Leaving our anchorage at the top of the Alligator River, the next leg of our journey down the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) was along the lengthy, straight canal to the Pungo River. We had checked the forecast and knew there was some weather coming. While cruising along, the sky darkened, and the light rain began to leave spots on our windows. Then, things got darker still, and the rain came harder. Let’s just say our boat got a serious wash down. The reduced visibility of the rain, darkness, and fog made us feel glad the way was straight and well-marked.
Our next stop, Belhaven, NC, was only a few hours journey away, and with the weather, we were glad we had planned a short day’s cruise. But by the time we docked, skies began clearing, and we were given a beautiful, sunny afternoon. We again felt glad to have planned a short day’s cruise.
With the weather looking better, we strolled up through this cute, little town. It reminded us of Mayberry with some “urban” renewal. The Main Street’s typical mid-century buildings and storefronts looked as if they suffered the same fate as many main streets in towns, large and small, across the country, but here the townsfolk decided to put some effort and money into revitalization. The old City Hall, made of red brick from the early 20th century, houses a museum that curates an eclectic collection.
The old, renovated train station now accommodates the police station. There’s a hardware store that sells everything from wine and North Carolina gifts to shovels and hoses. The River Forest Manor was built as a lavish, private residence and also served as an inn of the finest caliber. Reportedly “past its heyday,” within recent years it’s been purchased and renovated and will, once again, grace this little town with southern charm and economic support. The point here is that the whole thing is typical. What’s not so typical is that it’s not been left to deteriorate. The town’s businesses have done the work needed to stimulate the community.
The old downtown has one traffic light, around which centers the revitalized commercial life. There are shops and tons of restaurants for a town this size, catering to today’s traveler. Even on a Monday evening, we were able to stumble onto one of those. Spoon River Artworks and Restaurant is housed in two old store fronts. The windows present a fairly formal and a bit intimidating shabby chic look. As we strolled past, we looked each other up and down and said, “We can’t go in there… not dressed like this.” We had been hoping for a simple place where we could get beer and appetizers. Noticing they also had a large selection of wines for sale, we were lured in with the idea of picking up a bottle of wine to take back to the boat with us.
As soon as we stepped through the door, the proprietress, a longtime town resident, was there to welcome and guide us. She recognized us right away. She asked, “You folks are boaters?” We wondered how she could tell, and she replied, “Boaters are usually… um… well-attired for the weather.” We were wearing plenty of warm clothing, and all had a giggle about that exchange.
She talked us into sitting down for drinks and appetizers. We were so glad she convinced us to stay. The restaurant is a farm-to-fork place specializing in local food served elegantly and well presented. The staff was friendly and full of information about the place and the menu. The chef came out to tell us all about the localness of the food. We enjoyed the most scrumptious and filling meal from just two appetizers and found the experience to be more relaxing and pleasant than we had anticipated. After our very satisfying experience, we finally bought that bottle of wine and geared up for our stroll back to the boat.
Walking back down Main Street, carrying on to each other about what a wonderful place we had just accidentally found and how lucky we were to have done so, a truck pulled in next to us. The waiter from the restaurant announced “You forgot something,” as he handed me my phone. He had taken the time to leave his restaurant and get in the car and drive along Main Street to find us. Another feather in the cap of this very cute, very friendly, small southern town we chanced upon.
by Elizabeth Kelch