Pitt County, North Carolina

 I visited Pitt County on September 7, with the main goal of attending the Ayden Collard Festival. Ayden's a town of a little5.000 people, and I loved the idea of a festival celebrating collards! 

Mother Nature (rain, in this case) cancelled this year's Saturday morning Collard Festival Parade, and some vendors were delayed in setting up. I missed other things too, like the Collard Eating Contest, but I did enjoy walking around Ayden (my first visit
there).

Before I left Ayden, I stopped for lunch at Skylight Inn BBQ and had some yummy barbecue! A cousin recommended it to me when she heard about my upcoming trip, and I'm so glad! (I might've driven right past it)

After I left Ayden (where I found a geocache, too!), I drove to Greenville, the county seat of Putt County. It's a college town, home of East Carolina University, I enjoyed exploring Greenville, where I found the Pitt County Courthouse and

five more geocaches! I also found a local Planet Fitness, where I was able to exercise before the drive home. 

This wasn't my first trip to Pitt County, but it won't be my last! I really want to return to the Ayden Collard Festival when the weather cooperates! I think it's such a great idea for a festival!

Tyrrell County, North Carolina

On Saturday, October 12, I drove to Columbia, Tyrrell County, NC, for the Scuppernong River Festival. Columbia, the county seat of Tyrrell County, had a population of 610 people in the 2020 Census. It sits on the Scuppernong River, hence the festival. 

Tyrrell County was created in 1729, and became a county in 1739. The

2020 census tells us the county population was 3,245, making it the least populous county in the state! It's a rural county, for sure, but very pretty.

While walking the length of the festival, I enjoyed finding the Scuppernong River waterfront (pretty!), the Tyrrell County Courthouse (built in 1903, it's on the National Register of Historic Places), the Blue Juniper Inn, and the Tyrrell County Public Library (which is usually opened on Saturdays, but was closed for the festival).

After I finished up at the Scuppernong River Festival, I drove to the Alligator River Marina to find a geocache. It seems to be a nice marina! After finding the geocache, I drove across the Alligator River Bridge, a swing bridge the connects Tyrrell and Dare counties. I love a good bridge, and it was a fun and peaceful drive over to Dare County and back to Tyrrell County. 

I enjoyed my daytrip to Tyrrell County, and would definitely recommend it if you enjoy exploring the state! The rest of my Tyrrell County photos are here.