The following is a recap of a road trip to Eastern Carolina in October 2017.
Windsor, NC is an hour from I-95, two hours from Raleigh, the closest big city, and two hours from North Caorlina's Outer Banks. It's uncharted territory on the otherwise busy and dense East Coast. It's hard to believe that there are locations on America's East Coast that could be described as remote, middle-of-nowhere type places. For most of its route I-95 hugs the Atlantic Ocean, there's rarely an hour express ride between the Interstate and the Ocean. Until you reach Richmond, heading south on I-95. South of Richmond I-95 begins to head slightly west, nothing significantly however, the gap between the Interstate and the Ocean begins to grow and then expands where the northern tip of North Carolina juts into the Atlantic. I-95 and the Atlantic Ocean don't meet up again in the Charleston, SC and Savanah, GA. The swath of land starting from below Norfolk, VA, to Wilmington, NC, bordered by I-95 to the West and the Outer Banks is a virtual no man's land. Windsor is smack dab in the center.
Windsor, NC is an hour from I-95, two hours from Raleigh, the closest big city, and two hours from North Caorlina's Outer Banks. It's uncharted territory on the otherwise busy and dense East Coast. It's hard to believe that there are locations on America's East Coast that could be described as remote, middle-of-nowhere type places. For most of its route I-95 hugs the Atlantic Ocean, there's rarely an hour express ride between the Interstate and the Ocean. Until you reach Richmond, heading south on I-95. South of Richmond I-95 begins to head slightly west, nothing significantly however, the gap between the Interstate and the Ocean begins to grow and then expands where the northern tip of North Carolina juts into the Atlantic. I-95 and the Atlantic Ocean don't meet up again in the Charleston, SC and Savanah, GA. The swath of land starting from below Norfolk, VA, to Wilmington, NC, bordered by I-95 to the West and the Outer Banks is a virtual no man's land. Windsor is smack dab in the center.
Windsor is Bertie County's county seat so the town does have a nice courthouse and a Main Street with the bare minimum ancillary businesses. Windsor and the towns of Eastern Carolina have their appeal - if you are looking for a place that's quiet, that's nice, has homes that are a good value, low property and income taxes, that's away from it all - and there are times when those are very appealing g qualities - then Windsor is the spot. It's a nice community.
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A few miles down Route 17 is Williamston, another county seat. Williamston is slightly larger than Windsor - a population of ~5,500 vs. ~3,500 - so there's a bit more going on, but the old Main Street area is also a bit more decrepit. The Eastern North Carolina towns did not suffer solo from an exodus of businesses and a population decline alone, Williamston has only lost 1,500 residents from its 1960 peak and even that peak was a quick spike. What also contributed to the "killing" of these town's Main Streets were the bypasses along the outskirts which then became home to big box stores and national chains. As I approached Williamston I almost missed the turnoff to the County Courthouse and Main Street area because I saw the McDonald's, Wendy's, and Food Lion and thought I must be here. But I wasn't.
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I could tell I was approaching Williamston's Main Street because I began to see dilapidated buildings. The Main Street continued the dilapidated theme. There were a few signs of activity along Main Street and it wouldn't take much to breath full life back into the commercial district. If the McDonald's and Wendy's set up shop here, throw in a coffee shop and a bar and voila, Main Street is back.
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I took a slight detour to Snow Hill. Another county seat, another small downtown, but an awesome furniture store (at least on the outside). I almost purchased a rocking chair on impulse, however, I couldn't think of any place at home where I could set up the chair. First I need to buy a home with a front porch. Then I'll head back to Snow Hill for some NC made furniture.
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The inspiration for my swing through the Eastern Carolina County Seats was from an article in Southern Living's Drives and Dives special issue called: The Best 65 Miles of "Q".
The article described several places in Eastern Carolina. Grady's Barbeque stood out and was to be the highlight of my trip. When I pulled up Grady's looked the part. It was nothing more than a wayward shack at a three point intersection in the middle of nowhere, middle of nowhere. There was just one problem when I pulled into the parking lot. No other cars. 12:30. No cars. Not good. I went up to the entrance and taped on the door was a note stating the owner was on vacation and would return the following Wednesday. Bummer. Back into the car and on to Kinston. |
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I really liked Kinston. I'm not sure why. There's nothing special about the place. It's plain. There's a three block main street that's been preserved in time. There's a good coffee shop, Middle Grounds Coffeehouse, however, the dominant player in town is the Mother Earth Brewing Company which takes up most of the block at North and Hermitage Streets. There's also a Mother Earth Motor Lodge further up North Street. I wish there were more "Mother Earths". Kinston has the bones to be a great small town. The population hasn't dipped too much, from a peak of 25,000 to 21,000, and with 21,000 residents there's enough of a population here to turn things around. Unfortunately it seems that the residents would rather gather around the chains on Vernon Avenue than Mother Earth Brewing.
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Kinston's Post Office looks like a Courthouse. It's a sign of how much little faith individuals have in their government. We've gone from a time when people took pride in their cities, pride in the governments, and built amazing post offices to a time when people want less and less government.
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After the disappointment at Grady's I was starving. Fortunately there was another highly rated spot on The Best 65 Miles of "Q" - Skylight Inn. Skylight Inn is a "whole hog" BBQ place meaning they chop up the whole hog. After eating a couple of chunks of crispy skin in the chopped pork, I have no idea why everyone isn't going the whole hog route. The crispy skin was an unbelievable boost. The cornbread wasn't that good but who cares?
Skylight Inn has been featured in many articles beyond Southern Living and several TV shows. Their BBQ has won several awards including a James Beard "America's Classic" Award.
Skylight Inn has been featured in many articles beyond Southern Living and several TV shows. Their BBQ has won several awards including a James Beard "America's Classic" Award.
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Greenville is the only "game in town" in Eastern Carolina. It's home to East Carolina University, who's enrollment of 29,000 students makes it the third largest university in North Carolina at NC State and UNC. It doesn't quite feel like a college town though. I grabbed a drink at Uptown Brewing Company which is located among other dining options in a small commercial district. Otherwise there's not much to see in Greenville. It's bustling but there's no historical core like Kinston.
We made one final small town stop in Tarboro. Tarboro was nice because it seemed like it was a "right-sized" city - not too big, not too small. It's population of 10,000 has been steadily increasing over the years without any major drop-offs. On a Sunday morning the Main Street was quiet, however, it looked like they had to due with the fact it was a Sunday and not from any sort of abandonment. The Tarboro Coffee House is a good place to stop for caffeine and I'll need to make a return visit for a stop at the Tarboro Brewing Company. When we drove past Golden Girls was playing on the TV above the bar.
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The country back roads may have made the drives a bit longer than I'd prefer, however, there was usually always something interesting between the towns. Old abandoned buildings dotted the landscape. Fields of cotton filled the spaces in-between.
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