Just a short drive over the North Carolina-Virginia border, a little over an hour from RDU Airport, lies a charming escape. There, meandering farmland and quaint historic towns lead you to nearly a dozen venues that delight the craft beverage enthusiast. The Southern Virginia Craft Beverage Trail takes you on a journey through a region not traditionally known for its diverse and high-quality craft beverages. This trail features 11 unique stops – breweries, wineries, and a distillery – each offering its own flavors and experiences.

Fall is the perfect time to explore this driveable destination, with breathtaking views that beckon visitors to “sit and sip a spell.” Don’t forget to register on the Loyal Brew app to get your passport (loyalbrew.com). Visit at least eight of the 11 venues to be entered into a monthly drawing for a $25 gift card (app.loyalbrew.com/passports/southern-va-craft-beverage-trail).

Breweries

Mecklenburg and Halifax Counties in Virginia boast craft breweries that emphasize local ingredients and innovative brewing techniques. There are three on the trail.

Buggs Island Brewing Company: Located on the shore of Buggs Island Lake in Clarksville, Virginia, this brewery offers the region’s only “brew with a view.” In addition to its friendly atmosphere and picturesque surroundings, the brewery exudes a relaxed, welcoming vibe. It features six flagship beers – a Kolsch, porter, amber, pale ale, and two IPAs – along with a rotating selection of seasonal brews. The taproom and dining area are bathed in natural sunlight, and outdoor seating provides stunning views of the lake (buggsislandbrewing.com).

Backyard Brews and Bites: This family-friendly spot offers a delightful mix of North Carolina and Virginia craft brews and ciders. Whether you choose to sit inside or outdoors in the expansive beer garden, you’ll find ample picnic tables and inviting and comfortable seating (backyardbrewsandbites.com).

Factory Street Brewing Company: Housed in the 100-year-old Liggett-Myers tobacco prizery in South Boston, Virginia, this stop on the trail is steeped in history. It features stunning mercury glass pendants, oversized beams, original brickwork, and the unique bar that pays homage to tobacco farming in the community. The bar is constructed from logs reclaimed from old tobacco barns, while the bar top is crafted of real bright leaf and burley tobacco leaves. Further tapping into the region’s tobacco foundation, Factory Street offers craft beers brewed from ingredients grown in the fertile tobacco lands of Halifax County (factorystreetva.com).

Wineries And Vineyards

Though once rare in this area, this region now boasts a charming selection of wineries that reflect its rich agricultural heritage and scenic beauty. Seven wineries and vineyards of different sizes are featured on the trail, each offering its own unique ambiance. Whether you prefer cozy tasting rooms in a barn or historic estate-style vineyards, you’re sure to find something to suit your taste.

Woodbine Vineyards: This family-farm winery and brewery, housed inside a barn showcasing beautifully furnished and accessorized former horse stalls, offers a selection of wine, craft brews, and other beers. Their seven wines crafted on-site include Chardonel, Pinot Grigio, Rosé, Honeysuckle, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Sweet Virginia Red. The winery’s logo features a feather, a nod to the ospreys that nest atop the silo and call Woodbine home (woodbinevineyardsandwinery.com).

Three Sisters of Shiney Rock Winery: Owned by – you guessed it – three sisters and their families, Three Sisters, a small winery on the grounds of a once-thriving tobacco farm, produces five wines (Muscadine, Scuppernong, Blackberry, Apple, and Perky Poma Mama), all made from homegrown, hand-picked, and hand-processed grapes (threesistersofshineyrock.com).

Lake Front Winery: Offering inviting indoor tasting rooms, a plethora of outdoor seating, and exceptional hospitality, Lake Front Winery specializes in sweet wines and delicious sangrias, and hosts a myriad of entertaining events throughout the year (facebook.com/lakefrontwinery).

Rosemont Vineyards: This family estate winery grows, produces, and processes premium handcrafted wines, from budbreak to bottle. The 450-acre property has been in the Rose family since 1858, with the homeplace dating back to the mid-1700s. Rosemont offers over a dozen award-winning wines (rosemontofvirginia.com).

American Way Country Wines: Their tagline should be read with a hospitable drawl: “We offer wines, down home and simple.” But … without grapes! Yes, all of their craft wines are made with fruit and berries (peach, plum, pumpkin, pear, apple, tomato, cantaloupe, elderberry, strawberry, blackberry, watermelon, blueberry, rasp-berry, persimmon, cherry, chocolate-raspberry apple/jalapeño, and soon, fig (americanwaycountrywines.com).

Bright Meadows Farm Vineyard: Nestled among the rolling hills of historic Halifax County on the site of a 19th-century tobacco plantation, this small, family-owned and operated vineyard and winery offers country wines and true southern hospitality. The winery is housed in a restored 1883 milk barn, and the scenic 50-acre farm is the perfect spot for a relaxing picnic (brightmeadowsfarm.com).

Hunting Creek Vineyards: Dedicated to the philosophy of “from the ground to the glass,” Hunting Creek Vineyards takes pride in producing smooth wines at an affordable price. Visit their tasting room to experience their wine produced from the hundreds of Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Viognier vines. The vineyard also offers overnight stays and curated activities at the barn (hcvwines.com).

Distilleries

As of this writing, the Southern Virginia Craft Beverage Trail features only one distillery – but it’s a special one.

Springfield Distillery: Amid scenic country views and bubbling springs sits Springfield, a house dating back to 1842 – a time when everything was made with bare hands, life was simple, not easy, and the reward was to sit on the porch you made with a glass of whiskey you distilled yourself. Go back to this time as you savor their crafted whiskeys, bourbons, rums, and vodka (springfielddistillery.com).

Whether you’re a craft beverage enthusiast or simply in search of a unique fall escape, the Southern Virginia Craft Beverage Trail offers a perfect driveable destination with something to satisfy every taste. So, pack your bags, set out on the trail, and savor the rich, local flavors that Southern Virginia has to offer.