From: marylamb@carson.u.washington.edu (Mary Lamb)
Subject: North Carolina trip (rather long)
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 00:17:29 GMT

A few months ago, I asked for advice on what to see and do in
North Carolina.  My husband and I made the trip in mid-October. 
We had a wonderful time, and the advice I got from the net was
really a big help.  We saw some other things that nobody had
mentioned, but I would recommend to North Carolina visitors, and
to residents, if you haven't seen them.  Here's a list of some of
the places we visited and some of the things we did.

Raleigh
      The North Carolina Museum of History, the North Carolina
Museum of Natural Science, and the State Capitol.  We visited the
North Carolina Museum of Art twice; the second time, we ate lunch
in the museum cafe.  We enjoyed the walking tour of the Oakwood
neighborhood (houses built around the turn of the century, many
of them restored or in the process of restoration).  The NC State
Arboretum.  I didn't get to see as many gardens as I had hoped,
but the North Carolina State Fair had a very interesting garden
section.

Durham
      We didn't spend very much time in Durham, but we did go to
Duke University Chapel.  We weren't there at the right time to
hear the carillon or the Flentrop organ.  Next time, we'll spend
longer in Durham.

Chapel Hill
      UNC campus and Ackland Museum of Art.  We ate lunch at the
Carolina Coffee Shop on Franklin Street, where the coffee was the
best I had had since I left home.  The waitress told us the
coffee came from Broad Street (a shop that also sells wine) and
directed us to a second-hand book store (The Bookshop, Inc. on
West Franklin) to replenish our supply of reading material for
the flight home.  We drove on to Fearrington Village, where we
had an appointment.  Afterwards we admired the Belted Galloway
cattle and spent some time in McIntyre's Books before eating
dinner at the Market Cafe.  I'd recommend both the book store
(fine selection of books and absolutely wonderful ambiance) and
the Cafe (delicious food, pleasant service and reasonable
prices -- we didn't spring for the expensive Fearrington House
Restaurant, which is expensive and no doubt excellent.) 


Western NC
      In Asheville, Biltmore Estate and Thomas Wolfe Memorial
State Historical Site.  The Blue Ridge Parkway was not crowded so
we drove along quite a bit of it.  Our great thanks to those
people who told us to avoid the weekends.  We had perfect
weather, excellent driving conditions, and breathtaking views. 
I'd recommend a stop at the Folk Art Center on the Parkway, just
north of U. S. 70.  We drove up to Mt. Mitchell, too.  Another
historical site, and nobody mentioned this one, is the Carl
Sandburg Home National Historical Site at Flat Rock.  Definitely
worth a visit.  We drove there from Black Mountain via Bat Cave
and Lake Lure, almost as beautiful as the Parkway.  The Great
Smoky Mountains Railway trip from Dillsboro to Bryson City was
supposed to be by steam locomotive, but wasn't.  Up around Boone
and Blowing Rock, the leaves were really at their peak.  The Mast
General Store at Valle Crucis was interesting.  On the way back
to Raleigh, we stayed overnight in Salisbury.  The 1868 Stewart-
Marsh House Bed and Breakfast was one of the nicest places we
have ever stayed.  Gerry and Chuck Webster are wonderful hosts,
and Salisbury and the nearby Spencer Shops are a great place for
history (and/or railroad) buffs.  We continued on to Seagrove
(nobody mentioned this, either) where there are 40+ potteries. 
We couldn't stop at all of them, so I picked two of them to stop
and look at seriously (and a couple of others just to look).  My
two "serious" potteries were Ben Owen Pottery, where B. Wade Owen
Jr. had us and another couple taken in with a very good Ross
Perot story (and I bought a beautiful little bowl signed by Ben
Owen III) and Westmoore Pottery, where I bought a salt glazed
pitcher and a couple of redware items.  We continued on to the
zoo at Asheboro.  So far, only the Africa section is ready.  They
are working on North America and it should be open in a year or
two. 

Eastern NC
      With a few days left, we decided to make a trip to the
coast.  One of the reasons was to be able to tell a pilot friend
that we had visited Kitty Hawk and the Wright Bros. Memorial. 
The National Park Service does a nice job on things like this. 
We detoured to Roanoke Island, site of the Lost Colony and drove
south to Cape Hatteras light house and Cape Hatteras National
Seashore.  We found the National Seashore more interesting and
attractive than the area around Nag's Head, which seemed to be
crowded with lots and lots of beach houses close together.  It
was too short a trip; we were just in time for the ferries at
Hatteras and Okracoke, so we didn't even take time to explore the
village of Okracoke.  If we ever go again, we'll be sure to take
binoculars to watch the birds, and plan to spend longer.  We
returned to Raleigh via Beaufort, where the houses in the
historic district are labeled with the year they were built, and
where we had an excellent lunch at Beaufort House Restaurant.  I
recommend the seafood gumbo.

We were impressed with the beauty of North Carolina, and the
warmth and friendliness of the people.  Our daughter and her
husband will be there for a while, so we look forward to a return
visit.  Thanks to people on the net for the information and for
the tips, especially about going to the mountains during the
week, rather than on the weekend!

Mary Lamb
University of Washington
Seattle WA
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