We’ve been saying for years, Raleigh needs some good tours – preferably on bikes that take you on a brew crawl!
Well, we found this fun Raleigh adventure last weekend down in Clayton, Johnston County, only about a 20–30-minute drive from Raleigh. (one of our favorite places to visit on a day trip from Raleigh)
As avid explorers seeking the road less traveled, we joined local tour company, Triangle Adventures’ Burgers, Brews, and History tour, a delightful excursion that promised a perfect blend of scenic beauty, culinary delights, and fascinating local history.
It combined many things we love: bike riding, learning local history, hanging out with cool people, soaking up beautiful weather and views, and enjoying great local food and drink.
About Triangle Adventures
Triangle Adventures, a new ebike tour company, is offering residents and visitors the chance to experience our Triangle region in a fun and off-the-beaten path kind of way!
This tour company was created by recently married locals David and Marlo. It was while riding back and forth from their Clayton home to downtown and along the Neuse River Greenway, that they thought of how fun it would be to start a touring company to help locals get to know their communities better in a fun way.
Their signature tour right now is the Burgers, Brews, and History Tour, and a two-hour scenic adventure along the Mountains to Sea Trail. They have also just started a Taco and Tap tour as well!
With all our greenway trails, the Triangle has infinite opportunities for fun ebike tours! I see a bright future ahead.
We joined the tour as guests of Triangle Adventures!
What is included on the ebike tour?
I was in spring mode when we joined our tour at the end of March, so arrived in Clayton with a warm jacket for the unsually cold day we were having, BUT completely forgot about gloves.
I was so grateful to arrive and hear Dave tell us they had gloves and neck warmers for all bikes! They really came in handy. Now you won’t need them if riding during the warmer months, but Triangle Adventures provides everything else you need.
You’ll learn how to use the state-of-the-art pedal assisted ebikes before you start your tour. You will love how easy they are to use and how effortless they make your ride. You can choose how much pedal power you want versus electric power. I like to get a bit of a bike work out in so I didn’t use the turbo power much, but often it was fun to use it and fly along the trail.
You’ll also get helmets, snacks, and bottled water. Each of the bikes had license plates with names of towns in the Triangle, which I thought was a cook feature.
Other inclusions are dependent on the tour you do. For our tour, we had a burger and flight of beer to share at the first stop, and then a pint at the last brewery.
All you need to bring is yourself, comfortable clothes, closed toe shoes, sunglasses, and a bag in case you want to carry anything, the bikes do have a storage bag at the back.
The Burgers, Brews, & History Too Tour
If you’re already digging the sound of this and want to get started, we’ve secured a 10% discount for you, exclusive to our readers. Just use the code ThisIsRaleigh when booking.
Now, for those who want to learn a little more about this ebike tour in Johnston County, let’s start pedaling.
Clayton Beginnings
After a thorough safety talk and tips on operating an ebike, we started with a tour through downtown Clayton, a rapidly growing community in Johnston County.
We made several stops along the way to admire historic landmarks and hear captivating anecdotes that brought the town’s past to life. Marlo, a history buff, regaled us with tales of Clayton’s rich history, from its humble beginnings as a North Carolina Railroad depot (originally called Stallings Station) to its Civil War history, and its vibrant present-day culture.
We heard tales about local heroes in the Clayton Cemetary and how Clayton grew with the Clayton Spinning Mill and the Mill Village which attracted workers from all over.
This historic textile plant is now being turned into unique apartments with a strong community living focus.
As traffic in Clayton is not overwhelming – at least not on the weekends, it was a cruisy bike ride through the town and its main street, which is exploding with quaint local boutique, cool restaurants (hello Scott Crawford) and bars (including one of our favorite Revivalist.)
We cycled past the cool looking First Street Tavern inside a historic home with a wrap-around porch that we’ve noted down as a must come back and explore.
You can learn more about Downtown Clayton in our post on date experience in Johnston County.
Burgers at Vinson Pub
I was happy that our biking tour stopped off for lunch at the beginning of the tour. It gave us time after to ride off the much-enjoyed calorie consumption of a delicious burger and flight of beer samples.
Plus, it gave us an opportunity to chat to our fellow bikers, which included our guides Dave and Marlo, our friends, Paula, and Cindy (who we met IRL on one of our walking meetups) and fellow Instagram influencer, Vanessa (@RaleighFoodCrush) and her husband, Adam.
Vinson’s Pub & Eatery in Downtown Clatyon is a popular burger and brew restaurant located in a 100-year-old building (we learned about its history on the tour). As part of the tour, you get a yummy beef or bean burger, and a sampling of some of their craft beer, which comes from local NC breweries, and ranged from light lagers to hoppy IPAs.
If you’re feeling extra hungry, you’ll have time to order something else from the menu to eat as well. From classic cheeseburgers to gourmet creations, there was something to please every palate, making it the perfect pitstop for hungry adventurers.
We all enjoyed sharing delicious Trashcan Nachos topped with house smoked pulled pork, BBQ sauce, and homemade beer cheese! As I’m gluten free, I drank a tropical cider from a brewery in Charlotte instead, and as far as ciders go, it was highly memorable.
Bike the NC Mountains to Sea Trail
Fueled up on burgers and brews, it was time for a scenic ride along the picturesque NC Mountains to Sea Trail, where the gentle hum of our electric bikes melded harmoniously with the rustling leaves and chirping birds.
The Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) is a crown jewel of North Carolina’s outdoor adventure trails, stretching an impressive 1,175 miles across rugged mountain peaks, rolling piedmont hills, and pristine coastal marshes. from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks.
Although it’s not finished yet, there are several who have claimed to have biked the entire way. Only they have the secrets as to how they traversed through the incomplete sections!
We were biking the Neuse River Greenway Trail section of the Mountains to Sea, which is Johnston County’s contribution to the Mountains to Sea Trail.
The ebikes provided the perfect balance of effortless cruising and eco-friendly exploration, allowing us to soak in the natural beauty of the landscape without breaking a sweat. But, if doing this on your own on a pedal bike, the trail is flat and easy.
You will follow the Neuse River for a while, stopping at the bridge that crosses it where we learned a lot about the trail and the 275-mile river – the longest entirely in the state of North Carolina.
Warning: Don’t swim in it. If the bull sharks don’t scare you away (although too shallow in this area for them to swim up) the pollution will. It’s an endangered river, known to be one of the polluted in the country. So sad! Hopefully, they can clean It up like they did the Thames River in London.
On our bike back along the greenway trail, we stopped to learn about the history of the indigenous Tuscarora Indians, who occupied much of the North Carolina inner Coastal Plain at the time of the Roanoke Island colonies in the 1580s.
They were considered the most powerful and highly developed tribe in what is now eastern North Carolina. Although, thanks to white settlement, and Indian Wars, they were pretty much left with no choice but to relocate to the areas between New York and Canada.
Deep River Brewing Company
Our journey culminated in a fitting finale at Deep River Brewing Company to toast to new friendships and memorable experiences.
Before finishing with our final brews, we learned a little history and fun trivia on the alcohol and brew scene in North Carolina.
Since NC was late to the game – starting our prohibition era long before everyone else, then taking their time changing from dry to wet counties, and still having unusual drinking laws – we come in low on the rankings of the state that drinks the most in the USA.
New Hampshire is topping out that one, but we all agreed, that with the influx of out of staters moving to North Carolina (oh okay then, Australians as well) were sure to see our state rise on those rankings soon!
Now into Deep River we go: First hard decision: sit in the large seating area inside, or the outside beer garden!
Next choice: which beer do you choose on a menu filled with beer such as light lagers, malty stouts, fruity wheat beers and hoppy IPAS?
They also have gluten free options like cider and seltzer, and non-alcoholic brews as well. I really enjoyed my Paloma Seltzer light and refreshing and brewed by Deep River.
Deep River Brewing Co was Johnston County’s first legal brewery, opened in 2013 by Paul and Lynn Auclair. It’s a fun community brewery that has frequent food trucks and events.
Final Thoughts on our eBike Tour in Clayton
In conclusion, our ebike tour with Triangle Adventures was a fun way to spend a few hours offering a good blend of scenic beauty, culinary indulgence, and rich history.
Whether you’re a seasoned explorer or a first-time visitor, Clayton has something to offer everyone, and Triangle Adventures is your ticket to unlocking its hidden treasures.
So, grab your helmet, hop on an ebike, and get ready for the ride of a lifetime! But don’t forget your 10% discount: THISISRALEIGH Tours run on weekends!
