Moon Coastal Carolinas
Page 15
Lake Waccamaw
JONES LAKE STATE PARK
North of Whiteville on Highway 701 is Elizabethtown, location of Jones Lake State Park (4117 Hwy. 242, Elizabethtown, 910/588-4550, http://ncparks.gov, office Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm, park Nov.-Feb. daily 8am-6pm, Mar.-May and Sept.-Oct. daily 8am-8pm, June-Aug. daily 8am-9pm). Visitors can go boating on Jones Lake, either in their own craft (no motors over 10 hp), or in canoes or paddleboats rented from the park ($5 per hour, $3 each additional hour). The lake is also great for swimming Memorial Day to Labor Day, with shallow, cool water and a sandy beach. There are a concession stand and a bathhouse at the beach. Camping is available in a wooded area, with drinking water and restrooms nearby. Visit the park’s website for the rather complicated pricing system.
SINGLETARY LAKE STATE PARK
Singletary Lake State Park (6707 Hwy. 53 E., Kelly, 910/669-2928, http://ncparks.gov, daily 8am-5pm, free), north of Lake Waccamaw in Kelly, centers around one of the largest of the Carolina bays, the 572-acre Singletary Lake, which lies within the Bladen Lakes State Forest. There is no individual camping allowed, although there are facilities for large groups—including the entrancingly named Camp Ipecac—which date from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) era. There is a nice one-mile hiking trail, the CCC-Carolina Bay Loop Trail, and a 500-foot pier extending over the bay. Some of the cypress trees here are estimated to have been saplings when the first English colonists set foot on Roanoke Island.
LUMBER RIVER STATE PARK
Lumber River State Park (2819 Princess Ann Rd., Orrum, 910/628-4564, http://ncparks.gov, Mar.-May, Sept.-Oct. 8am-8pm, June-Aug. 8am-9pm, Nov.-Feb. 8am-6pm, free) has 115 miles of waterways, with numerous put-ins for canoes and kayaks. The river, referred to as the Lumber or Lumbee River, or, in areas farther upstream, Drowning Creek, traverses both the coastal plain region and the eastern edge of the Sandhills. Camping is available at unimproved walk-in and canoe-in sites.
Food
If you pass through Tabor City, don’t neglect to have a meal at the S Todd House (102 Live Oak St., 910/653-3778, www.todd-house.com, Mon.-Fri. 11am-8pm, Sun. 11am-3pm, $12), which has been serving fine country cooking since 1923. The Todds are one of the oldest families in the area along the state line, and the first in the restaurant business was Mary Todd, who took to cooking meals for visiting tobacco buyers. Through her daughter’s time, and a couple of subsequent owners, the Todd House has continued to serve famously good barbecue, fried chicken, and other down-home specialties. The wonderful pies are available for purchase, so pick one up for the road.
There’s a take-out counter in Whiteville that chowhounds will drive an hour out of their way to reach because it’s said to have the best burgers anywhere around. Next to the railroad tracks, Ward’s Grill (706 S. Madison St., 910/642-2004, Mon.-Tues. and Thurs. 7am-2pm, Wed. 7am-1pm, 1st 2 Sat. of the month 7am-noon, $8) has no seating, just a walk-up counter. Its burgers are famous, as are its chili dogs.
In Lumberton, try Fuller’s Old-Fashion BBQ (3201 Roberts Ave., Lumberton, 910/738-8694, www.fullersbbq.com, Mon.-Sat. 11am-9pm, Sun. 11am-4pm, lunch buffet $7, dinner buffet $9.50). Fuller’s has a great reputation for its barbecue, but it also makes all sorts of country specialties like chicken gizzards and chitterlings, and a special 12-layer cake.
Transportation
This section of Southeastern North Carolina is bisected by I-95, the largest highway on the East Coast. I-95 passes just outside both Fayetteville and Lumberton. Major east-west routes include U.S. 74, which crosses the Cape Fear at Wilmington and proceeds through Lake Waccamaw and Whiteville to pass just south of Lumberton and Pembroke, going to Laurinburg. Highway 87 goes through Elizabethtown, where you can choose to branch off onto Highway 211 to Lumberton, or bear north on Highway 87 to Fayetteville.
FAYETTEVILLE
Fayetteville is North Carolina’s sixth-largest city, and in its own quiet way has always been one of the state’s most powerful engines of growth and change. In the early 1700s it became a hub for settlement by Scottish immigrants, who helped build it into a major commercial center. From the 1818 initiation of steamboat travel between Fayetteville and Wilmington along the Cape Fear—initially a voyage of six days!—to the building of the Plank Road, a huge boon to intrastate commerce, Fayetteville was well connected to commercial resources all through the Carolinas.
At a national level, Fayetteville serves as the location of two high-level military installations. Fort Bragg is the home of the XVIII Airborne Corps, the 82nd Airborne, the Delta Force, and the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. As such, it’s also the home of many widows and children of soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pope Air Force Base is nearby, the home of the 43rd Airlift Wing and its Maintenance, Support, and Operations Groups.
Sights
The Museum of the Cape Fear Regional Complex (801 Arsenal Ave., 910/486-1330, www.ncdcr.gov/ncmcf, Tues.-Sat. 10am-5pm, Sun. 1pm-5pm, free) has three components, each telling different stories of Fayetteville’s history. The museum itself has exhibits on the history and prehistory of the region, including its vital role in developing transportation in the state, as well as its centrality as a military center. There is an 1897 house museum, the Poe House, which belonged to Edgar Allen Poe—not Edgar Allan, the writer, but Edgar Allen, a brickyard owner. The third section is the 4.5-acre Arsenal Park, site of a federal arms magazine built in 1836, claimed by the Confederacy in 1861, and destroyed by General Sherman in 1865.
The Airborne and Special Operations Museum (100 Bragg Blvd., 910/643-2766, www.asomf.org, Fri.-Sat. 10am-5pm, Sun. noon-5pm, free) is an impressive facility that presents the history of Special Ops paratroopers, from the first jump in 1940 to the divisions’ present-day roles abroad in peacekeeping missions and war. In the museum’s theater you can watch an amazing film of what it looks like when a paratrooper makes the jump, and the 24-seat Pitch, Roll, and Yaw Vista-Dome Motion Simulator makes the experience even more exciting.
the Airborne and Special Operations Museum
The JFK Special Warfare Museum (Bldg. D-2502, Ardennes St. and Marion St., Fort Bragg, 910/432-4272, www.jfkwebstore.com, Tues.-Sun. 11am-4pm, ID required) tells the story of further amazing facets of the U.S. military, including Special Ops and Psychological Ops. The museum focuses on the Vietnam War era, but chronicles unconventional warfare from colonial times to the present.
Going back farther in time, the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry Armory and Museum (210 Burgess St., 910/433-1612, by appointment, free) displays artifacts from the history of the Light Infantry. The Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry (FILI) is still active, dedicated as North Carolina’s official historic military command, a ceremonial duty. But in its active-duty days, which began in 1793, FILI had some exciting times, particularly during the Civil War. In addition to the military artifacts, this museum also exhibits a carriage in which the Marquis de Lafayette was shown around Fayetteville—the only one of the towns bearing his name that he actually visited.
The 79-acre Cape Fear Botanical Garden (536 N. Eastern Blvd., 910/486-0221, www.capefearbg.org, Mar.-mid-Dec. Mon.-Sat. 10am-5pm, Sun. noon-5pm, mid-Dec.-Feb. Mon.-Sat. 10am-5pm, $10 adults, $5 children) is one of the loveliest horticultural sites in North Carolina. The camellia and azalea gardens are spectacular sights in the early spring, but the variety of plantings and environments represented makes the whole park a delight. Along the banks of the Paw Paw River and Cross Creek, visitors will find dozens of garden environments, including lily gardens, hosta gardens, woods, a bog, and an 1880s farmhouse garden. Without a doubt, this is the prettiest place in Fayetteville.
Cross Creek Cemetery (North Cool Spring St. and Grove St., 800/255-8217, daily dawn-dusk) is an attractively sad spot, the resting place of many Scottish men and women who crossed the ocean to settle the Cape Fear. Though all kinds of people were buried here over the years, it is the oldest section that is most poignant, where one stone after another commemorates Mr. or Mrs. Mac-So-a
nd-So, Late of Glasgow or Perth, Merchant in This Town.
Entertainment and Events
The Cameo Theatre (225 Hay St., 910/486-6633, www.cameoarthouse.com) is a cool old early-20th-century movie house, originally known as the New Dixie. Today it is “Fayetteville’s alternative cinematic experience,” a place for independent and art-house movies.
The Cape Fear Regional Theatre (1209 Hay St., 910/323-4233, www.cfrt.org) began in 1962 as a tiny company with a bunch of borrowed equipment. Today it is a major regional theater with a wide reputation. Putting on several major productions each season, with a specialty in popular musicals, it draws actors and directors from around the country, but maintains its heart here in the Fayetteville arts community.
Fayetteville’s late-April Dogwood Festival features rock, pop, and beach music bands; a dog show; a recycled art show; a “hogs and rags spring rally”; and the selection and coronation of Miss, Teen Miss, Young Miss, and Junior Miss Dogwood Festival.
Accommodations and Food
Fayetteville’s lodging options are mostly chain motels, a multitude of which can be found at I-95’s Fayetteville exits. You’ll generally find a pretty reasonable deal at the old standards, but if you’d like to stay somewhere with more personality, Wilmington and Raleigh are both easily accessible.
Likewise, the city’s dining choices tend toward highway chains. There are some exceptions; the S Hilltop House (1240 Fort Bragg Rd., 910/484-6699, www.hilltophousenc.com, lunch Mon.-Sat. 11am-2pm, dinner Mon.-Thurs. 5pm-9pm, Fri.-Sat. 5pm-10pm, brunch Sun. 10:30am-2:30pm, $15-25) serves hearty fare in an elegant setting, has complimentary wine tasting Tuesday evening, and was recognized in 2007 with a Wine Spectator Award for Excellence—not surprising, given that the Hilltop House has a 74-page wine list. More casual is the Mash House (4150 Sycamore Dairy Rd., 910/867-9223, www.themashhouse.com, Mon.-Thurs. 5pm-10pm, Fri. 5pm-11pm, Sat. noon-11pm, Sun. noon-9pm $8-16), which has a good variety of pizzas and sandwiches as well as heavier entrées and a selection of good homemade brews.
Information and Services
Cape Fear Valley Health Services (1638 Owen Dr., 910/615-4000, www.capefearvalley.com) is a large hospital complex with acute care services, a major cardiac care program, and everything else one would expect from a major regional hospital.
The website of the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (www.visitfayettevillenc.com) is an excellent source of visitor information for this city. You’ll find the basics as well as detailed driving tours, extensive historical information, and much more.
Transportation
Fayetteville is a short hop off I-95. Fayetteville is also easily reached by Highway 24 via Jacksonville, Warsaw, and Clinton. Fayetteville Regional Airport (FAY, 400 Airport Rd., 910/433-1160, flyfay.ci.fayetteville.nc.us) has daily flights to Charlotte, Atlanta, and Washington DC on Delta and US Airways. The city is served by Amtrak (472 Hay St., 800/872-7245, www.amtrak.com, daily 10am-5:45pm and 10pm-5:45am) via the regional Palmetto and the New York-Miami Silver Meteor lines.
umbrellas at Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand
HIGHLIGHTS
HISTORY
PLANNING YOUR TIME
ORIENTATION
Sights
S BROADWAY AT THE BEACH
MYRTLE BEACH BOARDWALK AND PROMENADE
S BAREFOOT LANDING
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF SOUTH CAROLINA
FAMILY KINGDOM AMUSEMENT AND WATER PARK
RIPLEY’S BELIEVE IT OR NOT!
WACCATEE ZOOLOGICAL FARM
S OCEAN DRIVE BEACH
CHERRY GROVE PIER
LA BELLE AMIE VINEYARD
TOURS
Entertainment and Events
NIGHTLIFE
SHAG DANCING
SHOWS
CINEMA
FESTIVALS AND EVENTS
Shopping
BROADWAY AT THE BEACH
BAREFOOT LANDING
THE MARKET COMMON
MALLS
DISCOUNT BEACHWEAR
OUTLET MALLS
Sports and Recreation
ON THE WATER
ON LAND
SPECTATOR SPORTS
Accommodations
UNDER $150
$150-300
VACATION RENTALS
CAMPING
Food
BREAKFAST
BARBECUE, BURGERS, AND STEAKS
CLASSIC SOUTHERN
CONTINENTAL
ITALIAN
MEXICAN
SEAFOOD
Information and Services
Transportation
GETTING THERE
GETTING AROUND
Points Inland
CONWAY
LEWIS OCEAN BAY HERITAGE PRESERVE
The Lower Grand Strand
SIGHTS
EVENTS
SHOPPING
SPORTS AND RECREATION
ACCOMMODATIONS
FOOD
INFORMATION AND SERVICES
Georgetown and Vicinity
HISTORY
SIGHTS
ENTERTAINMENT AND EVENTS
SPORTS AND RECREATION
ACCOMMODATIONS
FOOD
INFORMATION AND SERVICES
GETTING THERE AND AROUND
view of downtown from the beach.
Highlights
Look for S to find recommended sights, activities, dining, and lodging.
S Broadway at the Beach: You’ll find good cheesy fun along with tons of interesting shops, theme restaurants, and, of course, miniature golf (click here).
S Barefoot Landing: North Myrtle Beach’s answer to Broadway at the Beach, with the Alabama Theatre and the House of Blues nearby (click here).
S Ocean Drive Beach: The still-beating, still-shuffling heart of the Grand Strand is also the center of shag dancing culture (click here).
S Carolina Opry: This popular show offers corny but quality family entertainment in an intimate, friendly setting (click here).
S Brookgreen Gardens: Enjoy the country’s largest collection of outdoor sculptures, set amid a fine collection of formal gardens (click here).
S Huntington Beach State Park: The scenic beach combines with one-of-a-kind Atalaya Castle to make a unique getaway (click here).
S Hampton Plantation: This historic Georgian mansion on the scenic Wambaw Creek inspired a South Carolina poet laureate to give it to the state for posterity (click here).
The West has Las Vegas, Florida has Orlando, and South Carolina has Myrtle Beach.
There’s no Bellagio Resort or Magic Kingdom here, but Myrtle Beach remains the number-one travel destination in the state, with even more visitors than Charleston. Unlike Charleston, you’ll find little history here. With several theme parks, 100 golf courses, 50 miniature golf courses, over 2,000 restaurants—not to mention miles of beautiful shoreline—Myrtle Beach is built for all-out vacation enjoyment.
The hot, hazy height of the summer also marks the busy season on the Strand. Its long main drag, Kings Highway (a.k.a. Business U.S. 17), is packed full of families on the go eager for more swimming, more shopping, more eating, and just plain more.
While to many people the name Myrtle Beach conjures an image of tacky, downscale people doing tacky, downscale things, that’s an outmoded stereotype. Tacky is certainly still in vogue here, but an influx of higher-quality development, both in accommodations and entertainment value, has lifted the bar significantly. Rather than slumming in a beat-up motel, quaffing PBR on the beach, and loading up on $2 T-shirts like in the “good old days,” a typical Myrtle Beach vacation now involves a stay in a large condo apartment with flat-screen TVs, a full kitchen, and a sumptuous palmetto-lined pool; dining at the House of Blues; having drinks at the Hard Rock Café; stops at high-profile attractions like Ripley’s Aquarium; and shopping at trendy retailers like Anthropologie and Abercrombie & Fitch.
The Grand Strand on which Myrtle Beach sits—a long, sandy
peninsula stretching 60 miles from Winyah Bay to the North Carolina border—has also been a vacation playground for generations of South Carolinians. Unlike Hilton Head, where New York and Midwestern accents are more common than Lowcountry drawls, Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand remain largely homegrown passions, with many visitors living within a few hours’ drive. Despite the steady increase of money and high-dollar development in the area, its strongly regional nature works to your advantage in that prices are generally lower than in Vegas or Orlando.
To the south of Myrtle proper lies the understated, affluent, and relaxing Pawleys Island, with nearby Murrells Inlet and its great seafood restaurants. Unique, eclectic Brookgreen Gardens hosts the largest collection of outdoor sculpture in the country, with one-of-a-kind Huntington Beach State Park literally right across the street.
Even farther south, in the northern quarter of the Lowcountry proper, you’ll find a totally different scene: the remnants of the Carolina rice culture in quaint old Georgetown, and the haunting antebellum mansions at Hampton Plantation and Hopsewee Plantation.
HISTORY
The Grand Strand was once the happy hunting and shellfish-gathering grounds of the Waccamaw people, whose legacy is still felt today in the name of the dominant river in the region and the Strand’s main drag itself, Kings Highway, which is actually built on an old Native American trail.
The southern portion of the Strand, especially Georgetown and Pawleys Island, rapidly became home to a number of rice plantations soon after the area was colonized. However, the area now known as Myrtle Beach didn’t share in the wealth since its soil and topography weren’t conducive to the plantation system. Indeed, the northern portion of the Grand Strand was largely uninhabited during colonial times, and hurricane damage prevented much development through the first half of the 19th century.