Reidsville and the Celtic Fringe

“Life is a journey, not a destination” doesn’t appeal to road trips with three kids in the car. The older two are getting better with keeping themselves occupied on our trips, but Vilis is of that age when he just doesn’t want to sit still, much less strapped in looking at the rear seat of a car. I remember taking road trips with Roberts back in the day, when we would take exits on a whim based on the name of a town, or take the ‘scenic route’ adding hours to the trip; these days we take the shortest route, and forge on until a diaper change, restroom break or meltdown forces us to stop. Of course this isn’t the most effective way of finding cool places to stop, so it was the luck of the draw that we found Reidsville, North Carolina.

This wasn’t a pull-off-the-highway kind of stop, instead we drove four or five minutes after getting off the expressway to reach downtown, where we easily found our lunch stop, The Celtic Fringe. Billed as an “eclectic Irish bistro,” we were pleasantly surprised to find such a diverse menu and professional service in a small town – this place would fit right in in downtown Greenville. Definitely not expected among the chains and fast food joints found at most of the I-29 exits!

I ordered the fish and chips, Roberts had the special and the boys had bangers and mash – clean plates all around. Everything about this place was top notch, and the husband has declared he wants to go back on his birthday…

After the meal we weren’t quite ready to dive into the remaining 3.5 hours of our trip home so we stopped at Lake Reidsville Rec Park. Enjoying the sunshine next to the lake was the perfect thing while our stomachs were busy digesting, the boys exploring the various docks and then settling in under a giant white oak to collect acorns. With 750 acres of camping, fishing, boating and hiking, the park is a popular destination for everyone from picnickers to anglers and fishing tournaments. During our visits the picnic shelters were full of families celebrating birthdays, and numerous fisherman were taking advantage of the nice weather to get out on the water.

A great meal, full stomachs and a beautiful fall day on a lake – it doesn’t get much better than that. Except maybe if you don’t have another 3 or 4 hour drive with three kids ahead of you…