I made a recent trip to
Kinston, North Carolina, the county seat, and
Lenoir County. Most of my experience with Kinston and Lenoir County before has been passing through on
U.S. 70 on the way to the beach, sometimes stopping at
King's BBQ. A few years ago, George and I drove to Kinston to eat at
Chef and the Farmer, Chef
Vivian Howard's restaurant. I decided to return to the area to get to know the county a little bit better.
One of the highlights was finding the unincorporated town of
Tick Bite! There wasn't much to see there, but the Google Maps voice welcomed me to Tick Bite, thank goodness! It looked like a lot of rural eastern North Carolina, which I enjoy. Wikipedia tells me that
Hurricane Floyd (September 1999) really did a number on Tick Bite, but there are still some homes there.
I also enjoyed having lunch at the
Boiler Room Oyster Bar, another one of Vivian Howard's Kinston restaurants. It's more casual than
the Chef and the Farmer, and easier to get into (no reservations). I thoroughly enjoyed my shrimp burger and fries, and warm banana pudding for dessert. I'm glad (and a little jealous!) that Kinston (population around 21,000) has these wonderful restaurants in town.
Geocaching is alive and well in Lenoir County! I found several while I was roaming the county.
The rest of my Lenoir County photos are
here.
