METRO MAGAZINE Off the Menu By Fred Benton     When it comes to pleasurable getaways in North Carolina, most of us picture a scenic cabin sequestered on a mountaintop or a cottage on the beach. But what about all the beauty in between the pounding surf and the Blue Ridge? My mission this past month was to check out places where one could reconnoiter the soul-and eat well, of course-without the hassle of endless driving. My starting point was my home in Raleigh with a destination only an hour away, not far from Spivey’s Corner, between Dunn and Clinton. A restored 100 year-old tenant house in a woodland setting, complete with a Waldensian pond, all on a working farm. The farm is the lush 185 acre Jackson Farm, owned and operated by Tom Jackson and his wife, renowned NC potter, Jan Mann. The restored tenant house is a relatively new endeavor for Tom and Jan who have both garnered local acclaim for the organic produce, including exquisite edible flowers, which they purvey to some of the Triangle’s highest end restaurants and most elite private country clubs. The Guesthouse is the product of a true labor of love, completely refurbished to blend in well with its surrounds, including the indigenous wood in Sampson County: knotty yellow pine, sweet gum and walnut. Most of the furniture was created by Tom. Most impressive to me when I first entered the guesthouse as the feel of space and cleanliness engendered mostly by a panoply of gleaming yellow pine on the floor. The interior is open, the kitchen and dining area separated from the living room by a working fireplace. Only the two bedrooms and bath are enclosed. But the bath is awesome with its large, regal, claw-foot tub-not a reproduction, mind you-bedecked with Jan’s handmade bath salts and luxurious soaps. If the Vanderbilts went camping this is how they did it. But no matter how comfy the interior- and even before you begin eyeballing the endless bookshelves filled with paperbacks and hard covers-you’ll go exploring. The 24-by14 foot screened porch is irresistible, providing a view of a farm pond with perhaps a fox or two peeking out from the underbrush, a Great Blue Heron treading the shallows, and a planet of grogs and turtles making themselves at home. A friend and I settled down with a glass of chilled champagne and quickly became intoxicated, not by bubbles, but by the serenity of an eastern North Carolina late afternoon. We felt a million miles away from the Triangle. Our idyllic reverie was broken by the sound of a handmade bell, signaling to us that dinner has arrived. Our hosts delivered, from their own kitchen, a roasted free-range chicken, green beans, squash, buttered new potatoes-all straight from the garden-and to top it off, home-made blueberry cobbler with a bowl of clotted cream. We feasted on plates made by Jan, who fashions and produces in her own kiln all the plates and cups in the guesthouse. (FYl: dinner is an optional service and is provided for an addition cost) During our meal, as the sun withdrew, we were serenaded riotously by a gazillion tree frogs. It was an endless cacophony that stayed with us all evening, even as I melted into feather bedding and slept better than I had in ages. You can find out more about the guesthouse by going to Tom and Jan’s Web site www.jacksonfarm.com or call 910-567-2978.

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