Salisbury and Rowan County: Where Beer, Arts & Ag Come Together

If you are planning on coming to this event here is the current forecast!

If you’re looking to slow down the pace a bit while still enjoying plenty of culture and craft beer, Salisbury and Rowan County are calling your name! 

Craft beer will be the focal point as the Rowan County Tourism Development Authority kicks off Rowan Arts & Ag, a series of events celebrating arts and agriculture together. A craft beer festival will be held in historic Gold Hill in honor of NC Beer Month. Weekend Arts & Ag events will follow throughout the year as the county highlights its vibrant arts community and agricultural roots.

The Rowan Arts & Ag Beer Festival will be held April 7 from 3:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Gold Hill Mines Historic Park and Village.  The festival will feature Morgan Ridge Railwalk Brewery & Eatery and New Sarum Brewing Company, both of Salisbury.  Carolina Malt House of Cleveland, supplier of custom malts from grain grown in the Carolinas will also be in attendance.

Artisans and vendors will sell handcrafted items.  Bands will perform rock, folk, bluegrass and “NewGrass” music on two stages. Food trucks will be on site, and a kids’ entertainment area will be provided. Live performances on the main stage at Gold Hill Mines Historic Park Amphitheater include the Lauren Light Duo (3:00 – 4:00 p.m.), Lilly Brothers (4:30 – 5:30 p.m.) and Sassafrass (6:00 – 8:00 p.m.). In between performances, the Trailblazers and other bands will perform on the small stage in Gold Hill Village.

Morgan Ridge Railwalk Brewery and Eatery, located at 421 North Lee Street in Salisbury, is an extension of Morgan Ridge Vineyard & Brewhouse of Gold Hill. Owners Tommy and Amie Baudoin have mastered unique craft beer styles, with flagship offerings including Weekend Wit and Flat Creek Swamp Water. The Baudoins have been awarded the Grape Growers Excellence Award by the N.C. Grape Growers Association, along with gold, silver and bronze medals in the NC State Fair Wine Competition and the Southeast Wine Competition.

New Sarum Brewing, located at 109 North Lee Street, was one of only three NC breweries to receive a gold medal from the 2017 Great American Beer Festival, where Lemon Balm and Beet Hoppy Wheat won in the Herb and Spice Beer category.  The brewery features a lineup of brews named for favorite local destinations. Examples include High Rock Red Ale, named for nearby High Rock Lake, Hurley Park Blood Orange Wheat, after a popular Salisbury recreational park, and Old Stone House IPA, coined for a preserved 1911 Georgian-architecture home that is now a museum. (Go a step further and learn about the inspiration for this tasty IPA at Colonial Spring Frolic at the Old Stone House April 7 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The event includes historic tours of the colonial home, egg dyeing, musket firing demonstrations, woodworking, open fire cooking and recipe tastings, candle making, children’s games, colonial dancers and music.)

Historic Gold Hill is a restored 19th-century gold mining boom town that features a quaint shopping village, wood sidewalks reminiscent of the Old West, 70-acre scenic park and a rich base of bluegrass musicians and fans who come together every Friday night for a community jam session at the E.H. Montgomery General Store. For more than a decade, musicians from all over the region have gathered to swap tunes, compare instruments and entertain those who love to listen to traditional bluegrass. The Montgomery Store is also home base for the North Carolina Bluegrass Association.

Situated along Interstate 85 between Charlotte and Greensboro, Salisbury invites you to explore a bustling downtown district with art galleries, shops, three local theaters, historic homes, museums and more. Restaurants such as City Tavern, Go Burrito and Salty Caper are popular with diners looking for a wide choice of today’s best craft beers. Only a short drive away are popular destinations such as the N.C. Transportation Museum and Patterson Farm Market and Tours.

The N.C. Transportation Museum will host the Tractors and Trains Festival April 14 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00  p.m. as part of the Rowan Arts & Ag series. The event features modern tractors, antique farm equipment, steam-powered tractors, live music and activities such as blacksmithing, a cider press, corn shelling, hayrides, and kids’ activities.

Patterson Farm Market and Tours, which was recently voted “Most-Loved Place to Go” in Hulafrog’s regional contest, will welcome visitors in May for strawberry season and will be the site of a Rowan Arts & Ag farm-to-table dining experience.

For more information on the Rowan Arts & Ag schedule of events, visit www.visitsalisburync.com and www.rowanartsandag.com.

Interested in booking rooms and packages specific for Beer Month? 

Celebrate NC Beer Month in Rowan County this April with complimentary beer flights, pint glasses and spending money at our two Downtown Salisbury breweries with any overnight stay at a Rowan County hotel, B&B, Airbnb or camping cabin (camp site rentals not included).

Stay 1 Night and Receive: 1 beer flight and 1 pint glass at New Sarum Brewing Company, 1 beer flight and 1 pint glass at Morgan Ridge RailWalk Brewery & Eatery, AND a $25 Visa gift card.

Stay 2 Nights and Receive: 2 beer flights and 2 pint glasses at New Sarum Brewing Company, 2 beer flights and 2 pint glasses at Morgan Ridge RailWalk Brewery & Eatery, AND a $50 Visa gift card.

Offer valid for any overnight stay April 1, 2018 through April 30, 2018.

It's as easy as:

1. Book your Rowan County lodging

2. Call the Salisbury Rowan County CVB with your hotel confirmation number to reserve your package (1-800-332-2343)

3. Pick up your free gifts upon check-in at your lodging facility

Weekly Booking Deadlines:
Must book by March 28 for stays April 1-5.
Must book by April 4 for stays from April 6-12.
Must book by April 11 for stays from April 13-19.
Must book by April 18 for stays from April 20-26.
Must book by April 25 for stays from April 27-30.

Confirmation and contact information are required to verify reservations. If the lodging stay is cancelled, offer is void. No exchanges or refunds. Not valid with any other coupons, discounts, or reward point redemptions associated with the participating lodging properties, the breweries or the Rowan County TDA.

Have questions or issues booking your package? Please call the Rowan County TDA at 704-638-3100. Please note, hotel confirmation numbers from third-party booking agents will not be accepted. Rooms must be booked directly with each lodging facility.

Rowan County Weather will be providing forecast specific to events as they continue to occur around the county so you can get out enjoy all of these great events without concern for the weather changing your plans!