• The Modern Quilt Show!
• The textile shopping opportunities!
• The museums!
• The local insights!
• Travelling quilting friends old and new!

• Spending four days at the biggest annual modern quilting event in the world
• Learning about the historic bedcoverings made by the skilled women of the American south from an expert guide
• Shopping for fabrics and quilting supplies 
• Discovering the history of Old Salem with a local guide
• Tucking into a Moravian chicken pie and tasting Salem tradition
• Taking a journey through American art at Reynolda House Museum
• Immersing yourself in the story of the legendry Ava Gardner
• Touring Wilmington’s historic district with an expert guide
• Visiting Bellamy Mansion Museum for an eye-opening insight into life in pre-Civil War Wilmington
• Guided visit of  Latimer House - open for a private visit for your tour!
• Exploring the vibrant city of Raleigh and its tempting food scene

• https://quiltcon2024.eventscribe.net/searchGlobal.asp7x nights bed and breakfast accommodation Hilton Garden Inn 3* 
• 4-day pass to QuiltCon 
• GoRaleigh bus pass
• Private coach travel throughout the programme
• Private talk and visit to MESDA to see the Historic Bedcoverings Collection
• Coffee and donut
• 1x lunch at Shaffner Inn
• 2x walking/coach tour with local guides
• Entrance to Reynolda House Museum, Ava Gardner Museum, Bellamy Mansion Museum & Latimer House
• Services of an ECT Tour Manager

Day One – Tuesday 20th February 

12.30 approx – meet your ECT Tour Manager at London Heathrow Terminal 3 departure lounge
14:45 - depart London Heathrow Terminal 3 on American Airlines flight BA1550
18:40 - arrive Raleigh Durham airport and transfer by private mini coach to your hotel, Hilton Garden Inn 3*, 3912 Arrow Drive, Raleigh NC 27612
Mid evening – arrive at Hilton Garden Inn 3* and check-in. This contemporary hotel is located just 5.8 miles from the Raleigh Convention Centre, making it the perfect base for this tour. The bedrooms  are chic and comfortable, the Garden Grille & Bar is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and offers a modern American menu as well as cocktails and craft beers. Other amenities include a 24-hour Pavilion Pantry serving drinks, snacks and ready-to-cook meals, an indoor swimming pool and a fitness centre. There is free WiFi throughout the hotel. 

Day Two – Wednesday 21st February 

Breakfast at the hotel

08:30 – depart hotel by private mini coach for Winston-Salem

10:00 – arrive at the Winston-Salem Visitor Centre for a coffee and donut before driving on to the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Art (MESDA) at Old Salem

10:30 – private tour of MESDA’s Historic Bedcoverings Collection. This fascinating museum was founded by two pioneering antique dealers and collectors with aim of raising awareness and appreciation of the southern decorative arts and material culture. Textiles form a key part of the MESDA collection and their Historic Bedcoverings Collection is quite exceptional, offering an insight into both the skills of the women who made them and their domestic lives. 

12:00 – depart MESDA for Shaffner Inn 

12:15 -  arrive at the green and white Tudor Revival Shaffner Inn for a Moravian chicken pie buffet lunch.  This traditional double crusted pie filled with poached chicken is a taste of authentic Salem. 

13:30 – driving tour of Old Salem with a local guide. Originally settled by members of the Moravian Church, Old Salem Historic District is a National Historic Landmark showcasing the culture of the Moravian settlement in North Carolina during the 18th and 19th centuries. This coach tour will take you past communal buildings, churches, houses, and shops.

14:30 – depart for Reynolda House Museum of American Art where you will have time to explore at your leisure. Originally the home of Katharine Smith and R.J. Reynolds, founder of the R.J Reynolds Tobacco Company, this beautifully-preserved 64-room historic house is one of the few surviving examples of the American Country House movement. Inside you will find more than 6,000 historic objects and a world-class collection of American art. Spanning 250 years, the collection features work by American greats including Georgia O’Keeffe, Alexander Calder, John Singer Sargent, and Andy Warhol. When we visit, there will also be an exhibition of work by the photographer Imogen Cunningham.  

15:30 - walk to Reynolda Village. Modelled on a traditional English village, the charming buildings which once supported the Reynolds Estate are now home to restaurants and shops, including the Village Fabric Shop, a treasure trove of quilting cottons, natural dyes, quilting accessories, and patterns. Designers and brands to look out for include Ruby Star Society, Rifle Paper Co, Cloud9 Organics, Birch Organics, Fablism, American Made Brand Solids, Free Spirit, and Moda. There is also a Reuse room selling recycled fabrics.

16:30/17:00 - depart and return to Raleigh

19:00 – arrive back at the hotel

Day Three – Thursday 22nd February

Breakfast at the hotel

Full day at QuiltCon. Raleigh Convention Centre is easy to reach on the city’s public bus system, GoRaleigh. Your Tour Manager will be able to advise on times and stop locations. 

Day Four – Friday 23rd February

Breakfast at the hotel

09:30 – two-hour guided coach tour of Raleigh. Your guide will point out places of interest and all the best quilt stores. The tour ends at 11:30 at a central location convenient for the Convention Centre and local cafes and restaurants. 

Remainder of the day at QuiltCon

Day Five – Saturday 24th February

Breakfast at the hotel

Full day at QuiltCon

The featured lecture today is Jacquie Gering, 'The Touch of my Hands; the Soul of a Quilt' . Tickets are $14.40 for MQG members, or $18 for non-members and should be purchased direct from QuiltCon 2024.

Day Six – Sunday 25th February

Breakfast at the hotel

Full day at QuiltCon

Day Seven – Monday 26th February

Breakfast at the hotel

08:30 – depart hotel by private coach for the Ava Gardener Museum, Smithfield

09:30 – visit to Ava Gardener Museum. The legendry film star was born in rural North Carolina and this museum documents her remarkable life through professional and personal artefacts. 

11:00 - depart for Wilmington

13:00 – arrive at Wilmington historic downtown district, meeting a local guide at the Cotton Exchange, 321 North Front for lunch. Set on the side of Cape Fear River, the Cotton Exchange is a unique shopping and eating area that reflects the rich history of this port city.  
After lunch (not included with tour price) the local guide will take you on a coach and walking history tour (approx. 1 hour). Wilmington is one of the most captivating cities on the North Carolina coast and its fascinating historic district is filled with elegant 18th and 19th-century buildings, including  Latimer House and the 1770s Burgwin-Wright Museum, the pre-Civil War Bellamy Mansion and the domed Spanish baroque-style Basilica Shrine of Saint Mary.

14:00 Visit to Latimer House - we have arranged for this charming museum to be open for a private tour Built in

1852, in a  lovely Italianate style by local merchant Zebulon Latimer - this historic home interprets life in Wilmington, during the Victorian Era - and through three generations of the Latimer family who resided here.  

15:00 – visit to Bellamy Mansion Museum. This grand, 22-room mansion was built by skilled enslaved workers and local, free black artisans between 1859 and 1861. Now a museum, it offers a unique and eye-opening insight into how people lived here in the years before the Civil War. (Please note, there multiple flights of stairs and the museum is not wheelchair accessible. There is a 30-minute video tour for those with limited mobility.)

17:00 – depart the museum and return to Raleigh 

20:00 approx -  arrive back at the hotel

Day Eight – Tuesday 27th February

Breakfast at the hotel

This final day is kept free for you to explore Raleigh at leisure. Check out is at 12:00 – you will be able to store luggage at Reception until the coach departs for the airport at 18:30. Alternatively, you may be able to arrange a late check-out – please note, there is sometimes a fee for this service.
Raleigh has much to offer – please see ‘Deeper Dive’ for some suggestions. Your Tour Manager will also be able to help with your plans for the day. 

18:30 - depart Raleigh by private coach for the airport

19:00 - arrive Raleigh Durham Airport 

21:25 – depart on American Airlines flight BA1551 for London Heathrow

Day Nine - Wednesday 28th February

10:00 – arrive London Heathrow Terminal 3 

Tour ends