Culinary & Craft Beverage Itinerary

Bring your friends for a culinary and craft beverage adventure along the Beer, Wine, and Shine Trail. We have a long history in Johnston County for making moonshine and homemade wines, but now it's all legal and a ton of fun to explore. While touring wineries, enjoying craft beer and live music, or getting to know Jeremy Norris' story at Broadslab Distillery, we suggest stopping at a local gas station for award-winning BBQ. Sounds like an odd suggestion, but we promise it's the real deal!!
 

Where to Stay on the BWST

The stops along the Beer, Wine, and Shine Trail are primarily in the Benson, Clayton, and Smithfield area, so we suggest finding accommodations in these areas. Any of the three locations are perfect for a 2-night stay and to hub out and enjoy the following itinerary. We suggest having a DD or finding an Uber in the area...have fun and be safe!!
 

Suggested Itinerary for the BWST

We suggest the first order of business for this custom itinerary is to get the BWST pass on your phone. It's easy to do and you can check into each stop on the pass and earn points to redeem prizes - who doesn't love to get a T-shirt?

We have grouped the options for exploring the stops on this culinary and craft beverage itinerary in three areas of the county, but feel free to mix this up to suit your favorites. If you love craft beer, there are five tops to try out, if wine tours and tastings are your favorite we have two wineries, and for the history of moonshine and some bourbon tastings, we suggest you head to Benson!! We have added in some of our favorite dining options and a couple more nightlife stops as well.

If you can't do it all in one visit -- well, come back to see us!

Exploring the trail in Clayton

A tip for planning your visit is most breweries are open Thursday to Saturday, so a weekend visit is best!  Start your day in Downtown Clayton for lunch at Manning's or Clayton Steakhouse and then enjoy a stroll through the charming shops on Main Street at vintage and variety stores like the Bexley House or The Market at Three Little Birds.

Deep River Brewing opens up by 2pm on Fridays and 12N on Saturdays, but for other days of the week please check their hours. This brewery claims (and rightfully so!) to be the first legal craft beverage venue in Johnston County. They offer up food trucks, live music, outdoor picnic tables and more to keep you entertained for the afternoon.

And there's a bonus, check into a second stop on the trail, at Instill Distillery which is located in the same historic building next to Deep River. For a fun cocktail made with locally crafted rum, drop in for a visit.

Dinner and other nightlife can be found in Downtown Clayton including arcade games and pizza at Fare Game, sports bar and food at Vinson's Pub, or a huge selection of cocktails and spirits at Revival 1869. You might want to pace yourself in Clayton...to be up for day two!

Several Stops in the Smithfield Area

Our winery in Pine Level, Hinnant's Vineyard, opens up at 11am for tours, so you can get an early start. For over 40 years, the Hinnant's have been growing a variety of muscadine grapes, and they have the largest vineyard in the state with over 120 acres. Enjoy a tasting and sitting on the back porch which overlooks the vineyard.

It's a short trip over to the Old North State Food Hall for some lunch, before stopping in The Vault at the Hatchet Brewing Co. in Downtown Selma, and then on to the Raleigh Brewery JoCo for more craft beverage tastings. We suggest checking their listings and socials for special events and entertainment...there are always fun things happening!

Benson, Bourbon, and BBQ

If you hub out of the Benson area, you can get a taste of moonshine, beer, and wine during your visit. Again, the weekend is the best time to catch all four locations open. Our winery at Gregory Vineyards offers tastings on Fridays and Saturdays from 12N-3pm, or for an extra romantic trip, book one of their picnic packages.

You have two choices for breweries in the Benson area, the first one located near Gregory Vineyards is JoCo Brewing Co offering ten taps, guest brews and ciders, and with several area restaurants for lunch like a fine Italian stop at Garibaldi Trattoria, so worth a visit!!!

Downtown Benson's shopping and special events are a plus for your visit, and the Fainting Goat Brewery is in the new social district. Their beer is award winning, and they have food trucks, live music, trivia and more to keep you entertained at this Veteran-owned brewery.

Last, but not least of the stops on the Beer, Wine and Shine Trail, is Broadslab Distillery, located just 4 miles south of Benson on Hwy 50. The tour provided by the owner himself, Jeremy Norris, is one of the best tours offered anywhere in the state. This distillery is a field-to-bottle operation, as the corn is grown, harvested, and distilled right on the farm. Visitors will learn about the history of moonshine in the county, which is definitely from personal experience, as Jeremy is a 5th generation distiller, using his grandfather's recipe! Following the tour, drop into the tasting room for a flight of moonshine or their new bourbon products. Don't miss this on your trip to JoCo.

Stops along the Beer, Wine, Shine Trail