A visit to Beaufort and Morehead City, NC

I call myself a Weekend Tourist.  After being locked up in an office all week, when it comes to Saturdays, I make my escape.  Living on the coast of North Carolina has its advantages - one of those advantages is being close to so many cool places.  If you're visiting Coastal North Carolina, you've got to have lunch at Morehead City's El's Drive In.  As you can see, it's a tiny place but has plenty of parking shaded by large oak trees.  They have a variety of burgers but it's the Super Burger that you've got to try.  I forgo the onions but the chili and slaw are to die for... Yum!

El's Drive-In

Morehead City, NC

After lunch, you could visit the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. However, if you aren't in the mood for crowds, then take a short drive to Beaufort, NC and visit the NC Maritime Museum. Honestly, it's not going to take a long time to tour the facility but it is child friendly and quite enjoyable.  

 14'5" Cosine Wherry

NC Maritime Museum-Beaufort, NC

Perhaps one of the best things about Beaufort is the waterfront.  There are plenty of shops if you are into that but I prefer strolling along and enjoying the view.  It's just relaxing and I can hear Otis Redding singing in my head - I'm just a sitting on the dock of the bay, watching the tides roll away...

Beaufort, NC - Waterfront

                                                                  .....sitting on the dock of the bay - wasting time....  

Beaufort, NC - Waterfront

And I can't think of a better place to waste a little time! 

Luray Caverns

I recently visited the Luray Caverns in Luray, Virginia.  Wow!  If you've watched Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and you've visited any caverns, then I'm sure you can relate.  For a moment, I felt like I had gone into the mines of Moria and wouldn't have been suprised to have seen Orcs peeking from behind the formations.  Luckily, there were no Orcs to be found.  However, the visit was amazing.  It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder - and I for one, never imagined how beautiful something hidden beneath my feet could be. 

Looks like a face, Luray Caverns

Luray Caverns

-DS McKnight

Weekend Getaway

Years ago, my husband and I decided to take our son on a weekend getaway.  We opened a map, closed our eyes and touched our finger to the paper:  Aiken, South Carolina was our destination. 
We pulled out of Beaufort, SC and headed in a northwesterly direction.  The beauty of this trip is that we choose to travel the backroads.  We went through little towns that seemed lost in time.  We ate at little diners where comfort foods are a specialty.  We stopped at roadside stands and bought pumpkins and goards.  We fell in love with visiting small town America. 

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I was born to city life.  Hardly.  I can remember when my home town didn't even have a traffic light.  But that trip...and seeing those little towns through the eyes of a visitor, awakened in me the love of living in and visiting small towns. 


I thought about my home town and those I have visited over the years...a little memory, a dash of imagination and wa-la...Parson's Cove was born.  Parson's Cove is my kind of town.  It's full of wonderful...and not so wonderful people.  But it is a place that feels like home.  So, come on down.  I'll be at Salty Dog's Pizza - the last table - saving a seat for you!

An exerpt from my novel: 

      The delicious aromas of garlic and fresh herbs hung in the cold night air.  Jenna’s stomach growled reminding her she had missed lunch.  She hoped the pizza would taste as good as it smelled.  As she pushed open the door, Jenna glanced around the café.  It wasn’t what anyone would call high-brow.  The black and white checkered flooring showed signs of wear.  Tables covered with red plastic cloths lined the walls; each adorned with a small ceramic Santa.   An old tinseled tree stood in the corner; its lights flashing merrily.  
                                                                                                                                     -DS McKnight