Wine, Whiskey & Mystery.

Statesville, NC, USA

P
Patty
  • Email address verified
396 reviews
Apr 16 - 18, 2025
Group size: 30 - 46
Wine, Whiskey & Mystery.
Statesville, NC, USA

Patty
  • Email address verified
396 reviews

Apr 16 - 18, 2025
Group size: 30 - 46

About this trip

This 3 day/2 night trip is an educational and entertaining journey as we experience the variety of wine, whiskey, spirits, mystery and even an animal rescue ranch in the foothills of North Carolina.  Statesville nestled in the foothills of the Bushy Mountains will be our hub for visiting North Carolina’s first AVA (American  Viticultural Area).  The Valley offers moderate elevations and proximity to the Yadkin River allowing for a variety of grapes to thrive.  The trip features four wineries and also offers a visit to Southern Distilling Company for a tour and tasting of handcrafted bourbon and rye.  Dinner is included each night and one of the dinners includes a “whodunnit” style mystery dinner at Shadow Springs Vineyard.   Finally, a trip to this part of the state wouldn’t be complete without a visit to a very special place, The Rescue Ranch. This ranch has grown to one of the premier animal education centers of its kind and we have the opportunity to meet its animal ambassadors.  Read more below about the featured wineries, trip inclusions and itinerary below.....  

Featured Wineries

Rayson Winery & Vineyard - Veteran owned and has recently achieved international wine recognition with 8 gold medals from America's Wine Cup

Raffaldini Vineyards - Brings Tuscan charm to North Carolina with its production of dry Italian style wines. The 2023 Vermentino Superiore was recently crowned with a Double Gold Medal and an impressive 96 points at the San Francisco International Wine Competition.  The winery also offers beautiful mountain views!  

Shadow Springs Vineyard - A 15 year family business and one of the leaders in the NC industry with 11 acres producing a variety of white and red wines.  

Windsor Run Cellars - The stop at Windsor Run Cellars takes us to the middle of what once was the bootleg capital of the country.  Here, we learn about the differences in wines from spirits, what does "proof" mean and all kinds of interesting "spirited" trivia to make you really smart at cocktail parties!


Cancellatin Policy

After the final payment has been made, refunds are only possible if the trip organizer can resell the trip or recover some of the out-of-pocket expenses.  

What’s included

  • Transportation
    On a modern luxury coach
  • Accommodations
    Hilton Garden Inn in Statesville
  • Breakfast
    Hot breakfast each morning
  • Welcome Dinner
    At Twisted Oak in Statesville
  • Murder Mystery Dinner
    At Shadow Springs Vineyard
  • Wine Tastings
    At four wineries
  • Whiskey tasting
    Tour & tasting at Southern Distillery
  • Rescue Ranch
    Admission, tour and box lunch
  • Tour Host
  • Extras
    Bottled water and snacks on the bus

What’s not included

  • Lunch on Travel Days
  • Driver gratuity

Available Packages

Double Occupancy room with king bed
Deposit:$396

Per person price for a room for two guests with king bed

$792
Deposit:$396
Double occupancy room with 2 queen beds
Deposit:$396

Per person price for two guests sharing a room with two queen beds

$792
Deposit:$396
Single room
Deposit:$450
9 left

One person in a room 

$905
Deposit:$450


Itinerary

NC Wine Country Tour
Wine, Whiskey, Mystery and More....

April 16:

8am - Beginning at 8am there will be morning departures from Leland and Wilmington

1pm - Wine tasting at Rayson Winery

5pm - Check in at Hilton Garden Inn in Statesville

6:30pm - Welcome Dinner in Statesville

April 17:

Morning visits to the Statesville History Collection and Southern Distilling for a tour, tasting and lunch. 

Afternoon visits to Raffaldini Winery, Windsor Run Cellars and Shadow Springs Vineyard followed by Murder Mystery Dinner at Shadow Springs.  

April 18:

9:30am - Tour of The Rescue Ranch prior to departure for the Coast.  




Who’s Going

Your Organizer


P
Patty
396 reviews
I love to travel so in my partially retired life I decided to adapt my passion for travel along with 25 years of experience in Travel & Tourism to create Trips by Patty. I received a BA in American History from UNC-Chapel Hill. Not knowing what I was going to do with that degree, I started working as a desk clerk at a hotel in Raleigh. I enjoyed the hotel business and the career path began. Hotel operations and sales, Convention Center operations and marketing, destination marketing with a Convention Visitors Bureau and even a stint as a tour guide. What happened to the history degree? Well, many times when I am escorting my trips I share the history of the destinations we visit. It's a great feeling to take your career skills and adapt them to your own small business. I love what I do and hope you'll join me on a trip one day!

Reviews

Trip was well organized and thought out. We had a wonderful time and hope to go on another Trip by Patty.
By Joanne H for Hamilton in Greenville SC on Feb 14, 2025
Patty was an amazing tour coordinator as always!! Greenville is an impressive forward thinking small city!! OUr hotel was wonderful and had a great bar area. Hamilton, the tour of Greenville, Sigol music museum and the cityscape winery were all fantastic! We had 2 outstanding meals on our own in main street area. We had a great time and hope to plan a girls trip soon to explore more of Greenville! Thank you, Patty--I'm looking forward to the next trip!!
By Cheryl G for Hamilton in Greenville SC on Feb 14, 2025
We had a great time. This was a first time using Trips by Patty and we'd definitely recommend for anyone else considering a trip with her. Everything was very well organized and exceeded our expectations. A perfect blend of activities to keep us busy but some downtime to relax or do things on our own.
By Catherine R for Hamilton in Greenville SC on Feb 14, 2025
Fabulous trip! As always, Patty thought of everything. The hotel was fantastic, with the best hotel breakfast I've ever seen. The local tour guide was wonderful--engaging, knowledgeable, and friendly. We loved Greenville. It's a beautiful city with great restaurants and lovely outdoor green space. It was a real treat to see Hamilton at the Peace Center, which is a beautiful auditorium well located right downtown. Everything about this trip was perfect.
By Miriam B for Hamilton in Greenville SC on Feb 14, 2025
Very well organized. Everything promised, was delivered. Excellent!
By Diana B for Hamilton in Greenville SC on Feb 14, 2025
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