On April 20, I visited Randolph County, just a little over an hour from home. I didn't get to see everything I wanted to, but I really enjoyed my visit! It helped that it was a lovely spring day, weather-wise.
Randolph County was formed in 1779, and named for Peyton Randolph, who served as president of the First Continental Congress. Before European settlers arrived, the area was inhabited Siouan Native Americans.
Since it was a beautiful Saturday morning in April, I decided to start my day trip at the North Carolina Zoo in the county seat of Asheboro. I'd been to the NC Zoo before, so I didn't do any research before arriving (other than checking on opening time and looking at the weather forecast). It was fun being spontaneous, but a little more pre-trip research might've been good. I still had a fun time, and would recommend it! It costs $15 to get in, and parking is free. My advice--get there early! I arrive about 10am, and the wait at the Ticket Office was short. On my way out around midday, the line was maybe a football-field long! Whoa!
I could've spent all day at the North Carolina Zoo, but I wanted to see more of the county! Next on my list was the Randolph County Courthouse in Asheboro. It was closed, being Saturday, but it was nice to find. Afterward, I decided to find a local place for lunch. I found a parking spot in downtown Asheboro, and stumbled upon The Flying Pig. I enjoyed a Turkey Reuben sandwich with a side of broccoli slaw before heading on. It was a nice stop, and I'd return!
My next stop was the North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove. Seagrove is a quaint small town, known for the many potteries in the area. The two-lane roads in the area are spotted with local potteries, so charming! The North Carolina Pottery Center was an excellent stop, part-visitor-center, part-museum, part-store.
After leaving the Pottery Center, I found a geocache nearby, a fun way to end my day in Randolph County. I gave a nod to the lovely Pisgah Covered Bridge, near Asheboro, one of two remaining covered bridges in the whole state! I didn't visit that day, but George and I had a fun time finding it during the COVID-19 pandemic. I'd recommend checking
it out, if you're in the area!
The rest of my Randolph County photos are on Flickr, and can be viewed here.
On April 6, I took a day trip to Jones County. It was my first county visit in over a year, and it felt great to get back into the North Carolina travel groove!
Jones County is in eastern North Carolina, a rural county with the fourth-least county population in the state. The county has three incorporated towns. Trenton, the county seat, is one of those towns. Just 238 residents lived there in the 2020 census. It's a cute little town, though! I stopped to take a few photos of the downtown area, including the Jones County Courthouse. Jones County is an agricultural area; most of its land is farming (and swampland). Only 8 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, Jones County doesn't border the ocean, but the Trent River and the White Oak River run through it. I found a little bit of water during my Jones County travels, enjoying a surprise stop at the lovely Brock Mill Pond.
I enjoyed a stop in Maysville, the largest town in Jones County. One of the highlights of my day was finding the Maysville Public Library. It's closed on Saturdays, but I found a geocache in the landscaping!
A little bit of Jones County history: the area was inhabited by Native Americans (members of the Tuscarora tribe) before European (German and Swiss) settlers arrived. Jones County was named for Willie Jones, a planter from Halifax County, North Carolina. (Jones Street in Raleigh is also named for him.) Jones County was formed in 1779 from part of neighboring Craven County.
On a personal note, I've driven through Jones County a number of times on my way to visit family in Emerald Isle. It was fun to slow down and explore the county, and to learn more about the area!
The rest of my Jones County photos have been uploaded to Flickr, and you can find them here.
I enjoyed a visit to Anson County on December 27, 2022. I had the day off from work, so I enjoyed a weekday visit to one of North Carolina's southern-border counties.
Anson County was formed in 1750, and named for George Anson, a British admiral who circumnavigated the globe the globe from 1740 to 1744. (Impressive!) The Catawba Siouan tribe originally occupied Anson County.
It was about a two hour drive from home to Wadesboro, Anson's county seat. Wadesboro's an old town, originally founded in 1783 as New Town (or Newtown). It was renamed Wadesboro in 1787, after Colonel Thomas Wade, who fought in the Revolutionary War. According to the 2020 US Census, there were 5,008 people in Wadesboro, a pretty small county seat.
One of the fun facts I learned in Wadesboro is that Blind Boy Fuller (1904-1941) was born there! My first tip-off was the nice, big mural of him on one of the buildings in downtown Wadesboro. Blind Boy Fuller was a blues guitarist and singer who died in Durham, NC, where I work. Born Fulton Allen Fuller, he became completely blind in his 20s, but was still a very talented musician.
I also spotted a couple more murals in downtown Wadesboro. This one touted the world's best peach ice cream, right there in Anson County! Who knew?! There's a local spot called Peaches n' Cream, which sells peach ice cream (and other flavors, too), as well as fresh, local-grown produce from the nearby family-owned Phillips Farm. I was visiting Anson County during their off-season, so I have a good reason to return!
On October 30, 2022, George and I had the fun of visiting Craven County. This was the final county visit of our late-October vacation week. Craven County's county seat is New Bern, and was first created in 1705 as Archdale Precinct. In 1712, it was renamed Craven Precinct, and became a county in 1739. It was named after William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven.
I've been to/through Craven County before, so we focused on the city of New Bern. New Bern (formerly Newbern) was founded by Swiss and Palantine in 1710, and named for the Bern region in Switzerland. New Bern was the former site of the former Tuscarora village of Chattoka. This caused conflicts between the settlers and the Tuscaroras in the area.
New Bern served as the capital of North Carolina from 1770-1792. (Bath was the first capital of North Carolina.) Tryon Palace was where the British governors of New Bern lived from 1770-1775. I've visited Tryon Palace before, so we didn't got back during this day trip. It's an interesting place to visit, if you're in the area!
Here's an interesting video about Tryon Palace:
Also in Craven County is the city of Havelock, which is home to Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, one of the largest Marine Corps air stations in the United States. MCAS Cherry Point is home to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and the Navy's Fleet Readiness Center-Wast, among other units, making it the largest employer in eastern North Carolina. I'm proud to say that my father was stationed at Cherry Point after college and officer training, and my sister was born on the base. (There's a very cute story there; if you know me in person, you can ask!)
Here's an interesting video about MCAS Cherry Point:
Neuse River, Union Point Pk
Once we arrived in the city of New Bern, we decided to order takeout from a local restaurant called Baker's Kitchen, and we took it to eat in Union Point Park. This is a popular park in the area, and when we arrived, it was easy to see why! It's on the riverfront, near where the Neuse River and Trent River meet. (The Trent River actually empties into the Neuse River here.) It's very pretty!
We enjoyed walking long the riverfront, checking out the gazebo, and watching the nearby drawbridge. We also found a geocache in the
Union Point Park Gazebo
park.
We'd made reservations to go on a 90-minute river tour by boat, but unfortunately, the boat captain was a no-show, so disappointing! (Fortunately, we were able to get a refund.) I loved the idea of this boat ride, with a tour of New Bern highlights from the water. Maybe another time.
On October 28, 2022, George and I visited Davie County, North Carolina. Davie County was established in 1837, with land from neighboring Rowan County. It's named for William Richardson Davie, an early governor of North Carolina. During the Civil War, Davie County was initially against succession, but eventually, over 1000 men from the area fought for the Confederacy.
Mocksville (incorporated in 1839) is the county seat of Davie County. Daniel Boone lived near Mocksville for 16 years, and his parents are buried in the Joppa Cemetery, which George and I visited. (We looked for a
On October 28, 2022, George and I visited Alexander County, North Carolina. Alexander County was established in 1847, with land from several surrounding counties. It was named after William Julius Alexander, who was active in colonial North Carolina.
Taylorsville, the county seat, was also formed in 1847. One of Taylorsville's notable residents is Jerry Rushing, a local bootlegger and inspiration for the TV show "The Dukes of Hazzard." (Is this true? I'm not sure!) We stopped in Taylorsville to see the courthouse, and to find a geocache.
We also stopped in Hiddenite to see the Historic James Paul Lucas Mansion, where we took a brief tour. The house was interesting, and we enjoyed learning more about "Diamond Jim." I didn't take any photos, unfortunately, but here's a YouTube video of the house.
Our last stop in the county was at Rocky Face Mountain Recreational Area. George and I got the recommendation from the staff at the Lucas Mansion, and we really enjoyed visiting! It's a very pretty area, with hiking trails going to the top, as well as other activities.
On October 26, 2022, we had a fun time visiting Mitchell County, North Carolina. It was a bit of a stretch for a day trip, about four hours each way. It was worth it, though! The county was formed in 1861, and was named for Elisha Mitchell. His research led to the identification of Mount Mitchell (in nearby Yancey County) as the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River.
Mitchell County Courthouse
Our first stop was at the Mitchell County Courthouse in Bakersville, the county seat. We also visited the old county courthouse, which is across the street from the library (yay!) in the downtown area. Bakersville is a small town, less than 500 inhabitants. Long before the town was settled, Native Americans mined the area for mica. The town was named for David Baker, who owned a lot of land in the area.
One of the things Bakersville is known for is the NC Rhododendron Festival. The next one will be June 16-18, 2023, so we missed it this past June.
For lunch, we stopped at a roadside spot called Bonnie and Clyde's just outside of Bakersville in Loafer's Glory. We found this place because there was a geocache across the street, which we found! We enjoyed eating our lunch at a roadside picnic table nearby, before heading on.
Our next stop was in Spruce Pine, the largest town in Mitchell County. We didn't spend much time there, just long enough to find another geocache in the local Wal-Mart parking lot. (I know, so much else to see, but we were getting a little weary, and still had a four-hour drive back.) Of note here, though, is that Roy Williams, former UNC basketball coach, was born in Spruce Pine! Also, Spruce Pine is home of the NC Mineral and Gem Festival.
We hopped on the Blue Ridge Parkway for the pretty short drive to Little Switzerland, a small community in both Mitchell and McDowell Counties. (On the way, we drove through the Little Switzerland Tunnel.) There's a cluster of businesses, but nothing much was open when we stopped. I remember visited the bookstore there years ago, where I bought a used copy of The Two, by Irving Wallace and Amy Wallace. If we ever make it back to Little Switzerland, a list of things to do is found here.
