Lynda Oden and her family have been running Oden’s Store since 1904 Oden’s Store and Antiques is chock full of treasures: depression glass, old tools, furniture from the turn of the last century, old doors, some junk, but all of it is interesting. It is the kind of place where you have to poke around… Read more
Local Attractions
Updated: 10/08/25 Every year on the first weekend in November, the Yankees and the Rebels fight the Battle of Fort Branch on the banks of the Roanoke River near Hamilton in eastern North Carolina. Reenactment is November 1 & 2, 2025 I took a video of the battle. That day everywhere I went several children… Click to learn about the bloody Battle of Ft. Branch
The Sign Says it Best: “Blow horn for ferry.” See the tiny house across the river? That is the other ferry dock. The San Souci Cable Ferry crosses the Cashie River in eastern North Carolina near Windsor in Bertie County. Lest you ever try to tell anyone about this ferry, first — you must have… Read more
Eastern North Carolina might seem laid back and slow with nothing to do. What a fallacy! If you like history, canoeing, hiking, fishing, golfing, birding, antiqueing, outdoor dramas, eating local seafood and road food with Norman Rockwell scenes – then you will love Eastern North Carolina. Visit one of our charming coastal towns – watch… Read more
The mystery – What happened to the Lost Colony? Are they in Manteo or maybe still in eastern North Carolina? In 1587, a colony of 120 souls established the first English Colony in this new world on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Three years later when John White returned from England with supplies, the colony had… Read more
Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park is a fascinating world of birds There are more than two thousand birds from six continents in Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park located in Scotland Neck in eastern North Carolina. It is truly a bird watcher’s paradise! In fact, it features the largest collection of waterfowl in the world. Founder Mike Lubbock… Read more
In spring we celebrate the beautiful Sage plant. Bertie County and the surrounding counties in eastern North Carolina grow 15,000 acres of Clary Sage. This sage is in the Salvia family; I remember my mother calling the red salvia that is so popular “scarlet sage.” Clary Sage is a beautiful plant that grows upright and… Click to learn more about growning and using Clary Sage
The mighty Roanoke River is heaven for the Rock Fish Fisherman Check for dates for when the Roanoke River basin is open for Rock Fish fishing or Stripers with some rules, of course. The minimum limit is 18 inches and only one river bass above 27 inches can be kept, in the creel, as they… Click to get Rock Fish Stew Recipe
You can smell the vinegar & red pepper before you enter the door of the Skylight Inn in Ayden, North Carolina Since 1947, Pete Jones and family have been serving this tasty eastern North Carolina style barbecue (always pork) to locals and folks who are willing to travel long distances. They cook whole hogs, over… Read more
In summer, folks flock to farmer’s markets to get all those fresh fruits and vegetables. In small towns we grow our own and go to roadside stands. And in very small towns, we count on the farmer who sits by the road in the back of his pickup truck loaded with things from his large… Read more
