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Wilson, North Carolina is a town in the midst of a post-COVID revival. Leading the charge is a strong and supportive art community ready to rival its western sister Asheville. Wilson’s influx of art shops, restaurants, and the infamous Whirligig Park make Wilson a unique destination as part of your regional vacation.
Listen to a summer concert under the spinning folk art sculptures in Whirligig Park, or see over 2,000 birds at the world’s largest waterfowl conservation park. There are fun experiences to be had Down East, North Carolina. Remember, slow down, and create fun and joy where ever you go!
Historic Downtown – Post-COVID Wilson has struggled to recover. With a few empty stores, the ones that remain open need your tourism dollars. The thriving arts community in downtown Wilson is bringing the town back to life.
Thunder Alley – Watch or take part in remote control car racing on an oval dirt track. Thunder Alley is where everyone can be a kid again!
Collin’s Produce and Flower Farm – Bring your camera to Collin’s Produce and Flower Farm and tiptoe through the spring tulips or the fall sunflower maze. Pick up produce at the Wilson farmer’s market, in historic downtown spring through early fall on Saturdays. If you have the pleasure of meeting Collin, and his lovely wife, you will feel his drive, dedication, ingenuity and passion for his agricultural endeavors. Ask him about how he got started in farming. It’s a truly inspiring story!
Rocky Mount Mills – Located in nearby Rocky Mount, parallel to the Tar River, Rocky Mount Mills, originally built as a mill in 1818 and rebuilt after several fire and closures, is a dining and brewery dream. With many restaurants, breweries, and bottle shops to choose from, brew incubators like Koi Pond Brewing Company, Tarboro Brewing Company, HopFly Brewing, and many others, thrive in this restored cotton mill campus. In cooperation with Nash Community College, brewers can lease space, equipment and receive education to jumpstart their brewing business. The exterior walls of Rocky Mount Mills are adorned with stunning photos, part of The Black Light Project, showcasing unsung community heroes.
Sylvan Heights Bird Park – Located in nearby Scotland Neck, NC, with over 2,000 birds, Sylvan Heights Bird Park is the premier waterfowl conservation program in the world. The walk-through aviaries allow you to see birds from around the world up close, and even feed parakeets and flamingos.
Stith-Talbert Park – Located in nearby Rocky Mount, Tom Stith Park, at Spruce St. and Albemarle Ave., is home to the longest single span wooden bridge in the US. The bridge is in great condition, but hidden away in the Nearby Martin Luther King Jr. gave his November 27, 1962 speech in a gym where he delivered the “I have a dream” refrain from his Lincoln Memorial address. Also nearby, in 1978, the Sanitation Strike held and led by African American workers and civil rights leaders.
Nash County Farmer’s Market – Located in nearby Rocky Mount, walk the aisles of farm fresh fruits, vegetables, handmade goods, and fresh seafood in a new facility.
Down East North Carolina has unrivaled culinary creativity and diverse dishes. Find redemption in these treats and don’t wait in line when you can tailgate.
Treat Yo’ Self Bakery – Made fresh daily, Treat Yo’ Self Bakery offers gluten-free and low sugar items plus a large selection of bakery items and specialty drinks. All of their napkins, utensils, cups and lids are 100% biodegradable.
Ruckus & Redemption – Ruckus & Redemption’s redeeming quality is the Sunday Brunch, a combination of fresh fruits and American comfort staples accented with unique cocktails like the Elderflower Mimosa. Their daily menu is expertly crafted to focus on what they do best. I highly recommend the fried brussel sprouts, pimento cheese starter, and the patty melt. The signature cocktails, from the resident mixologist, are sure to make a ruckus, like the Gunshot Bicycle Man or the Do Not Disturb.
Beefmastor Inn – If you don’t get there early enough to snag one of the tables for dinner, beating the daily rush, you can plan to tailgate in the parking lot with everyone else. At Beefmastor Inn they only serve one cut of steak, and they embrace “doing one thing really well”. You won’t find a better steak in the region, but their food truck steak sandwich might impress you too.
The Prime Smokehouse – Located within Rocky Mount Mills and next to the original mill, The Prime Smokehouse is filled with barbeque dishes with the freshest and most carefully chosen ingredients. I highly recommend the seafood gumbo, smokehouse wings, potatoes au gratin, orange-ginger yams, lasagna, and peach cobbler.
Find your serenity and reconnect with the scenic and expansive spaces in Down East North Carolina, near Wilson, and Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
River and Twine – Live big, sleep small at River and Twine. With 20 tiny homes to choose from, and local guest suites, you too will join the tiny home revolution. Enjoy lawn games, the fire pit, outdoor meals, and enjoy the Mill’s campus of breweries and restaurants.
Wallace Meadows Farm Guest House – Centrally located in Trenton, North Carolina, Wallace Meadows Farm Guest is one of my all-time favorite Airbnbs. Rich and Tisha are amazing and kind hosts. The property is set on 40 acres with cows, chickens, and a donkey. I spent my days feeding the donkey, petting cows, walking the 1-mile trail around the farm, sitting under the pergola, or swinging on the swing watching the sunset. The inside of the house is just as amazing as the outside. This guest house has two bedrooms, expansive views from the master bedroom and living room, comfortable furniture, a well-appointed kitchen, and is one of the cleanest Airbnbs we’ve ever stayed in. If you are ready to breathe in fresh air, feel the peace and serenity of open spaces, and settle into the quiet spaces within, the Wallace Meadows Farm Guest House will heal you, provide respite and joy. We stayed here for a month and drove throughout the east side of North Carolina.
Whirligig Festival – Enjoy this two-day arts festival and celebrate the infamous Wirligig Park.
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This best in show highlights an amazing legacy of passionate soulful cooking, the internationally known kinetic sculptures of a repairman who became a folk-art legend, and a tiny house community leading the way for tiny living in North Carolina.
Things to Do –Whirligig Park & Museum – Located in downtown on a two-acre public park, and internationally known, the Whirligig Park draws tourists from around the world to see the kinetic folk-art sculptures. The sculptures are the creation of Vollis Simpson, a farm machinery repairman who created the sculptures out of metal and reflective scraps. Originally the whirligigs were on his private land, 11 miles outside of Wilson, NC but in 2010 Whirligig Park was created in downtown Wilson, to preserve this international treasure. Though Vollis never thought himself to be an artist, the whirligigs are recognized by the art community including a permanent display at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, the American Folk Art Museum in Manhattan, New York, and even claiming coveted recognition as a window installation in New York’s Bergdorf Goodman’s department store.
Check the events calendar for outdoor concerts and activities and the annual Whirligig Festival. Be sure to hop across the street to the museum/store for more information or even commission your own Whirligig.
Food – The Prime Smokehouse – Located within Rocky Mount Mills and adjacent to the original mill, The Prime Smokehouse is filled with barbeque dishes of the freshest and carefully chosen ingredients. The food is exquisite, meats are fall-off-the-bone-tender, the dishes are soulful, and even the desserts sing with flavor. Part owner, Ed Wiley III pays tribute to his father with photos and a mural of the late Ed Wiley Jr, soulful American saxophone musician, creating the essence of a jazz club. The value is superior, the service is outstanding, and Ed Wiley’s legacy lives on in the passion for cooking and music in his son’s heart.
Accommodations – River and Twine – Located in nearby Rocky Mount, River and Twine joins the tiny house revolution with 20 tiny homes to choose from, and local guest suites. The tiny homes are all unique, designed to optimize the interior space, and exude the essence of fun with “curated album collections, board games and book, and even an Eno hammock”. Expand your living space to the outside, where you can enjoy lawn games, the fire pit, outdoor meals, and meet your other “tiny” neighbors.
Alise’s Favorites and Suggestions –
Duke Lemur Center – I’ve been drawn to Lemurs for decades, and it was a dream come true to enter their enclosure, stand 3 feet from them in awe, as they lived their lemur lives. The center, located in Durham, NC as part of the Duke University campus, houses 14 species and over 200 lemurs, the largest population of lemurs in the world, outside of Madagascar. Lemurs are the most endangered mammal in the world. The impressive outdoor areas, sectioned from over 50 acres of forest, allow the lemurs to play, run, and sun. I know it’s a bit of a drive from the other locations, but it was really life changing for me. They offer tours in the warmer months for the lemur’s safety. I highly recommend this activity.
Down East North Carolina, including Wilson and Rocky Mount North Carolina, are road cycle friendly. Check out the weekly rides, including a ladies’ ride, rides out of Goldsboro, or local cycle races. Make sure to review state laws, stay alert to changing bike lane conditions, and bike accessible roads.
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These items will make your travels memorable.
December 5, 2021
The information provided through this website is for informational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any illness or disease. It is not professionaladvice, nor is it intended to create any type of relationship between us. You should not act on any of the information on this website without seeking professional legal, financial, medical, mental health, travel,or other professionaladvice or care. All subscribers that havejoinedthrough a request for information initiated by the subscriber have the opportunity to opt-out at any time. We are a part of multiple affiliate sales networks; we may be compensated if you (the consumer) choose to utilize the links located throughout ourcontent andour website.By accessing or using this website, you agree to abide by the Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Affiliate Policy. Content may not bereproduced in any form.
