If you don't want to drive, Out & About Tours (336-879-5777, www.clayseeker.com) will take you on a five-hour van tour of 10 potteries for $30 per person, with discounts for groups (senior citizens as well as adults). Tours also include homemade snacks.
Do some research by contacting the Randolph County Tourism Development Authority (800-626-2672, www.visitrandolph.org), which has photographs of the potters' works as well as their individual Web sites. Some potteries take credit cards, while most accept checks. If all else fails, there are three banks in town with ATMs.
WHERE TO STAY: Nearby Asheboro offers a variety of chain motels, but the Duck Smith House (465 N. Broad St., Seagrove; 888-869-9018, www.bbonline.com/nc/ducksmith) is your best choice. Innkeeper Sarah Naradzay, a landscape designer, has renovated and decorated a turn-of-the-century farmhouse into a shabby-chic shrine. Her garden shed is a cool setting for your evening cocktail -- if you bring your own. She has a corkscrew. Four air-conditioned bedrooms run from $85 to $95 (plus tax).
WHERE TO EAT: Most local restaurants serve country cooking or fast-food fare. Seagrove has three restaurants: Westmoore Family Restaurant (2172 Highway 705), Seagrove Family Restaurant (8702 Highway 220) and Jugtown Cafe (7042 Highway 220) -- featuring fried fish, country steak, vegetable plates, sandwiches and homemade desserts. It's hard to find something on the menus costing more than $6. In Asheboro, the Taste of Asia (127 Taft St.) offers good Thai food.
WHAT TO DO: If he likes pottery and you like Richard Petty, motorcycles and airplanes, this is the place.
•The Richard Petty Museum (311 Bronson Mill Rd., Level Cross; 336-495-1143, www.pettyracing.com) is racing headquarters for Petty and a museum full of memorabilia and race cars. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Admission is $3.50.
• The American Classic Motorcycle Museum (1170 Highway 64, Asheboro, 336-629-9564; free) has nearly 40 antique and classic Harley-Davidson motorcycles dating from 1936. It's an authentic 1948 dealership set up with tools, bikes and advertisements.
• The N.C. Aviation Museum at Asheboro airport (405 Airport Dr., 714-359-81142) has a collection of vintage military aircraft. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 5 pm on Sunday. Free.
• Seagrove Orchids (3451 Brower Mill Rd., Seagrove; 336-879-6677, www.seagroveorchids.com) features 3,000 varieties of orchids.
• Goat Lady Dairy (3515 Jess Hackett Rd., Climax; 336-824-2163, www.goatladydairy.com) is a 60-acre sustainable farm with monthly dinners featuring creative cheese dishes, plus fresh cheese for sale. Tours and demonstrations by reservation.
INFORMATION: North Carolina Pottery Center, 250 East Ave., Seagrove; 336-873-8430, www.ncpotterycenter.com. Randolph County Tourism Development Authority, 800-626-2672, www.visitrandolph.org.
-- Susan Harb
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