No matter what you think about bears, when someone says, “I saw a bear,” you listen. If you want to see a bear, then you must attend the Black Bear Festival in Plymouth, NC, June 5 & 6, 2026 Increasingly, we are seeing bears here in eastern North Carolina. They are mostly in the coastal… Click to read more about Black Bears and the Black Bear Festival in eastern NC
Things to Do
Strawberry Picking Time Strawberry picking is a spring tradition in eastern North Carolina. Guests at Big Mill B&B Extended Stay have several great options nearby. For pick-your-own strawberries, visit Griffin’s Farm Market on US 17 in Washington, NC – about 15 miles south of Big Mill – or SouthSide Farms in Chocowinity, roughly 25 miles… Read more about strawberry picking in eastern North Carolina
The Message of Easter – free outdoor drama near Williamston, North Carolina 2026 is the 47th year that the folks of Piney Grove Baptist Church in the Farm Life Community near Williamston, NC, have been performing this 90-minute outdoor drama of the life and death of Jesus Christ. North Carolina loves its outdoor dramas. Every… Click to read about the Message of Easter Outdoor Drama in easatern NC
I had never heard of Chicken Mull until a few years ago. And then I found out that the Chicken Mull Festival happens 8 miles from me in Bear Grass, NC, population 69. This year, the festival is on Saturday, October 25, 2025. Chicken Mull – What Is It? 3-4 lb chicken (cut into pieces)3-4… Click to learn the history of Chicken Mull and to see about the Festival
August, 2025 A few years back, my friend Marion and I hiked up Jockey’s Ridge – the tallest living sand dune on the Atlantic coast. Back then, I made it to the top without much fuss. These days? I’d probably need a week and a good pep talk … but I’d still give it a… To See How you can learn Hang Gliding click here
Griffin’s Quick Lunch is an Eastern North Carolina Icon – Sadly Griffin’s has closed…An Icon since the 40’s, it is gone. Griffin’s Quick Lunch, just like many Mom and Pop diners in eastern North Carolina, is a landmark. Unfortunately, we are losing many of these cafes; Williamston is lucky to still have Griffin’s. If… Click to see specialties of the house at Griffin’s Quick Lunch…
Dig for Fossils in Aurora, North Carolina Big kids and little kids like to dig in the dirt. When I was growing up on the farm here in eastern North Carolina, if we dug deep enough we could find a fossil. It was so exciting to get those remnants from the past and to know… Click to read more about Fossils and the Fossil Museum in Aurora, NC
The Hen and The Hog Restaurant in Halifax, NC, is a wonderful surprise. I love to explore local gems and this one is perfect. The restaurant is located in an old hardware store and the old floors remain – no trendy marble tiles here. But don’t be fooled – this is an upscale place; it just… Read more about Hen & Hog
The most easterly Barn Quilt on North Carolina’s Quilt Trail is on the Pack House barn at Big Mill B&B in Williamston, NC. I just love it! I used to go to Quilting Bees with my mother when I was a child. I would play under the quilt all by myself. There were no other… Click to read more about Barn Quilts and Miss Chloe’s LaMoyne Star …
Updated October 2025. Built in 1823, the Ocracoke Lighthouse is North Carolina’s oldest lighthouse still in use. In fact, Ocracoke Lighthouse is the second oldest lighthouse still in use in the entire United States, although this is controversial. It has been in constant use since 1823, except for a brief period during the Civil War when the… Click to Read More about the Ocracoke Lighthouse
