We like to travel to the Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach area because it's usually civilized and it's near. Hop on Interstate 40, and you're less than two hours away if you live in the Triangle...not much more than three hours even if you're as far west as the Triad.
That said, seven firms are offering special discounts for booking through mid-March. They include the Holiday Inn Resort, Shell Island Resort and the Blockade Runner.
Here's the link: www.wilmingtonandbeaches.com/Wrightsville-Beach/Winter-Highlights2/Special-Offers?cmpid=Email_3061
What's sweet about the southern barrier islands is how warm it can be even in midwinter. A long weekend does wonders for a harried marriage or an overly busy family.
Go for it!
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Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Gotta Go: Old State Capitol
In the middle of the 1800s, North Carolina built a fine stone capital building in the center of Raleigh. By the 1960s, state leaders tired of the graceful "old" building and instead designed a modern legislative building a block away.
In a fit of wisdom, officials decided not to tear down the first capital. Go visit it. Take the youngsters, or your spouse.
What's there?
Our early state leaders naturally included separate House and Senate chambers. They survive, quaint and majestic at the same time. Old timey desks complete with inkwells from the period rest contentedly on luxurious carpeting. Fireplaces abound, and a self-guided tour explains the massive pile of firewood on the first floor that stewards had to wheel upstairs every winter day to keep the high officials warm during their deliberations.
The granite building was carefully crafted after features of ancient Greek temples. Exterior columns are Doric, modeled after those of the Parthenon. Crowning the structure is a magnificent rotunda. At nearly 100 feet from floor to rounded top, the feature still inspires awe.
Busts and statues adorn the capitol inside and out. There's a good chance you'll see a real-life political leader wander through the building while you're touring.
There is, of course, much to see in the core of the state's capital city besides the Old Capitol. The new history and natural sciences museums are directly across the street from the Capitol, as well as across Jones Street from the new Legislative Building. Restaurants abound. The Marbles kids museum is nearby.
We often overlook wonderful and important historic sites because they are familiar. But the Old Capitol Building is a gem. It'll make you sink your roots in your home state.
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In a fit of wisdom, officials decided not to tear down the first capital. Go visit it. Take the youngsters, or your spouse.
What's there?
Our early state leaders naturally included separate House and Senate chambers. They survive, quaint and majestic at the same time. Old timey desks complete with inkwells from the period rest contentedly on luxurious carpeting. Fireplaces abound, and a self-guided tour explains the massive pile of firewood on the first floor that stewards had to wheel upstairs every winter day to keep the high officials warm during their deliberations.
The granite building was carefully crafted after features of ancient Greek temples. Exterior columns are Doric, modeled after those of the Parthenon. Crowning the structure is a magnificent rotunda. At nearly 100 feet from floor to rounded top, the feature still inspires awe.
Busts and statues adorn the capitol inside and out. There's a good chance you'll see a real-life political leader wander through the building while you're touring.
There is, of course, much to see in the core of the state's capital city besides the Old Capitol. The new history and natural sciences museums are directly across the street from the Capitol, as well as across Jones Street from the new Legislative Building. Restaurants abound. The Marbles kids museum is nearby.
We often overlook wonderful and important historic sites because they are familiar. But the Old Capitol Building is a gem. It'll make you sink your roots in your home state.
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Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Vacating vs. touring
Regular blogging forces you to think, and for me that's meant thinking hard about why people leave home to visit elsewhere.
For readers of a travel blog, are you here because you're looking for a place in North Carolina to vacation? Or do you just like to visit - tour, if you will - different towns or attractions in the state? There's a difference, and the question for me is which type of traveler is Nearly There trying to serve?
In large measure, my answer is tourists, although surely you'll find places to vacation if you follow this blog.
Before I proceed, a few definitions...totally subjective on my part.
Vacation, to me, is getting away. It's rest, recuperate, get in some recreation. You can go to the beach or camp on the side of a mountain, and never leave your vacation spot.
Tourism, on the other hand, has a purpose. It's to go to see. Or go to learn. Or go to experience. To me, touring usually is a day trip, or an overnight. Maybe a long weekend. But it's short-lived and focused. We've spent an overnight near Bath to give us a full day of exploring that old village. Greensboro is no vacation paradise, but we've driven there a few times, to spend the day at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park or to discover Bicentennial Greenway.
Sure, touring can be part of vacating. What's a week in Emerald Isle without a day trip to Beaufort or the occasional visit to Fort Macon?
So there's vacating and there's touring, and the twain can meet. But not necessarily so.
The usual focus for Nearly There will be tourism, but you'll find a dose of vacating, too.
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For readers of a travel blog, are you here because you're looking for a place in North Carolina to vacation? Or do you just like to visit - tour, if you will - different towns or attractions in the state? There's a difference, and the question for me is which type of traveler is Nearly There trying to serve?
In large measure, my answer is tourists, although surely you'll find places to vacation if you follow this blog.
Before I proceed, a few definitions...totally subjective on my part.
Vacation, to me, is getting away. It's rest, recuperate, get in some recreation. You can go to the beach or camp on the side of a mountain, and never leave your vacation spot.
Tourism, on the other hand, has a purpose. It's to go to see. Or go to learn. Or go to experience. To me, touring usually is a day trip, or an overnight. Maybe a long weekend. But it's short-lived and focused. We've spent an overnight near Bath to give us a full day of exploring that old village. Greensboro is no vacation paradise, but we've driven there a few times, to spend the day at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park or to discover Bicentennial Greenway.
Sure, touring can be part of vacating. What's a week in Emerald Isle without a day trip to Beaufort or the occasional visit to Fort Macon?
So there's vacating and there's touring, and the twain can meet. But not necessarily so.
The usual focus for Nearly There will be tourism, but you'll find a dose of vacating, too.
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Tuesday, January 1, 2013
VERY nice travel sweepstakes!!
There is a very nice prize to a drawing on North Carolina's official travel and tourism website, visitnc.com.
You can win high-class digs for a few nights in Asheville and Bryson City, $500 for expenses, a few meals, two tickets to Biltmore, and other goodies.
You have to enter by Jan. 31. Go to this link to get your name in the running.
Specifically, the "High Altitude: Travel Guide Sweepstakes" provides the winner with prizes that include:
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You can win high-class digs for a few nights in Asheville and Bryson City, $500 for expenses, a few meals, two tickets to Biltmore, and other goodies.
You have to enter by Jan. 31. Go to this link to get your name in the running.
Specifically, the "High Altitude: Travel Guide Sweepstakes" provides the winner with prizes that include:
- Two nights accommodations at The Grove Park Inn. It includes a spa day pass for two, signed centennial history book documenting 100 years since The Inn first opened, breakfast in the Blue Ridge Dining Room and name included in the 2013 centennial time capsule.
- Two nights at Great Smoky Mountains Cabin Rentals in Bryson City.
- Two adult tickets to Biltmore, billed as America’s Largest Home and including the estate's gardens, winery and Antler Hill Village.
- Scenic rail excursion for four on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.
- Two adult passes for a canopy tour at Navitat Canopy Adventures.
- Dinner for four at The Fryemont Inn.
- Whitewater rafting and wilderness survival training course for four at Nantahala Outdoor Center.
- A $500 Visa gift card.
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Thursday, December 27, 2012
Battle of Fort Fisher...again
If you've traveled to Wilmington, you've probably heard of Fort Fisher. If you've seen the recent movie "Lincoln," you're sure to have heard of the place.
Just a few dozen miles south of Wilmington, the Civil War-era military bastion was built to guard the important port city from Union attack up the Cape Fear River. Once North Carolina seceeded from the Union in 1861, the city -- and thus the Fort -- became a prime target for the Union.
On Jan. 19, the Fort Fisher State Historic Site will host a living history program to commemorate the anniversary of the Second Battle of fort Fisher, the largest land-sea battle of the war. Here are excerpts from the state's news release:
As part of the
state's observance of the Civil War Sesquicentennial, the N.C. Department of
Cultural Resources’ Fort Fisher State Historic
Site will host “Sheppard’s Battery: Confederates Defending the Left
Flank,” a special living history program on January 19, 2013. This year’s
anniversary commemoration will focus on the Confederate defenders at Sheppard’s
Battery and around the “Bloody Gate” on the left flank of Fort Fisher.
Re-enactors will set up displays of Civil War camp life and talk with visitors
about the life of the Confederate infantry and artillery troops during the
January 1865 campaign. Other highlights include Civil War authors, artillery and
infantry demonstrations, cannon and small arms firings, including the site’s
rifled and banded 32-pound cannon atop Sheppard’s Battery. Events begin at 10:00
a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The program is free and open to the
public.
Volunteers in period costume will bring history to life throughout the day. Guest speakers include local historian Ernie Kniffen, who will discuss new findings on his extensive research of Confederate sailors and Marines. Author Richard Triebe will sign books and discuss N.C. troops who were captured at Fort Fisher and sent to a prison camp in Elmira, N.Y. Also on site will be author, educator, and member of the Wilmington Railroad Museum board of trustees, James Burke, who will sign and promote his book, “The Wilmington and Weldon Railroad in the Civil War.” At 12:30 p.m., the N.C. Underwater Archaeology Unit will dedicate a new highway marker for the Civil War blockade runner Modern Greece, which ran aground and sank near Fort Fisher.
Fort Fisher’s programs afford visitors a wonderful opportunity to learn more about local history and Fort Fisher's role in the Civil War. Fort Fisher, the largest earthen fortification in the Confederacy, once protected the port of Wilmington and the vital blockade running trade on the Cape Fear River. After two massive bombardments the fort fell to a Union infantry assault on January 15, 1865. With the capture of Fort Fisher, Wilmington’s port—the “Lifeline of the Confederacy”—was closed to foreign trade.
Fort Fisher State Historic Site is located in Kure Beach, just 20 miles south of Wilmington, at 1
Fort Fisher State Historic Site is located in Kure Beach, just 20 miles south of Wilmington, at 1610 Fort Fisher Blvd. S., along US Highway 421. Visitors, residents, and motorists are advised of loud explosions during cannon firings and artillery demonstrations. ... "
If you've never been to a re-enactment, you'll want to catch this...especially if you're a Civil War buff. And enjoy a chilly walk on the beach while you're there.
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Just a few dozen miles south of Wilmington, the Civil War-era military bastion was built to guard the important port city from Union attack up the Cape Fear River. Once North Carolina seceeded from the Union in 1861, the city -- and thus the Fort -- became a prime target for the Union.
On Jan. 19, the Fort Fisher State Historic Site will host a living history program to commemorate the anniversary of the Second Battle of fort Fisher, the largest land-sea battle of the war. Here are excerpts from the state's news release:
"Kure Beach,
N.C.: The year 2013
marks the 148th anniversary of the end of the Civil War. ... Thanks
to the recently released Steven Spielberg film “Lincoln” and its multiple references to
Wilmington, North Carolina and the Battle of Fort Fisher, millions of
movie-goers are now more familiar with the fort’s important historical role as
the last fort to fall to Union troops during the Civil War. Fort Fisher embraces
this new spotlight and welcomes history buffs and fans of the movie year-round
to explore its Civil War battlefield, monuments, museum, and special events.
Volunteers in period costume will bring history to life throughout the day. Guest speakers include local historian Ernie Kniffen, who will discuss new findings on his extensive research of Confederate sailors and Marines. Author Richard Triebe will sign books and discuss N.C. troops who were captured at Fort Fisher and sent to a prison camp in Elmira, N.Y. Also on site will be author, educator, and member of the Wilmington Railroad Museum board of trustees, James Burke, who will sign and promote his book, “The Wilmington and Weldon Railroad in the Civil War.” At 12:30 p.m., the N.C. Underwater Archaeology Unit will dedicate a new highway marker for the Civil War blockade runner Modern Greece, which ran aground and sank near Fort Fisher.
Fort Fisher’s programs afford visitors a wonderful opportunity to learn more about local history and Fort Fisher's role in the Civil War. Fort Fisher, the largest earthen fortification in the Confederacy, once protected the port of Wilmington and the vital blockade running trade on the Cape Fear River. After two massive bombardments the fort fell to a Union infantry assault on January 15, 1865. With the capture of Fort Fisher, Wilmington’s port—the “Lifeline of the Confederacy”—was closed to foreign trade.
Fort Fisher State Historic Site is located in Kure Beach, just 20 miles south of Wilmington, at 1
Fort Fisher State Historic Site is located in Kure Beach, just 20 miles south of Wilmington, at 1610 Fort Fisher Blvd. S., along US Highway 421. Visitors, residents, and motorists are advised of loud explosions during cannon firings and artillery demonstrations. ... "
If you've never been to a re-enactment, you'll want to catch this...especially if you're a Civil War buff. And enjoy a chilly walk on the beach while you're there.
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Monday, December 24, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
Comfort...where we stay
We patronize a number of hotel chains when we travel, depending on the city and the price. But we do have a preference.
It's the Choice Hotels line of lodgings. More specifically, we generally stay at a Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites or Sleep Inn.
The reasons are simple. All three offer rooms that usually are comfortable and clean. We usually can find a good price on a room at the hotels. We have found a few gems.
We both are fond of sneaking away to the lobby to read quietly, and Choice tends to provide cozy lobby spaces. Depending on the owner/franchisee, the hotels usually offer a decent free breakfast. In short, we rarely have been disappointed with our reservation.
Sleep Inns, a bit lower on the chain's spectrum, are simple and usually clean. They are affordable. And they have a funky circular shower that breaks the hotel-room monotony.
We book with Choice so much that I joined its Choice Privileges rewards plan. It's brown-wrapper plain, and I recently had a bad experience with it. But it's simple to use, and we enjoy a free room about once a year!
In a future post, I'll share the way I search for a good price on accommodations.
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It's the Choice Hotels line of lodgings. More specifically, we generally stay at a Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites or Sleep Inn.
The reasons are simple. All three offer rooms that usually are comfortable and clean. We usually can find a good price on a room at the hotels. We have found a few gems.
We both are fond of sneaking away to the lobby to read quietly, and Choice tends to provide cozy lobby spaces. Depending on the owner/franchisee, the hotels usually offer a decent free breakfast. In short, we rarely have been disappointed with our reservation.
Sleep Inns, a bit lower on the chain's spectrum, are simple and usually clean. They are affordable. And they have a funky circular shower that breaks the hotel-room monotony.
We book with Choice so much that I joined its Choice Privileges rewards plan. It's brown-wrapper plain, and I recently had a bad experience with it. But it's simple to use, and we enjoy a free room about once a year!
In a future post, I'll share the way I search for a good price on accommodations.
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Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Deal alert! Oceanfront efficiency
Pay $40 per night for
an $80 efficiency at The Whaler Inn Beach Club. It’s a deal through The News &
Observer’s dealsaver.com site. But hurry. You have to make the purchase – up to
five nights -- by midnight Saturday.
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We’ve never stayed at The
Whaler, but it’s been around forever and has a good reputation. The oceanfront
hotel is in Pine Knoll Shores, just down the road from Atlantic Beach, on the Crystal
Coast. It boasts an enclosed swimming pool and game room, if you’re taking
the children.
There are a number of
restrictions. It’s only for Sunday through Thursday stays. The deal is subject
to availability, but fewer than 30 nights have been booked of a total of 300
available.
Click
here for all of the details.
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Surprise her. Or him
Many years ago, when our daughter was 2 or 3 years old, it struck me that my wife was feeling pretty stressed. What I did next has stayed with her and me all these years. Let me recommend this course of action to you, when you see your spouse feeling weary.
The thought popped into my mind to take my wife away for a short vacation. And I mean short: We didn't have lots of vacation money. I looked around for what for us would be an exotic destination, but close enough that it wouldn't cost a lot in gas and meals.
I'm not sure how, but I came up with Danville, Va. It was just a few hours away. It was across the state line, which was exotic enough. It had a section with old houses, where we could just walk and enjoy. I learned that it had a museum of the Confederacy, which for us meant indulging our enjoyment of history. And I found a good hotel whose rates were modest in early spring.
My little daughter and I called ourselves "kidnapping" Mom from an appointment that she had that morning. We drove up to Danville, which straddles the Dan River, along back roads lined with trees just beginning to show their spring buds. We packed a lunch, I seem to remember, but otherwise we ate at local places that didn't charge chain-restaurant prices.
We left early enough in the day to see a good portion of Danville's sights. We stayed only overnight, but that gave us enough rest to take in more of Danville the next day, including its quaint downtown.
It ate up just two vacation days, but that was plenty to absorb a lot of at-home stress. It was time very well spent!
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The thought popped into my mind to take my wife away for a short vacation. And I mean short: We didn't have lots of vacation money. I looked around for what for us would be an exotic destination, but close enough that it wouldn't cost a lot in gas and meals.
I'm not sure how, but I came up with Danville, Va. It was just a few hours away. It was across the state line, which was exotic enough. It had a section with old houses, where we could just walk and enjoy. I learned that it had a museum of the Confederacy, which for us meant indulging our enjoyment of history. And I found a good hotel whose rates were modest in early spring.
My little daughter and I called ourselves "kidnapping" Mom from an appointment that she had that morning. We drove up to Danville, which straddles the Dan River, along back roads lined with trees just beginning to show their spring buds. We packed a lunch, I seem to remember, but otherwise we ate at local places that didn't charge chain-restaurant prices.
We left early enough in the day to see a good portion of Danville's sights. We stayed only overnight, but that gave us enough rest to take in more of Danville the next day, including its quaint downtown.
It ate up just two vacation days, but that was plenty to absorb a lot of at-home stress. It was time very well spent!
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Wednesday, December 5, 2012
A Crystal Coast freebie
One of our favorite times to spend at the beach is the late fall and winter. Sunrises and sunsets are spectacular. The crush of tourists is long gone...which makes long, quiet walks on the beach that much easier. The weather is usually pleasant, and sometimes even warm. And here's a treat: Cottage rental rates are at their lowest.
Here's one better. Bluewater Vacation Rentals is repeating its offer of one night free when you rent a cottage or condo for three nights. The deal is good from December 15 to January 6. You must pick from a selection of rental properties and then call 866-976-3512 to make the reservation. And you must mention the 4-for-3 promotion.
Actually, there are a growing number of families that have started a tradition of spending Christmas or New Year's at ocean's edge. Some of the rental companies even offer Christmas season vacation packages that include a Christmas tree delivered to your cottage door! Be careful, though, since rates can be higher during the holiday weeks than the rest of the winter season.
We're old-fashioned enough that Dec. 25th has to be at home. But we've spent more than a few January 1sts in the salty air.
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Here's one better. Bluewater Vacation Rentals is repeating its offer of one night free when you rent a cottage or condo for three nights. The deal is good from December 15 to January 6. You must pick from a selection of rental properties and then call 866-976-3512 to make the reservation. And you must mention the 4-for-3 promotion.
Actually, there are a growing number of families that have started a tradition of spending Christmas or New Year's at ocean's edge. Some of the rental companies even offer Christmas season vacation packages that include a Christmas tree delivered to your cottage door! Be careful, though, since rates can be higher during the holiday weeks than the rest of the winter season.
We're old-fashioned enough that Dec. 25th has to be at home. But we've spent more than a few January 1sts in the salty air.
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Thursday, November 29, 2012
Biltmore at Christmas
Biltmore House was dazzling, filled with light against the inky blackness that actually had settled late on that December afternoon. A light snow had begun falling a few hours earlier.
Our little family was bundled up head to foot against the bitter mountain cold. Is Biltmore at Christmas worth the drive and the (steep) entrance fee? I have to say yes.
Certainly it's a grand family experience, especially if your children are older (ours was in college at the time). There's much to see and talk about during the tour and later in the hotel room or over dessert that evening. And years later.
But anyone within a few hundred miles from Asheville ought to make the trip, and do it during the holidays. Biltmore is a magnificent, unique palace, one that ought to be experienced if possible. Just a few of these mansions -- built by the nation's royalty of the time -- survive and are open to the public.
Biltmore is massive, on par with a medieval European castle. Its great rooms deserve the name. It had the most modern accommodations and gadgets. George Vanderbilt plunked his estate on the top of a mountain, for heavens sakes, with stupendous views of the surrounding Blue Ridge mountains.
Admission is as high as those mountains. During the holidays, adults pay $69 or $79 for the self-guided tour of the mansion. Children 10 to 16 cost half those prices. But save the money one year and take the family. There are tours of the estate's gardens and there's a winery. There are more food places on the estate grounds these days, which is convenient if you have younger children. There are nice coffee shops downtown Asheville for a change of pace. Asheville also has its share of non-Biltmore attractions.
It's a trip that will make a memory. In that way alone it's worth the money.
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Our little family was bundled up head to foot against the bitter mountain cold. Is Biltmore at Christmas worth the drive and the (steep) entrance fee? I have to say yes.
Certainly it's a grand family experience, especially if your children are older (ours was in college at the time). There's much to see and talk about during the tour and later in the hotel room or over dessert that evening. And years later.
But anyone within a few hundred miles from Asheville ought to make the trip, and do it during the holidays. Biltmore is a magnificent, unique palace, one that ought to be experienced if possible. Just a few of these mansions -- built by the nation's royalty of the time -- survive and are open to the public.
Biltmore is massive, on par with a medieval European castle. Its great rooms deserve the name. It had the most modern accommodations and gadgets. George Vanderbilt plunked his estate on the top of a mountain, for heavens sakes, with stupendous views of the surrounding Blue Ridge mountains.
Admission is as high as those mountains. During the holidays, adults pay $69 or $79 for the self-guided tour of the mansion. Children 10 to 16 cost half those prices. But save the money one year and take the family. There are tours of the estate's gardens and there's a winery. There are more food places on the estate grounds these days, which is convenient if you have younger children. There are nice coffee shops downtown Asheville for a change of pace. Asheville also has its share of non-Biltmore attractions.
It's a trip that will make a memory. In that way alone it's worth the money.
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Wednesday, November 21, 2012
New kite festival
Circumstances imposed, and we were disappointed not to be able to make this year's Atlantic Beach Kite Festival in late October. But we were free the first week in November, and after just a few minutes of searching the Internet, we discovered that Wrightsville Beach holds its own kite festival.
It was a wonderful jaunt. The temperatures were a bit cool on the Saturday and Sunday that we were there, but a strong sun and crystal blue skies kept it just warm enough for this former Philly guy (and his N.C.-native wife.)
The giant, colorful octopus kites (170 feet long, 75 feet across!) made appearances, as well as a 10-story scuba diver and what had to be a five-story sea horse. And of course any number of people brought their own kites.
There's not the music, activities and stunt fliers that we're used to at Atlantic Beach, but any kite in the sky is a joy for "kite people" like my wife ... and increasingly me. It's worth the trip, and a long weekend next year.
By the way, next year's Atlantic Beach Kite Fest is Oct. 26 and 27. If you're a kite person, or have youngsters, you'll love it.
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It was a wonderful jaunt. The temperatures were a bit cool on the Saturday and Sunday that we were there, but a strong sun and crystal blue skies kept it just warm enough for this former Philly guy (and his N.C.-native wife.)
The giant, colorful octopus kites (170 feet long, 75 feet across!) made appearances, as well as a 10-story scuba diver and what had to be a five-story sea horse. And of course any number of people brought their own kites.
There's not the music, activities and stunt fliers that we're used to at Atlantic Beach, but any kite in the sky is a joy for "kite people" like my wife ... and increasingly me. It's worth the trip, and a long weekend next year.
By the way, next year's Atlantic Beach Kite Fest is Oct. 26 and 27. If you're a kite person, or have youngsters, you'll love it.
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Thursday, March 8, 2012
Go fly a kite!
Talk about neighborly! The N.C. Depatment of Cultural Resources notes that March's stiff winds is a great time to fly a kite, and it has some safe places to enjoy the hobby (or an afternoon's diversion).
So it has designated Saturday, March 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. as "Let's Go Fly A Kite Day" at six state historic sites and two state museums.
With no electrical lines and lots of wide open spaces, the venues will open the grounds to all kite flyers.
The locations are:
Alamance Battleground, 5308 S. NC 62, Burlington, (336) 227-4785.
Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace, 264 Governor Aycock Road, Fremont, (919) 242-5581.
Bennett Place, 4409 Bennett Memorial Road, Durham, (919) 383-4345.
Duke Homestead, 2828 Duke Homestead Road, Durham, (919) 477-5498.
Horne Creek Historical Farm, 308 Horne Creek Farm Road, Pinnacle, (336) 325-2298.
Museum of the Cape Fear, 810 Arsenal Avenue, Fayetteville, (910) 486-1330.
N.C. Museum of Art, 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh, (919) 839-6262.
Town Creek Indian Mound, 509 Town Creek Mound Road, Mt. Gilead, (910) 439-6802.
What more can you ask for? Pack a lunch. It's cheap. Take the kids or the grandkids. Explore the site when you're finished with your skyward delights.
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So it has designated Saturday, March 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. as "Let's Go Fly A Kite Day" at six state historic sites and two state museums.
With no electrical lines and lots of wide open spaces, the venues will open the grounds to all kite flyers.
The locations are:
Alamance Battleground, 5308 S. NC 62, Burlington, (336) 227-4785.
Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace, 264 Governor Aycock Road, Fremont, (919) 242-5581.
Bennett Place, 4409 Bennett Memorial Road, Durham, (919) 383-4345.
Duke Homestead, 2828 Duke Homestead Road, Durham, (919) 477-5498.
Horne Creek Historical Farm, 308 Horne Creek Farm Road, Pinnacle, (336) 325-2298.
Museum of the Cape Fear, 810 Arsenal Avenue, Fayetteville, (910) 486-1330.
N.C. Museum of Art, 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh, (919) 839-6262.
Town Creek Indian Mound, 509 Town Creek Mound Road, Mt. Gilead, (910) 439-6802.
What more can you ask for? Pack a lunch. It's cheap. Take the kids or the grandkids. Explore the site when you're finished with your skyward delights.
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Friday, February 24, 2012
Deal alert!
You wouldn't call it March Madness or anything, but Emerald Isle Realty is offering a vacation deal through the month of March: 3 days for the price of 2 or 4 days for the price of 3.
If nothing else, it's a good kite-flying month. You can watch basketball March Madness in between long walks on the beach! And with the weather so warm during these first few months of 2012, chances are good that it'll be pleasant next month.
Go here for details of the deal.
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If nothing else, it's a good kite-flying month. You can watch basketball March Madness in between long walks on the beach! And with the weather so warm during these first few months of 2012, chances are good that it'll be pleasant next month.
Go here for details of the deal.
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Sunday, February 19, 2012
In honor of President's Day
We took the grandsons on an exploration of the places where George Washington grew up, and from that trip last year, I wrote a piece for The Charlotte Observer.
Here's the link. It's not North Carolina travel, but it's a trip close enough that North Carolinians can easily make. The trip offers children (and adults) information that they ought to know about our nation's founding. Tweet
Here's the link. It's not North Carolina travel, but it's a trip close enough that North Carolinians can easily make. The trip offers children (and adults) information that they ought to know about our nation's founding. Tweet
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
The state of state tourism
Set free the North Carolina Zoo? Shutter the Museum of the Albemarle? Cut adrift aquariums in three North Carolina coastal cities?
Newspapers are reporting that a state legislative oversight committee is considering those and other major changes to state-owned cultural -- and tourism -- sites. The goal is to cut state spending in the coming years...to save money.
Here's my two cents. Regardless of your political persuasion, if you think it's an important issue, make sure you write your legislators.
I don't fault state leaders for wanting to save money wherever they can. Times are tight, here and everywhere. I'd be worried if they weren't looking for savings.
But tourism isn't the places to cut.
The state only has one premier zoo, and privatizing it, as the committee suggests, could put it in jeopardy. It also puts Asheboro at the mercy of a private company.
Same with the aquariums, which are gems of state tourism. They are packed most summer months, and do robust business in the spring and fall seasons. Parents who rent cottages for a week count on a day at the aquariums for their youngsters.
The study on which the report is based, written by a state agency, also recommends closing some sites during slow periods. That's fine, if there's solid proof that staying open is a sure-fire money-loser.
But not the big, drastic changes. North Carolina is a tourism state. Residents are proud of our place. Out-of-staters flock here, spend money, provide tax revenue and support thousands of jobs. Besides, all of the changes would save just $2 million a year. That is, as they say, a rounding error in a $19 billion budget.
One other thing: whatever changes are made, they ought to be temporary. One day, this recession will end. North Carolina needs to be ready to throw back open the doors when that happens.
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Newspapers are reporting that a state legislative oversight committee is considering those and other major changes to state-owned cultural -- and tourism -- sites. The goal is to cut state spending in the coming years...to save money.
Here's my two cents. Regardless of your political persuasion, if you think it's an important issue, make sure you write your legislators.
I don't fault state leaders for wanting to save money wherever they can. Times are tight, here and everywhere. I'd be worried if they weren't looking for savings.
But tourism isn't the places to cut.
The state only has one premier zoo, and privatizing it, as the committee suggests, could put it in jeopardy. It also puts Asheboro at the mercy of a private company.
Same with the aquariums, which are gems of state tourism. They are packed most summer months, and do robust business in the spring and fall seasons. Parents who rent cottages for a week count on a day at the aquariums for their youngsters.
The study on which the report is based, written by a state agency, also recommends closing some sites during slow periods. That's fine, if there's solid proof that staying open is a sure-fire money-loser.
But not the big, drastic changes. North Carolina is a tourism state. Residents are proud of our place. Out-of-staters flock here, spend money, provide tax revenue and support thousands of jobs. Besides, all of the changes would save just $2 million a year. That is, as they say, a rounding error in a $19 billion budget.
One other thing: whatever changes are made, they ought to be temporary. One day, this recession will end. North Carolina needs to be ready to throw back open the doors when that happens.
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Monday, February 6, 2012
Traveling on your stomachs
In these tight economic times -- or anytime if you have three or four children -- travelers are always on the hunt for ways to save money. Food and fuel are often major expenses, and there’s not much to do about filling up.
This MSNBC article, however, has some good tips for saving on victuals. The writer focuses on longer travel destinations, but the ideas are easily transferrable to the overnight, long weekend or even long vacation.
From navigating grocery stores to street vendors.
Bon appétit! Tweet
This MSNBC article, however, has some good tips for saving on victuals. The writer focuses on longer travel destinations, but the ideas are easily transferrable to the overnight, long weekend or even long vacation.
From navigating grocery stores to street vendors.
Bon appétit! Tweet
Friday, February 3, 2012
Kids, adults, go wild for wildlife
Here's something to look forward to, for you and the youngsters.
The 4th Annual Cape Fear Wildlife Expo is next month (March 16-18) in Wilmington. It's a family event whose mission is to encourage youth to enjoy the outdoors through hunting, fishing and other sports; to heighten public awareness of our natural resources; and to encourage conservation.
Here's what you'll enjoy: wildlife art and decoy displays; book signings by regional writers; hunting and fishing products; fly-fishing and decoy-carving demonstrations; conservation exhibits; outdoor sports guides and outfitters; and boats, truck and ATV displays.
Kids interactive activities include Sensory Safari, Aquatic Trailer, Mallard Madness Laser Shoot and Muzzy 200 Club Monster Buck display
There is an admission charge: adults $10.00, 65 and over $7.00, children 10 years and under free.
More facts: venue is the Wilmington Convention Center. Call 910-795-0292 or visit www.capefearwildlifeexpo.com. Tweet
The 4th Annual Cape Fear Wildlife Expo is next month (March 16-18) in Wilmington. It's a family event whose mission is to encourage youth to enjoy the outdoors through hunting, fishing and other sports; to heighten public awareness of our natural resources; and to encourage conservation.
Here's what you'll enjoy: wildlife art and decoy displays; book signings by regional writers; hunting and fishing products; fly-fishing and decoy-carving demonstrations; conservation exhibits; outdoor sports guides and outfitters; and boats, truck and ATV displays.
Kids interactive activities include Sensory Safari, Aquatic Trailer, Mallard Madness Laser Shoot and Muzzy 200 Club Monster Buck display
There is an admission charge: adults $10.00, 65 and over $7.00, children 10 years and under free.
More facts: venue is the Wilmington Convention Center. Call 910-795-0292 or visit www.capefearwildlifeexpo.com. Tweet
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Road trip weather
The weather is just too nice to pass up traveling this weekend.
We drove to Wilmington a few days ago for a day trip. Spent an hour
downtown in a wonderful coffee shop before heading to Wrightsville Beach. We packed sandwiches for lunch, and with just the beach chairs and our trusty beach blanket, we had a warm afternoon of waves, smiles and relaxation.
Of course you don’t have to head east. Except for that rockslide on the Tennessee side of I-40, there is nothing to keep you from a day or an overnight in Western North Carolina. Little or no snow to worry about. If it’s skiing you’re looking for, I understand that operators are keeping their snow machines humming. Or just stare at the majesty of the mountains and be inspired.
There's pottery being thrown in the Sandhills. Old towns to explore in the Inner Banks.
Or just head to a museum you’ve been wanting to visit. Or a state historic site.
That’s one of the good things about living in North Carolina. It could be the dead of winter and still be pleasant enough for a road trip.
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We drove to Wilmington a few days ago for a day trip. Spent an hour
downtown in a wonderful coffee shop before heading to Wrightsville Beach. We packed sandwiches for lunch, and with just the beach chairs and our trusty beach blanket, we had a warm afternoon of waves, smiles and relaxation.
Of course you don’t have to head east. Except for that rockslide on the Tennessee side of I-40, there is nothing to keep you from a day or an overnight in Western North Carolina. Little or no snow to worry about. If it’s skiing you’re looking for, I understand that operators are keeping their snow machines humming. Or just stare at the majesty of the mountains and be inspired.
There's pottery being thrown in the Sandhills. Old towns to explore in the Inner Banks.
Or just head to a museum you’ve been wanting to visit. Or a state historic site.
That’s one of the good things about living in North Carolina. It could be the dead of winter and still be pleasant enough for a road trip.
Tweet
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Slow down and travel
Boiling rage. No, frantic gotta-get-there-ism. Or maybe it’s just plain impatience.
For us guys, we often find ourselves in one of those emotional states when traveling with the family. Maybe it happens to single guys, too, but I usually see it in us husbands/fathers. It’s always ugly. It’s oppressive to the other humans in the cars -- our spouses/kids.
I’m guilty. I’m partially cured. And I’m here to urge you to resist the urge.
You know the drill. There’s a nice vacation planned. Or maybe you’re visiting your family, or hers. It’s not intentional, but far in the back of your skull, a compulsion sprouts. You need to get where you’re going. Soon. As soon as possible. No stops…or as few as feasible.
Kids need a potty break? “I SIMPLY DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT! Do they HAVE to go? Can’t they hold it until we stop for lunch?”
Wife’s pregnant belly smashing the blue blazes out of her bladder? “YOU’RE AN ADULT!”, you scream. “Can’t YOU hold it?”
The disease usually includes the need to drive at least 10 or 15 miles an hour over the posted limit.
Great way to add to the interstate tension, eh?
I’ve tried to diagnose the madness, and here’s all I’ve come up with: In some respects, men feel responsible for getting the family to the destination safely. The quicker we go, with the least number of stops, accomplishes that goal in the quickest way possible. The stress ends at the destination. It’s over --at least until the return trip, when the fever starts rising all over again.
Admittedly, that may be putting the most benign face on a terrible malignancy. But like I said, it’s what I’ve come up with so far.
The good news is that I’ve found a painless cure, at least for myself.
It’s age.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve gained the great benefit of hindsight. It has shown me clearly how my teeth-gritting impatience harmed my family and sucked much of the pleasure of travel out of my family’s experiences. I remember well a return trip to North Carolina from my native Philadelphia, when an inevitable traffic jam caught us in Virginia. I escaped I-95 by driving, in reverse, up an on-ramp. In my impatience, it didn’t dawn on me that I had no idea what route would take me beyond the slowdown and eventually back to the interstate.
The result is that we got lost in Fort Lee. That was just making the trip longer – and besides that, I was feeling very guilty for having acted so impetuously. Instead of an apology, I tried to blame the situation on my incredulous wife.
I’m ashamed of that incident, burned in our family’s memory, to this day.
That and other bad traveling decisions have taught me to slow down. Traveling can be fun and a terrific bonding opportunity for your family. We don’t have to get there with all due speed. In fact, we’re more likely to get everyone there safe and sound if we take a few breaks --if we eat lunch slowly; if we laugh and joke with each other; if we risk an hour’s side trip when an interesting historic site presents itself on one of those big brown highway signs.
If, in other words, we make a trip out of our travel. We’re in it to make a memory…a good one.
There are times when we do just have to get there…in the case of a relative’s illness, for instance.
Otherwise, here’s what I’ve started doing. We leave at a sensible hour, not at 5 a.m. to beat the traffic even though everyone in the car is miserably sleepy. We stop whenever anyone needs to – which now includes two delightful little grandsons and their Dad, besides our original little nuclear family. We do stop at quilt shops and Wal-Marts and scenic overlooks. Life goes on if we arrive 30 minutes later than planned.
The disease still reasserts itself now and then. But I’m better at resisting it.
You try it. The advantage: fewer regrets – and many warm memories – when you get my age.
Tweet
For us guys, we often find ourselves in one of those emotional states when traveling with the family. Maybe it happens to single guys, too, but I usually see it in us husbands/fathers. It’s always ugly. It’s oppressive to the other humans in the cars -- our spouses/kids.
I’m guilty. I’m partially cured. And I’m here to urge you to resist the urge.
You know the drill. There’s a nice vacation planned. Or maybe you’re visiting your family, or hers. It’s not intentional, but far in the back of your skull, a compulsion sprouts. You need to get where you’re going. Soon. As soon as possible. No stops…or as few as feasible.
Kids need a potty break? “I SIMPLY DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT! Do they HAVE to go? Can’t they hold it until we stop for lunch?”
Wife’s pregnant belly smashing the blue blazes out of her bladder? “YOU’RE AN ADULT!”, you scream. “Can’t YOU hold it?”
The disease usually includes the need to drive at least 10 or 15 miles an hour over the posted limit.
Great way to add to the interstate tension, eh?
I’ve tried to diagnose the madness, and here’s all I’ve come up with: In some respects, men feel responsible for getting the family to the destination safely. The quicker we go, with the least number of stops, accomplishes that goal in the quickest way possible. The stress ends at the destination. It’s over --at least until the return trip, when the fever starts rising all over again.
Admittedly, that may be putting the most benign face on a terrible malignancy. But like I said, it’s what I’ve come up with so far.
The good news is that I’ve found a painless cure, at least for myself.
It’s age.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve gained the great benefit of hindsight. It has shown me clearly how my teeth-gritting impatience harmed my family and sucked much of the pleasure of travel out of my family’s experiences. I remember well a return trip to North Carolina from my native Philadelphia, when an inevitable traffic jam caught us in Virginia. I escaped I-95 by driving, in reverse, up an on-ramp. In my impatience, it didn’t dawn on me that I had no idea what route would take me beyond the slowdown and eventually back to the interstate.
The result is that we got lost in Fort Lee. That was just making the trip longer – and besides that, I was feeling very guilty for having acted so impetuously. Instead of an apology, I tried to blame the situation on my incredulous wife.
I’m ashamed of that incident, burned in our family’s memory, to this day.
That and other bad traveling decisions have taught me to slow down. Traveling can be fun and a terrific bonding opportunity for your family. We don’t have to get there with all due speed. In fact, we’re more likely to get everyone there safe and sound if we take a few breaks --if we eat lunch slowly; if we laugh and joke with each other; if we risk an hour’s side trip when an interesting historic site presents itself on one of those big brown highway signs.
If, in other words, we make a trip out of our travel. We’re in it to make a memory…a good one.
There are times when we do just have to get there…in the case of a relative’s illness, for instance.
Otherwise, here’s what I’ve started doing. We leave at a sensible hour, not at 5 a.m. to beat the traffic even though everyone in the car is miserably sleepy. We stop whenever anyone needs to – which now includes two delightful little grandsons and their Dad, besides our original little nuclear family. We do stop at quilt shops and Wal-Marts and scenic overlooks. Life goes on if we arrive 30 minutes later than planned.
The disease still reasserts itself now and then. But I’m better at resisting it.
You try it. The advantage: fewer regrets – and many warm memories – when you get my age.
Tweet
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