Great outdoor adventures are more enjoyable for everybody when they are complemented by modern plumbing, fireside craft cocktails and a great restaurant. That’s what you get at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park™ Camp-Resort, a terrific Blue Ridge Mountain getaway about an hour outside of Charlotte, which is serving up a brand new dining experience.
Scouts’ Table restaurant opens its doors on Friday, March 26, with a menu that features southern, camp-inspired cuisine from a locally-sourced menu, and does so from within the historic dining hall of the original N.C. Girl Scouts Camp Golden Valley.
Former scout Dr. Patricia Hill-Miller and daughter Madison, currently active in the program, can’t wait to experience the campsite and have a meal in the original dining hall.
“Golden Valley holds such value for the Girl Scouts of North Carolina,” Hill-Miller explains. “A big part of scouting is learning about its rich history. It’s awesome that people from all walks of life can now enjoy a meal while celebrating that too.”
The restaurant, with its large tables and open concept, centers around gathering. Crystal McLindsay, sales and marketing manager for Northgate Resorts, envisions Scouts’ Table as a place where campers and the surrounding community come together amidst “a beautiful outdoorsy setting that is peaceful and relaxing–with really delicious food!”
Scouts’ Table will serve both breakfast and dinner. The menu, which McLinsdsay helped create, strives to stay true to Camp Golden Valley’s heritage.
“I thought about what families cook when they camp but added a southern touch: comfort food done up,” she said.
It was important to McLindsay that the restaurant not only use quality ingredients but also as those that reflect the community surrounding Scouts’ Table.
“From grits milled at Lakeside Mill to meats from Colfax Creek Farm,” she said. “Even wines from Overmountain Vineyard and pastries from Pie Safe in Forest City. Our coffee is locally roasted in Rutherfordton by Small Town Coffee Roasters. I want to give our guests a taste of all the wonderful local providers. They may not be able to visit them all while they stay at the park, so I am bringing as much as possible to them here while they dine.”
Guests can dine on slow-cooked short ribs in a housemade Cheerwine BBQ sauce or lemony oven-roasted trout from Deer Valley Farm. Camp Pie, which combines elements of a chicken pot pie and shepherd’s pie for a truly unique dish, and of course their creamy mac are both must-try items as well. That’s assuming there’s still room after enjoying fried green tomatoes and cajun shrimp and polenta for appetizers.
The breakfast menu is just as enticing. Chicken and waffles. Livermush and grits. Bloodies and mimosas. Seasonal pastries and lattes. Overnight oats. Biscuits and gravy. What to eat for breakfast might be the most difficult decision to make each day.
In between breakfast and dinner, there is plenty of time to enjoy just some of what the resort has to offer onsite: a hike to the top of Cove Mountain for a view, a meandering bike ride, paddle boarding, or kayaking. Perhaps it might be more in order to linger over coffee a little longer before heading lakeside with a good book and fishing poles.
I know where we’re headed this spring break! I can already see it now. The highlight of my day will come before noon with a breakfast feast, but my children’s will have just begun. Their first stop is likely to be either gem mining or jumping off the dock. Before sunset though, only a fierce round of mini golf or laser tag will do. Fun-filled days like this will, of course, demand a proper refuel. There is no better fix than a hearty, southern supper.
With such a full day of fun, the kids might be too tired for dessert. But what would camping be without its quintessential sweet? The gooey, cast iron s’mores dip may be worth the trip alone.
“Our desserts are all shareables since the park is meant for gathering,” McLindsay notes.
Kids shouldn’t have all the fun though. Grown ups can enjoy their own scoops of banana pudding or cheesecake egg rolls before cozying up near the fire with a craft beer, glass of wine, or cocktail.
Did I say spring break earlier? I might have meant to say “girls’ getaway.” Thank goodness the approaching days are plenty long. Maybe I can squeeze in both to sample more of the menu!
Scouts’ Table is open to both overnight guests and the public. For more information and to save your seat at the table, please visit campgoldenvalley.com.
