Pinehurst, NC

This week I headed out to PINEHURST, NC, about an hour southwest of Raleigh. The town/resort is all abuzz about hosting the upcoming 2014 US Open and US Women’s Open (Golf) Championships this summer. It will be the first time in history that both men's and women's tournaments are being held in the same year, on the same course, during back-to-back weeks.

The Carolina Hotel (pictured here) will be home-base, but forget about getting a room here during the tournament, they will be booked solid by media and USGA staff. Want to be one of the 6500 volunteers to help out during the event? Forget-a-bout-it! All slots have been filled. But you can certainly get tickets to the event. Click here for more information: Pinehurst US OPEN tickets.

I have to admit to being very confused once I got to town. There is Pinehurst, the town; Pinehurst, the resort and the country/golf club (which is also named the Carolina Hotel) and there is Pinehurst the village. If you can break it all down for me, I'd be especially grateful.

Inside the Carolina Hotel, memorabilia from past tournaments line the hallways. I took a quick snapshot of Arnold Palmer (below) in the Hall of Fame Corridor. 

The hotel has over 200 rooms, a spa, a restaurant and cafe/shop on the premises. Outside there's a putting green, a swimming pool and a wrap-around porch lined with rocking chairs. Every day at four o'clock they serve afternoon tea. 

The hotel grounds are beautiful in the dead of winter, but I'd like to return when the season turns.