The only screw-pile lighthouse still standing in North Carolina is the Roanoke River Lighthouse…read morenear Edenton, a unique and durable piece of maritime history. It was constructed in 1886 and lit in 1887 with the intention of directing ships into the Roanoke River from the Albemarle Sound. An inventive answer to the delicate, changing soils of coastal rivers was its distinctive screw-pile foundation, which consisted of steel pilings that were physically screwed into the riverbed. In contrast to the majority of lighthouses of its type, this one was two floors tall and had a lantern tower with a fourth-order Fresnel lens positioned on a corner of the roof instead of in the middle. The Coast Guard sold the lighthouse to Elijah Tate in 1955 after it was discontinued in 1941 because of dwindling river traffic. The building was severely damaged by Hurricane Isabel in 2003, which led to a preservation effort. With the help of the public and private sectors, the Edenton Historical Commission bought it in 2007, relocated it to Colonial Waterfront Park, and repaired it. It now proudly sits on Edenton's port as a museum and a testament to the tenacity of the local community and historical preservation. The lighthouse is free to tour and the "grounds" are accessible 24 hours. It is well worth a stop. I'm only bummed that I wasn't here to see it at sunrise or at sunset as I am sure it is quite magical. [Round number review 24000 overall - 841 of 2025 - 4271 in North Carolina]

Very cute and quaint lighthouse in an amazing part of North Carolina! The history is fascinating,…read morethe building is well-preserved, and the surrounding waterfront views make it a great stop to explore and take photos.

The Barker House in Edenton, North Carolina, is a storied landmark that blends architectural…read moreelegance with deep historical resonance. Built in 1782 for Thomas and Penelope Barker, the home originally stood two blocks north of its current location and began as a modest Federal-style parlor wing and half hall. Penelope Barker is best known for organizing the Edenton Tea Party in 1774, a bold act of protest in which 51 women signed a petition against British taxation--making it one of the earliest political demonstrations by women in America. Unlike the Boston Tea Party, these women signed their names and sent the petition directly to King George III, drawing international attention and criticism from British newspapers. Since relocated (yes, they moved it two blocks), it now serves as Edenton's Welcome Center and the headquarters of the Edenton Historical Commission. Stop in for information about Edenton sights and history. I wasn't staying long here, but I was helped by friendly folks who clearly love their town. [Review 839 of 2025 - 4269 in North Carolina - 24398 overall]

We were greeted by an excellent curator that provided us a very warm Welcome into the Barker House…read more The house is a beautiful step back in time with period antiques and a very nice gift shop. I purchased a Tea House cookbook and was amazed by the recipes along with beautiful historical notes of the area. You must stop in while visiting Edenton!

This stuff is phenomenal! It is beautiful, well deserved, well maintained, and well staffed. The…read moreRoanoke River is absolutely gorgeous and the accompanying grounds are immaculate. There is the Welcome Center there that we went into and the women were total sweethearts. It didn't appear that they got much business because they were very glad to hear that the three of us were all from different cities in Florida so when we signed the register book it was three different cities along with three different names. These women were totally in character for this part of the country and you could feel the butter melt with their warmth and kindness. The National refuge was really unexpected and quite beautiful. It was informational and educational. This was one of the best stops we unexpectedly made on our road trip. Just goes to show you never know what you're going to find when you pull over and stop in to someplace new, no matter where it is in the country. What's a girl to do? Hey, when you're on a road trip you want to stop and see and do everything so take your time and see as much as you can.

The Cashie River Center at the Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge is an amazing, little-known…read moreresource in the area. I live just 20 miles away and had overlooked the place. I didn't know what I was missing! It has a nice little museum-type display inside with info about local wildlife--animals and plants. The carry all the science type of stuff that you'd expect, and it fascinated my daughter. The people who work there are volunteers, and they are absolutely knowledgable about the area. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, I discovered that they give free nature boat rides in the summer. I will def come back for that when it starts for the season.

Bless our National Park staff. They have to deal with some terrible humans, as we witnessed the day…read morewe were there. But it was handled well and we enjoyed our time here. There is a ton to see in the visitor center and even more on the other side of Kill Devil Hill (the big hill with monument) They have a Veterans discount in the gift shop!

We were so happy we stopped here. The walk up to the memorial is steep at times, but there are…read moremultiple paths to take so others may have been more gradual, but it was part of the experience to step up to where these brothers flew their first flight. Do stop in even just to drive around, it was beautiful!

What a unique experience I had finding this place…read more I had posted on Facebook that I was in town from LA and a friend from 30 years ago, then at first met at my first job in California randomly responded about the Old Burying Ground and said I should visit it. We were downtown and hitting a couple spots, and I was mentioning to my friend that lives locally about her response and it came right at the same exact moment that we were passing the cemetery and she pointed it out, so we quickly stopped and backed up and parked, and took a venture inside, mainly to see the girl that was buried in a barrel of rum, holy cow when you see the age of some of these graves and realize how extremely old they are, and you really quickly getting a sense of the magnitude of the history of the place. It is well worth your time to visit and explore.

Beautiful , historic graveyard . If you love history this burying ground is definitely worth a stop…read more. Plan to spend around 30 minutes here , maybe longer if you take your time to read the tombstones . It's a well kept graveyard but be sure to watch your step as the terrain is uneven in some areas . If you really want to learn more about the town's oldest graveyard , you can take a tour offered by the Beaufort Historical Association . Go to the website or visit the Beaufort Historical Center on Turner Street for more info . It's a peaceful final resting place for hundreds of notable people , soldiers , seaman and most notably , the Rum Girl .

Continuing my drive to Virginia Beach along the back roads of eastern North Carolina, this marker…read moreat the intersection was easy to read because there's really not much information on it. It reads, "Scotch Hall - Plantation setting for the novel "Bertie" by George R. Throop (1851), tutor in the family of Geo. W. Capehart. House built 1838 is 8 mi. S.E." Online, there is more information. The web page reads, "Cullen Capehart purchased vast tracts of land in Bertie County in the early nineteenth century, eventually owning the entire peninsula between the Albemarle Sound and Salmon Creek. The property on which his son, George Washington Capehart, built his home was acquired about 1818. That property had been owned by William Maule, Surveyor General and a member of the colonial assembly. Maule is credited with having named the property Scots Hall, as it is named in his 1726 will. George Capehart built "Scotch Hall," overlooking Albemarle Sound, in 1838. Both George and Cullen Capeheart, whose adjoining plantation was known as Avoca, worked the farmland together and eventually operated a fishery at Batchelor's Bay. In 1849 George Capehart hired George Higby Throop of New York to tutor his children. Throop lived with the family at "Scotch Hall" for about seven months and later wrote two novels based on his experiences at the Capehart plantation. Throop's books, Nags Head (1850) and Bertie: or, Life in the Old Field (1851), were published under the pseudonym Capt. Gregory Seaworthy. Throop's novel Bertie provides a rare and valuable glimpse at nineteenth century "Scotch Hall." The Capeharts left their home in the hands of a caretaker during the Civil War. The caretaker and his family, the Smiths, kept Union troops at bay and witnessed the Battle of Batchelor's Bay while at "Scotch Hall." Family tradition is that naval ordnance could be found on the property after the war. Remarkably, "Scotch Hall" has remained in the Capehart family." [Review 11860 overall, 1642 of 2019.]

One of our mornings while at the beach, my wife and I got up early and drove down to Fort Macon…read moreState Park. We were told this would be a good spot to find trails to go for a short run, and it was true. There was plenty of trails, to safely walk and run on, rather than along the busy road with beach bums driving by at crazy speeds. There is plenty of parking and nicely maintained trails we found. After our run, we decided to poke into the fort it self, which was free to enter, and we explored some of the space, and some of the educations exhibits. They had a little bit of something for everyone, and tried to make the visitors center exciting and fun for kids. I'd 100% visit this spot again, maybe when it's not so hot, but either way, we enjoyed our visit. The park and fort are well maintained, and preserved, with clean restrooms, and staff to answer any questions you might have.

Okay, this place is quite the gem of beaches in the area. Tons of free parking. Lots of shelters…read morewith grills. Convenient and clean bathrooms. Even a massive covered shelter with a snack bar and lockers to keep your stuff in. Oh yeah, did I mention all of this is FREE?? Even at 3:00pm, the beach wasn't over crowded and there was plenty of parking. On rainy days, you can forgo the beach and check out the Fort Macon museum. There are even trails you can walk! Not hard to spend an entire day here! There were park rangers patrolling to keep everyone safe and maintain the beauty of the park. Not much more you can ask for.

We stumbled upon this landmark as we were making our way around the Nauticus/USS Wisconsin by the…read morewater to go to the Pagoda & Foundation Park. This is located in Wisconsin Square near the Harbour Place Condos. Fun fact: according to the Downtown Norfolk website, this bell is one of the last remaining pieces of the "Norfolk" destroyer. Some parts of the ships is in a high school in Florida and the rest of the ship was scrapped in 1974. I always appreciate a piece of history being documented and shared with the public for all to enjoy. Stay safe, Friends!

The Battle of Newport Barracks Civil War Memorial in Downtown Newport represents the life at a…read moremilitary barracks during the Civil War. Admission is free but they do accept donations. A parking lot is available as well. The Newport Barracks was a Civil War Outpost that guarded a railroad trestle bridge. The railroad was used as a supply line to get supplies and equipment to New Bern. 900 Union soldiers tried to hold off 2500 Confederate soldiers who were there from Wilmington trying to regain control over New Bern. They fought for over ten hours before retreating but set fire to the depot and the railroad and bridges to destroy equipment and supplies. .

This is a great representation of a Civil War Confederate Camp. They have a cannon, several tents…read moreand other items from camp life. I especially like the cooking examples as well as the wash area and blacksmith shop. They have buildings there made of local materials and with craftmanship which has withstood the test of time. I will take some of these ideas home to put into practice in my own yard. The demonstration camp is a sobering reminder of the hard work and ultimate sacrifice Americans gave during this turbulent time in our history. Remembering is important. This camp provides and opportunity for Americans and visitors of all ages to see back in time and reflect. Well worth the time while in Newport, whose old town has other treasures to discover!