up.

I hope that they get a little bit of connection and I hope that they feel seen.

I think that, when people feel full and seen, they are more encouraged to create small changes themselves.

- The Willabee Market store is at 120 South Alma Street in Vass, that's in Moore County.

And they're open Friday through Sunday.

For more information, go to willabeemarket.com.

2023 is the Year of the Trail in our state, so throughout the year, we'll be taking you to some of our favorite trails.

Right now, let's venture to the Sandhills where state historian Earl Ijames explores the longleaf pine forests of Weymouth Woods.

[bright music] - [Narrator] Not far from Pinehurst, the 915 acres that make up the Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve give visitors a trip back in time as they hike and explore the park's forest, a forest that was once dominated by our state's signature tree, the longleaf pine.

For historians Ray Owen and Earl Ijames, the arrival of spring reveals the history that embodies the longleaf pines of Weymouth Woods.

Their hike includes a visit to the park's oldest resident.

- Hey, look Ray, there's our old buddy right there.

- Oh yeah, this is the oldest-known longleaf pine in the world, in the universe.

- Yeah, my old friend.

It's so good to see you.

- Yeah, and here we are on the first day of spring.

- [Earl] Yeah, this is a real treat.

And he's glad to see us too, Ray.

- [Ray] I think so, Earl.

We gotta hug this sucker.

- We gotta hug him, yeah.

- Yeah, man.

- Hey, man.

- Waiting for us.

- All right.

How you doing?

- You know we have, around Earth Day every year, the Sandlanders here, we have- - It is a beautiful tree.

- It is beautiful, but we have the birthday party for the oldest pine and we come out here and they'll be like 100 people and we all come out and hug the tree.

- [Earl] She, he is celebrating about 450.

- No, over 475.

- 475, great.

- So when they cored the tree, they cored it kind of about here, maybe.

It was kind of higher up, I don't remember the exact spot.

UNCG came and did it, but the tree is probably older because, when you think about it, for it to get this high, how long did that take?

That might have been, you know, 10 years, 20 years.

Round timber is the local name for trees that have stood the test of time.

And if you look over to our right here, you see the white blaze on the trees.

And these are marked for the red-cockaded woodpecker.

And they're the only woodpecker that bores into living pines.

And what happens is the resin will run down, what people call sap, and it prevents varmits from getting in to disturb the nest.

And so the blaze is when, the fire ecology here, everything has to have fire to feed the forest to keep it alive and the blaze is so that they don't burn up the tree during a controlled burn.

- [Narrator] While numerous pine tree species fill North Carolina state lands, the distinctive longleaf pine is easy to identify.

- So the long needles on the longleaf pine tree is it's distinct signature.

The needles can range anywhere from eight inches to 16 inches, and length depending on the phenotypes, these particular kind that grow in the Boyd Tract will have this signature distinct longleaf, like this grass stage emerging into a rocket stage longleaf pine tree.

And you can see the distinct candle that's emerging here.

[bright music] If you're walking along on one of the trails at Weymouth Woods and you come upon a longleaf pine tree with an unusual looking scar on it, well, you are witnessing history.

In this case, this is evidence of real tar heels, or someone who worked this tree for turpentine, tar, and pitch about 125 or 150 years ago.

So you might say, "Well, what do you have in your hand there, Earl Ijames?"

Good question, this is a boxing ax, a tool of the tar heels.

And this would've been used on the first day of spring, like we have now.

When the sap begins to flow up from the tree, turpentine season begins, on the equinox.

And this boxing ax would've been wielded between the bark of this tree to inject about a three- or four-foot wound, as you can see in this tree, so that it exposes the cambium layer.

- [Earl] The thing to remember about this particular tract, a lot of effort, a lot of science is going in to try to bring it back.

[bright music] - The Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve is at 1024 North Fort Bragg Road in Southern Pines, and it's open daily.

To find out more, go to ncparks.gov, and to learn more about the Year of the Trail, go to greattrailsnc.com.

All right everybody, that's it for tonight's show.

We've had a great time out here at the Greensboro Science Center, and I feel extra fortunate because Max the tortoise is eating some lettuce right from my hands.

And he loves this lettuce.

You enjoy that, Max.

And just remember, any visit to the Greensboro Science Center is support for conservation because a portion of every ticket sale goes toward conservation efforts.

Isn't that a great way to support Earth Day?

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.

[bright upbeat music] ♪ [bright upbeat music continues] ♪ [bright upbeat music continues] ♪ [bright upbeat music continues] ♪ - [Announcer] 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 Smoky 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.

- [Announcer] Funding for the North Carolina Year of the Trail Series is provided by... - [Announcer] SECU Foundation, proving how contributions from SECU members can generate the support needed to make a difference across North Carolina in the areas of housing, education, healthcare, and human services.

[piano outro]