Paradise in the Pines

The brainchild of Pinehurst entrepreneurs Angela Robb and Nicole Stein, the Sandhills Trolley Company has taken the Sandhills by storm. This is not your granddaddy's trolley with the boring tour guide droning on. These trolley tours are fun, interactive and the themes are seemingly endless.  From Brews Cruises to Comedy Cruises to Coffee Tours and more, Robb and Stein have found a niche and a large following of people seeking a fun and unique experience.  Sandhills Trolley Company’s mission is to provide safe, reliable, unique, and fun sightseeing and performance tours to the visitors and locals of Sandhills, North Carolina using antique-style open-air and enclosed trolleys to help capture the history of the Moore County surrounding areas, while providing guests with a fun, interactive trolley experience. Looking for a fun night out? Sandhills Trolley Company has a variety of tours that change monthly. Learn more: www.sandhillstrolley.com.

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Cassy Tully could be considered the female version of LeRoy Neiman. Her artwork celebrates the style, captures the memories, and preserves the legacies of majestic golf courses, prestigious properties, and private patrons. Her championship golf art includes works for the USGA, PGA of America, Veteran Golfers Association, and the Arnold Palmer Foundation. She created official artwork for the 2020 Ryder Cup, which took place at Whistling Straits, very close to where she's from in Wisconsin. Tully recently moved to the Pinehurst area and opened a new studio in downtown Aberdeen. Cassy’s mission is to use her talent to give back and make a difference. In this Paradise in the Pines episode, Tully talks about her work, her move to the Home of American Golf, and her love for the game! @visitnc @usga @PGATOUR @PGAofAmerica #homeofamericangolf #visitnc

Kevin Drum is someone you should meet. Better yet, sit at the bar in the establishment he owns, the Drum & Quill, and enjoy a long conversation with a guy who loves Pinehurst almost more than life itself. Business owner, marketer, storyteller, and more, Kevin is passionate about life, golf, a good cocktail, and life in Pinehurst.  Kevin's dad was Bob Drum, whose work with CBS Sports golf coverage as a golf writer is legendary. The Drum & Quill is a tribute to his dad, his namesake, and the pen Bob used to craft his Hall of Fame-worthy columns for decades. Listen as Kevin talks about his passion for Pinehurst, his father's long-time friendship with the "King" Arnold Palmer, and his passion for golf and life inside the Home of American Golf.  Drum is a former Village of Pinehurst council member and owns a prolific marketing firm.  #pinehurst #southernpines #aberdeennc #visitnc #northcarolina #homeofamericangolf #sandhills #moorecountync

For more than seven decades, Golf Pride has been the global leader in golf grip innovation and technology. Plus, Golf Pride can boast more professional tour and major wins than any other grip company. More than 80% of Tour professional choose to play Golf Pride grip and not one of them is paid to do so. Golf Pride’s Global Innovation Center is located in Pinehurst, NC on the campus of Pinehurst No. 8. It’s president is Jamie Ledford who leads a team of developers and innovators creating the latest technology to assist players of all skill levels to better enjoy the game of golf. Ledford is a strategist, deep thinker, ideation expert and passionate about the game of golf and the quality of grips Golf Pride produces. Listen to this podcast to learn about Ledford’s vision for Golf Pride, why Pinehurst is a great place for the golf industry to do business and his love for the Seattle Seahawks #VisitNC, #Home of American Golf Pinehurst, #NC and #SandhillsNC

The Home of American Golf couldn't be prouder that the World Golf Hall of Fame has returned to its original home in Pinehurst. Located at the USGA's Golf House Pinehurst campus, the WGHOF also includes the USGA Experience.The unique locker room design of the WGHOF provides a fun insight into the careers of legendary players and other inductees who helped shape the game of golf. It's director, Mike Trostel is literally a walking encyclopedia and historian who takes great pride in collecting the items for the lockers that tell the story of each and every person enshrined in the facility.In this episode of Paradise in the Pines, Trostel talks about his role with the WGHOF, his passion for the game of golf and a special new display in the coming year featuring the late and beloved Payne Stewart.

Kellyann Miller was born and raised with Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club literally as her backyard. Part of the family that owns that venerable club, plus Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club and Southern Pines Golf Club, she opted for early career experiences in the big city with big brands in NYC, Austin and San Diego. But life, career and a yearning for a family of her own has led her back to Southern Pines as special projects and brand director for her father Kelly Miller's trio of courses.In this episode of Paradise in the Pines, Kellyann Miller talks about returning home, the major new projects on the horizon and perhaps an invite from the USGA to once again host a future U.S. Women's Open!

There is a lot happening in Moore County these days. Growth in Moore County is inevitable as a globally-recognized destination, and that creates significant opportunities for economic development. Natalie Hawkins heads up the Moore County Economic Development Partnership (MCEDP) and in this episode of the award-winning Paradise in the Pines, Hawkins touches on a number of topics including the lingering aspects of the 2024 U.S. Open, how Amazon's $10 billion plan to our south will impact us here, the possible return of commercial flight service to the Pinehurst area and much more in this must-listen conversation!

If you follow Pinehurst Resort's social media channels, you've seen an endless array of amazing images and video content. The driving force behind all of that content is Matt Gibson. While you may not recognize his face, his mission is what he sees behind the lens.In this episode of Paradise in the Pines, meet Matt Gibson and learn more about how his unique storytelling style endears people to Pinehurst Resort and the Cradle of American Golf.

Following in the footsteps of a legend is never easy to do, but Andy Priest is ready for the challenge. With Jack Nance stepping down as executive director of the Carolinas Golf Association after 40 years, Priest actually returns to the CGA after serving as the leader of the Alabama Golf Association for nine years. Priest started his golf career in 1997 under Nance and returns with a vision for the future of the organization. In this episode of Paradise in the Pines, Priest talks about his golf career path, his vision for the CGA and how he plans to fill the shoes of a legend.

While the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen area has its share of talented local chefs, we can now boast our very own celebrity chef! Leigh Orleans appeared on Season 22 of the hit FOX TV show “Hell’s Kitchen” and now calls Moore County home. On this episode of Paradise in the Pines, Leigh talks about how she survived Gordon Ramsey’s wrath, her love of everything culinary, and even shares a few home cooking tips! 

We are very fortunate to have a very diverse and talented arts community in the Pinehurst area of North Carolina . Among the abundance of artists in a number of disciplines, Larissa Ann Ray has found a unique niche. It all started with a spark created by her work known as "Sergeant Reckless." From there, Larissa Ann Art has been driven by a sense of purpose, which allows her to pay it forward and make positive impacts in her community and beyond.Meet Larissa Ann Ray in our latest episode of Paradise in the Pines.

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The Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen area of North Carolina is a burgeoning music destination. And no one has a better pulse of the local music scene and its potential like Baxter Clement, owner of Casino Guitars in downtown Southern Pines. Clement has spent most of his life in the music industry and has traveled the world to perform.But, Southern Pines and Moore County has always been home for Clement and while his touring days are pretty much over, his guitar empire is known across the globe. In this episode of Paradise in the Pines, Clement talks about his life in music, being married to the Mayor of Southern Pines, our talent-rich music scene and the potential for a major regional music festival for our destination.

Tim Russell is the new executive director of the Sunrise Theater in downtown Southern Pines. His path to the stage at the Sunrise spans the globe from Australia to Hong Kong to Europe as a corporate executive. All along the way, he's always been a huge music fan and part-time musician. He's been a resident of Moore County for about 10 years, and when the chance to manage the Sunrise became available, he jumped at it. Russell brings a ray of sunshine to the Sunrise and in this episode of Paradise in the Pines, he talks about his vision for the venerable venue, his passion for music and how Moore County is becoming a burgeoning music destination. @visitnc  #mooremusic #sandhillsnc #southernpinesnc

If you are familiar with our annual Pinecone Pathways Program, you know how passionate people can be about finding one of the glass treasures. All of the pinecones in the program are handmade by glassmakers from Starworks in Star, NC in neighboring Montgomery County.The director of glass at Starworks is Joe Grant, who arrived in our area almost 20 years ago from Illinois. Three years ago, the CVB approached Joe about creating these beautiful glass pinecones, sparking not just a regional collaboration but a viral sensation. Now, every year, dedicated “coneheads” travel from as many as six states to explore Moore County trails, hoping to find a pinecone to cherish forever.In this episode of Paradise in the Pines, Grant talks about what Starworks is all about, how their residency program welcomes artists from around the world, their fun annual events and how much they enjoy making the glass pinecones that everyone loves to search for in Moore County.

Golf doesn’t just bring people from all over the world to experience our world-class, Top 100 courses— it also attracts a variety of businesses connected to the golf industry.One of those is Dr. Savannah Gardner, a board-certified chiropractic physician and owner of The Movement Foundry in Southern Pines. Originally from Jupiter, FL, Dr. Gardner is also a Titleist Performance Institute Medical Level 3 expert.Gardner's love for golf led her and her family to find their place in the Home of American Golf. In this episode of Paradise in the Pines, hear how she built her brand, what brought her to the Pinehurst area, and—despite being a Floridian—why she’s more likely to shout Roll Tide instead of Go Gators!

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Millions of people love to play golf, but there is arguably no one more passionate about playing golf on as many courses as possible than Greg Ohlendorf. And we're are not just talking any golf courses. Ohlendorf is the second person to play Golf Magazine's World Top 100 Courses and Golfweek's Top 100 Modern and Classic Golf Courses. He's also played in all 50 states, more than 1,000 courses and in 16 countries. All that travel and he now calls Pinehurst home! Author of the book "Global Golf Travels," Ohlendorf set his clubs down recently to enter the Paradise in the Pines podcast to talk about his golf adventures, his favorite courses, and what motivates him to play the best golf courses in the world. ‪@golfweek‬ ‪@golfcom‬ ‪@GolfChannel‬ ‪@visitnc‬ #visitncExplore the podcast

North Carolina ranks as the fifth most-visited state in the U.S., welcoming approximately 43 million visitors in 2023. The state's tourism efforts are driven by VisitNC, part of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. Scott Peacock, the Director of Marketing for VisitNC, works alongside state tourism director Wit Tuttell and the VisitNC team to implement strategies that attract visitors and boost spending across the state. The Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area CVB collaborates closely with VisitNC to ensure statewide promotions also highlight the Sandhills region, known as the Home of American Golf. In this episode of Paradise in the Pines, Scott Peacock shares insights into VisitNC's mission, the ongoing effects of Hurricane Helene, and what’s ahead for North Carolina tourism in 2025. ‪@visitnc‬ #visitnc