Craven County, North Carolina

 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.

 

Craven Co. Courthouse

On the way out of New Bern, we stopped for photos of the Craven County Courthouse. It's one of the prettiest North Carolina courthouses I've seen, and a great example of Second Empire architecture. We also stopped at Bradham's Pharmacy, birthplace of Pepsi! 

The rest of my Craven County photos are here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lesleylooper/albums/72177720303887367

Bradham's Pharmacy

Davie County, North Carolina

Davie County Courthouse

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

Joppa Cemetery, Mocksville

geocache there, but couldn't find it. It's a pretty cemetery, though.) The town hosts the annual Daniel Boone Family Festival in May, and the Oaks Festival every October.

I'd like to back to Davie County sometime and visit some of the vineyards/wineries in the area.

The rest of my Davie County photos are here.

Alexander County, North Carolina

 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.

 

 Every year, Hiddenite holds the Hiddenite Celebration of the Arts. Also, Hiddenite has several gem mines in the area.

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.

The rest of my Alexander County photos are here.

Mitchell County, North Carolina

 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.

The rest of my Mitchell County photos are here.

Cabarrus County, North Carolina

George and Lesley 

On December 4, 2021, George and I visited Cabarrus County, North Carolina, for my birthday. You're probably wondering why Cabarrus County, of all places, for my birthday! Well, it was a great choice, and we had a fun day! About two hours from home, it made for a good day trip, to boot. We didn't catch everything in Cabarrus County, but we got a solid snapshot of this interesting area.

 

Our first stop was the Reed Gold Mine, an NC State Historic Site in Midland. The first documented gold find in the United States was at the Reed Gold Mine in 1799, so it's also a National Historic Landmark. It has a nice Visitor Center, which was decorated for the holidays early in December. From the Visitor Center, we took a self-guided underground tour. (There are also guided tours for a fee, but we missed the timing.) The underground mine tour was very informative, with stops along the way. You can also pan for gold there from April through October, but we missed out on that. I hear that Reed Gold Mine is a popular field trip for schools in the area.

Downtown Concord

Our next stop was Concord, the county seat. Concord was settled around 1750 by Scots-Irish and German immigrants, and incorporated in 1806. The area was once known for its cotton farms, owned by white men and worked by enslaved African-Americans. Cotton mills became an important part of Cabarrus County's industrial growth. Coleman Manufacturing Company, in operation from 1897 to 1904, is believed to be the first cotton mill in the US that was owned and operated by African-Americans. Eventually, it became known as Franklin Cotton Mills, and later was a Fieldcrest Cannon plant. Now it's called Coleman-Franklin-Cannon Mill, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Old Cabarrus Co. Courthouse

In Concord, we found the old and current Cabarrus County Courthouses. I especially like the original courthouse, and am glad they've repurposed it. We had lunch at the yummy Village Corner Comfort Kitchen & Bar, which had nice outdoor seating. Our final stop in Cabarrus County was at the Southern Strain Brewing Company, which offered a nice brew and outdoor seating in the crisp late afternoon air.

On our way out, we drove by large and impressive Charlotte Motor Speedway. If following NASCAR is your thing, the Charlotte Motor Speedway seems like a place to visit. I don't follow car racing, myself, but it still intrigues me as an experience to take in at some point.

The rest of my Cabarrus County photos are uploaded onto Flickr, and are here.