The Gates County Confederate Soldiers Monument, unveiled on July 8, 1915, stands in Gatesville,…read moreNorth Carolina, as a marble statue of a common Confederate soldier atop a tall granite base. It was erected by the Gates County Confederate Monument Association to honor local veterans of the Civil War, with particular emphasis on William P. Roberts, a Gates County native who became the youngest brigadier general in the Confederate Army at age 23 -remarkably, without formal military training. Architecturally, the statue follows the early 20th-century Southern tradition of commemorative memorials: a solitary soldier in uniform, standing at attention, symbolizing sacrifice and valor. Its placement in front of the Board of Elections building underscores its civic prominence. Over time, the monument has become a focal point for reflection and debate, especially in light of evolving public conversations about Confederate symbolism and historical legacy. The granite marker nearby provides that context, "The honors given to these veterans in the past do not represent our values as of today." and it closes with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that." [Review 916 of 2025 - 4320 in North Carolina - 24472 overall]

Hope Plantation is in Windsor, NC. It was the home of former NC Governor David Stone…read more Hope Mansion and the King-Bazemore House can be toured with a docent on certain days and times so check the website before visiting to make sure it will be open. You start your visit and buy your ticket at the Roanoke-Chowan Heritage Center. It has restrooms, a gift shop and two rooms to view that provide background information about the property. You can either walk or drive to the houses as they are a distance away. I was not sure what to expect when I decided to visit Hope Plantation and did not expect that the tour would be as long as it was and so thorough. It is possible that my tour was longer than normal as I was very interested in all of the facts provided. I was very impressed with this property; the history and the restoration. I try my best to find the hidden gems to visit so was excited that I found another. Both houses are on the National Registry for Historic Places. The land of the plantation sits was from a land grant by King Charles II of England. It was to lure settlers from Virginia and was given to Francis and Elizabeth Hobson. Elizabeth inherited the property after her husband died and later married Zedekiah Stone. The story told is that Elizabeth missed her homeland Hope Parish so the property was named Hope. David Stone was given the Hope tract of land as a wedding present. He constructed the Hope Mansion. The house was completed in 1803. It is of a Georgian style with Federal Period influences. The enslaved community provided the labor to run the plantation. The highly skilled labor can be seen with the craftsmanship of the home. After David Stone died, his son sold the property. It changed owners many times. In 1960 though the property was deteriorated and Bertie Country residents worked to save the property. They created a historical association and raised the funds to purchase the property. Then went on to restoring the mansion through research. The outside was completed in 1969 and by 1972 the restoration was completed. The King-Bazemore House was relocated to the plantation in 1974 to be restored. It is an example of a colonial home and would be compared to the Hobson-Stone House that was destroyed when the mansion was built. I highly recommend visiting this property in Bertie County if you love history and historic properties. You will not be disappointed. These properties are amazing and the restorations impeccable.

From the owner: Restored home of former North Carolina Governor David Stone (1770-1818). Located four miles west of…read moreWindsor, NC, the plantation complex offers unique insights into the late 18th & 19th century rural life in eastern North Carolina and the South.

Beautiful place for small elopement! Just park at the kayak launch and walk down the path. You come…read moreto a wooden dock overlooking the wetlands and the Cypress Creek. Photos are wonderful!

If you enjoy short day trips that involve the great outdoors then Windsor Castle Park should be…read moreright up your alley. From my home in Virginia Beach it was around an hour without much traffic. I planned this trip on a day that my kids had off school. Unfortunately we got a much later start then I hoped and was unable to cover all of the park. Our adventure started at the Smithfield Station entrance on a sunny mid 60's afternoon in November. Immediately your taken with the beauty of the area. Not to mention Fall in Virginia made this a special day with the foliage unfolding right before our eyes. We took the trail up to Windsor Castle and explored the exterior of the old barns and even the house thanks to a super nice City of Smithfield employee in the home. I snapped some pics of the house and was surprised to find out it is to be sold off by the city to a private party. The structure has really terrific bones, but is in need of a few million to renovate. What was more shocking is the antiques that were located in the non climate controlled home. A pre Civil War piano was the most noticeable YIKES! The area to be sold off includes all the barns and vineyard. Before we headed into Smithfield for a tour we enjoyed going down to the water at a overlook area. The scenery is very stunning and on a warm Fall day was even better. What was very disappointing was the amount of trash every where just below where we were standing. Lots of beer cans, bottles and debris in this beautiful marsh. Trash was also on the decking area with a trash can just feet away. We cleaned up the trash on the deck before leaving. The city, or a volunteer effort needs to get this cleaned up. Most certainly we need another trip back to this park to take in all of what is offered. I hope the next time we return a serious clean up effort has taken place. I mentioned. It is also quite shocking that Smithfield is selling off such a treasure in Windsor Castle. I am unaware of the budget constraints, or politics of Smithfield to really say more than what I have mentioned. On this visit we only scratched the surface of this stunning recreational area. Beautiful town, beautiful park and a must area to check out.

I've been obsessed with lighthouses since I was a child (an English thing, I guess?). Bodie…read more(Bow-dee NOT "body", I wish carpetbaggers would stop changing the pronunciations-two generations are now mispronouncing it) is not only beautiful, but has the additional museum and boardwalk to a scenic observation deck overlooking wetlands. I'm deathly afraid of heights so I can never go up, but I can appreciate the beauty and history from the ground.

After visiting the Hatteras Lighthouse and finding it all wrapped up in scaffolding, I was super…read moreexcited to get here to Bodie Island to find this one ready to photograph and visit. The Bodie Island Lighthouse is a striking black-and-white banded tower that has stood sentinel over the Outer Banks since 1872. This lighthouse is the third built in the area--the first, constructed in 1847, was abandoned due to a poor foundation, and the second, built in 1859, was destroyed during the Civil War by retreating Confederate troops. The current structure rises 156 feet and houses an original first-order Fresnel lens, casting light visible for up to 19 nautical miles. It was automated in 1940 and later transferred to the National Park Service in 1953. After extensive restoration, it opened to the public for climbing in 2013. Visitors can ascend its 219 steps for panoramic views of the surrounding marshes and Roanoke Sound. The lighthouse is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and remains one of the few tall brick lighthouses in the U.S. still equipped with its original lens. It was way too hot today to try climbing anything let alone that. I took my pictures and was more than satisfied. [Round number review 800 of 2025 - 4232 in North Carolina - 24360 overall]

Yes, I drove an hour round trip to take a picture of a sign but this one is special. It denotes the…read moretime that the United States bombed North Carolina, nearly a hundred years after the end of the Civil War. The marker reads, "Nuclear Mishap. B-52 transporting two nuclear bombs crashed, Jan. 1961. Widespread disaster averted; three crewmen died 3 miles south." Okay, all kidding aside. Three Air Force crew died and in the process, prevented what would have been an unspeakable tragedy. It is a serious matter. During the height of the Cold War, the United States had a policy of keeping armed aircraft in the air at all times in the event of a conflict. Nuclear deterrence and all that. Well, this B-52G Stratofortress took some structural damage during an air refueling and while preparing to land at nearby Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, it experienced a major failure of the right wing. The plane broke up and exploded at 8000 feet. "As a result of the breakup of the plane, two MK39 nuclear weapons were released at a height of between 10,000 and 2,000 feet. Seven of eight arming, fusing, and firing switches and devices in one bomb automatically actuated. Only a crew-controlled switch prevented a nuclear detonation. Since its parachute deployed, one bomb had only minor damage when it fell about a mile from the crash site. The second bomb fell free, without its parachute deploying, and broke apart on impact." "Components of the bomb were sought for several weeks. The decision was made to leave remaining portions of the weapon containing uranium, believed to have entered the water table, in the ground. As a precaution, the government purchased part of the site and still maintains an easement in order to prevent digging in the vicinity. Periodic groundwater tests, still conducted by the state, have revealed no contamination." As the sign mentions, the actual crash is three miles away and the grounds are secured. Here in downtown Eureka, there isn't much. A small sandwich shop is near the sign if you're hungry. [Review 15486 overall, 990 of 2021, number 3029 in North Carolina.]

The Camden County Heritage Museum & Historic Jail are a great places to visit to learn about…read moreCamden's history. I discovered the museum in my quest to visit every county in the state. This museum more than delivered. The museum and jail are located in the same area as the courthouse; parks and recreation and election office. So find a parking space and then look for the open flag at the jail. Although your visit starts at the museum which is across from the jail. Admission to the museums are free. I would have left a donation but did not see a box for that. I was warmly greeted when I arrived and told that this was a small museum. The museum offers self guided tours but I was given a guided tour likely because I knew nothing about the area. Having been to a lot of museums, this museum is actually a pretty good sized museum. I liked that the museum was in chronological order starting with when the town began in 1777. I learned that the town was named after Sir Charles Pratt who was the Earl of Camden. The detailed story boards in the museum as well as all the artifacts in the case bring the history of this coastal town to life. I was told that many of the artifacts are on loan to the museum. The museum covers the Colonial War; Revolutionary War; Civil War; WWI and WW2. The museum also covers the ferries; Great Dismal Swamp; the schools. I learned that Camden County was the last county in the state to have a library and that. Another neat fact I learned was the NASCAR connection to moonshine by evading authorities to move alcohol. Moses Grandy became a well known abolitionist after gaining freedom. He was a water man and purchased his freedom twice but got cheated by owners twice. After he got freedom, he emancipated more family members. The current jail is the third and that was built in 1910 and was used until 1940. There are 4 jail cells on the 2nd floor and a small museum is up there too. The first jail was used until 1880. Then a 2nd jail was built, it burned after prisoners started a fire to try and escape. But they were unable to get out of the building and needed the key from the sheriff, who got there just in time. If you are a history buff, Camden County is rich in history and the museums offer a great place to explore it.

From the owner: Preserving and maintaining Camden County's history from before our separation from Pasquotank on…read moreMay 9, 1777 to present day. Appointments can be made with our genealogist who helps find relatives as far back as the early 1800's. Tour the 1910 Historic Jail with it's original bull pen upstairs.

This place is pretty amazing even if you're not a history buff. Kids enjoyed the place. There's…read moreunmark parking available. Picnic tables available for a luncheon. They have a visitor center for all your questions. They offer ghost tours as well! If you're in the area definitely stop by and check it out!

Built in the 1600's. At one time the largest private dwelling in colonial America. One of 3 large…read moreplantations. 17 fireplaces, 33 bedrooms! Burned down in 1916. This house has been through a lot over the past centuries. A nice stop to see an interesting architectural feat. Stop by the visitor's center for admission and information about this mansions previous grandeur and storied history.

Built in 1894 for Mr. James Wilson Hunter & wife Lizzie. Hunter was a prominent merchant, banker &…read morecivic leader. The home is restored close to original and is in private foundation. Located in the Freemason District, one of the original neighborhoods in Norfolk. Beautiful two story eclectic nineteenth century homes line the street. Parking is off street. Hours Wednesday-Saturday 10 AM to 3:30 PM Sunday 12:30-3:30 PM. Ring the door bell and wait for a guide to answer. Admission is $5 adult, $4 senior, $1 child. No pictures are not permitted inside the home. Gift store on the third floor. Definitely a hidden gem off the beaten path that I have enjoyed over the years. Worthy for visitors and locals alike to check out.

Beautiful Victorian home that offers both guided and self-guided tours. Extremely knowledgeable and…read morefriendly staff were able to share fascinating details about the family and customs of the time. Definitely worth a trip when visiting Norfolk!

Not as tall as the "ocean" lighthouses on the Outer Banks such as Hatteras and Bodie Island,…read moreRoanoke Marshes protects traffic on the Shallowbag Bay and the Croaton Sound in Manteo. This building was completed in 2004 and is a faithful replica of the original 1877 lighthouse that was decommissioned in 1955 and ultimately lost during an attempted relocation. A number of screw piles (long iron pilings twisted into the soft, marshy bottom to offer stability in shallow waters) support the lighthouse, a square, cottage-style structure. The muddy terrain and shifting shoals of the Croatan Sound were especially well-suited to this design. The building has clapboard siding, a gabled roof, and a small lantern room in the middle of the roof ridge. Its small and welcoming size, which is more akin to a beach house than a soaring beacon, enhances its allure and accessibility. The lighthouse's interior is filled with marine antiques and informative displays that honor the area's nautical past. The building itself, which provides a tactile sense of coastal life and lighthouse keeping, is open for investigation, even if the spiral staircase leading to the lantern room is normally locked to the public. The beacon continues its tradition of directing vessels through the sound by using a contemporary LED system, having previously been driven by a fourth-order Fresnel lens. There is lots of street parking in this part of Manteo and lots to explore nearby. [Review 810 of 2025 - 4242 in North Carolina - 24370 overall]

This is a cute little light house right in Downtown Manteo. It's walkable from all the shops and…read moreyou can walk inside for a free mini education on the history of the lighthouse. The long deck walk was sturdy and can accommodate those less mobile and I believe, strollers. Grab a few photos prior to walking out to see it and enjoy! This is one of the reasons I love the Outer Banks! Nothing beats that breeze on your face and the sound of the water!