Halfway Between Raleigh And Fayetteville Is North Carolina's Charming Vineyard With Dining

When travelers think of North Carolina, they might envision the marshy beaches of the Outer Banks or the rugged Blue Ridge Mountains surrounding Asheville — not a vineyard within driving distance of the state's capital. But just over 30 minutes south of Raleigh and about 45 minutes north of Fayetteville, there is one known for its award-winning wines: Gregory Vineyards.

Gregory Vineyards is a family-run 140-acre farm located in Angier, North Carolina. More than 20 of those acres are used for growing grapes for its muscadine wines. There, you can bask in the beautiful scenery, which includes rows of grapevines circling a small pond framed by a densely wooded forest in the distance.

On Fridays and Saturdays between noon and 3 p.m., the vineyard offers $10 wine tastings in its dining room. Past visitors recommend the experience and describe it as educational, one Google reviewer writing, "Nate greeted us for our wine tasting[,] but he also gave us great background information as well. He kept us engaged[,] and he took extremely good care of us our entire visit." Wine isn't the only reason to visit Gregory Vineyards, though. Typically starting in early September, visitors can pick muscadine grapes during select hours. But quantities are limited, according to its official Facebook page. Visitors also don't need to go too far to find dinner afterward.

Lane's Seafood and Steakhouse is located right on the property, but the Gregory family actually opened it in 1987, more than 20 years before Gregory Vineyards opened. Similar to Gallery Restaurant, North Carolina's award-winning steakhouse in Charlotte, Lane's offers a surf-and-turf menu. Among the highlights, visitors say they enjoyed the ribeye, fried flounder, and the hushpuppies. One reviewer on Google Maps even called their peach cobbler the "cherry on top." Lane's has fairly limited hours, though, opening Thursday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The restaurant also doesn't take reservations, so larger groups may want to arrive early. 

As far as accommodations around the vineyard go, travelers won't find too many. About 15 minutes south of the vineyard, Benson has a handful of familiar hotel chains, including Holiday Inn and Hampton Inn. Travelers heading north of the vineyard will also find similar options in Garner, a charming North Carolina suburb with a historic downtown. If you're up for a longer drive and you'd like to visit more of the vineyards on North Carolina's wine trail, consider setting your GPS to Boonville, located in the Yadkin Valley.