Easily accessible with marking in the Camden County High School,. this marker points out one of the…read moreColonial era citizens of the era who went on to serve in the American Revolution and later in the US Congress. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Dempsey Burgess. Member of provincial congresses, 1775-1776; lieutenant colonel of militia in Revolution; Congressman, 1795-99. Grave is 7 miles S.E." Burgess, born in 1751 in Pasquotank County, was a Revolutionary War-era political and military leader whose early life likely centered on farming. He entered politics in 1773 and served in the provincial congresses of 1775-1776 alongside Isaac Gregory. When Camden County was established in 1777, Burgess helped plan its courthouse and jail. During the war, he held militia ranks of major and lieutenant colonel. Afterward, he resumed farming and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1795, serving two terms before retiring in 1799. He died at his plantation in 1800, survived by his wife and four children. There is more detail online. [Review 1041 of 2025 - 4368 in North Carolina - 24595 overall]

The Camden County Heritage Museum & Historic Jail are a great places to visit to learn about…read moreCamden's history. I discovered the museum in my quest to visit every county in the state. This museum more than delivered. The museum and jail are located in the same area as the courthouse; parks and recreation and election office. So find a parking space and then look for the open flag at the jail. Although your visit starts at the museum which is across from the jail. Admission to the museums are free. I would have left a donation but did not see a box for that. I was warmly greeted when I arrived and told that this was a small museum. The museum offers self guided tours but I was given a guided tour likely because I knew nothing about the area. Having been to a lot of museums, this museum is actually a pretty good sized museum. I liked that the museum was in chronological order starting with when the town began in 1777. I learned that the town was named after Sir Charles Pratt who was the Earl of Camden. The detailed story boards in the museum as well as all the artifacts in the case bring the history of this coastal town to life. I was told that many of the artifacts are on loan to the museum. The museum covers the Colonial War; Revolutionary War; Civil War; WWI and WW2. The museum also covers the ferries; Great Dismal Swamp; the schools. I learned that Camden County was the last county in the state to have a library and that. Another neat fact I learned was the NASCAR connection to moonshine by evading authorities to move alcohol. Moses Grandy became a well known abolitionist after gaining freedom. He was a water man and purchased his freedom twice but got cheated by owners twice. After he got freedom, he emancipated more family members. The current jail is the third and that was built in 1910 and was used until 1940. There are 4 jail cells on the 2nd floor and a small museum is up there too. The first jail was used until 1880. Then a 2nd jail was built, it burned after prisoners started a fire to try and escape. But they were unable to get out of the building and needed the key from the sheriff, who got there just in time. If you are a history buff, Camden County is rich in history and the museums offer a great place to explore it.

From the owner: Preserving and maintaining Camden County's history from before our separation from Pasquotank on…read moreMay 9, 1777 to present day. Appointments can be made with our genealogist who helps find relatives as far back as the early 1800's. Tour the 1910 Historic Jail with it's original bull pen upstairs.

The Pasquotank River Bridge carries US Route 159 over the river in Elizabeth City. The original…read morebridge was constructed in 1931 but over time, the structure aged and reached the end of its design life. Construction of the replacement began in 2011 with the demolition of that older structure and the installation of the new substructure. The project completed in 2015 with the completion of the eastbound bridge and rehabilitation of the westbound span. The bridge spans approximately 146 feet with 430 feet of approach spans. It accommodates two 12-foot traffic lanes, an 8-foot bicycle lane, and a 5-foot-6-inch pedestrian sidewalk. It is a steel double-leaf trunnion bascule bridge, meaning that each leaf of the drawbridge pivots on a fixed axle, allowing it to lift for river traffic. One of the most distinctive architectural elements is the asymmetrical cross-section of the bascule span. This posed a unique challenge for engineers, who had to precisely balance the weight of each leaf while minimizing the overall mass of the counterweights. There is some parking nearby and some benches in Veterans Park. There is no toll to cross the bridge. [Review 889 of 2025 - 4311 in North Carolina - 24446 overall]

We arrived too late to take a tour, but still enjoyed a fun photo op. Rafter a long day traveling,…read morethe pine scented air and peaceful atmosphere were a blessing. The birds were chatting, but we still felt utterly relaxed on these pristine grounds. When in the area it's worth visiting!

If you are up this way, you almost have to stop in to the Historic Corolla area and take the climb…read moreup 220 steps to the top of the beautiful brick Currituck lighthouse. Lit on December 1st, 1875, the lighthouse has served as a beacon for safety for 150 years!! The view from the top is spectacular and absolutely worth the price of admission!

If you're looking for a nice nature experience close to Nags Head, this is a great option! The…read morerefuge has several areas to look for birds and enjoy the natural marshes. You can head to a couple different areas, but the most popular is the trail right by the visitor center. Sometimes parking is difficult because people park to go to the beach, so bring some patience. The bathrooms have flush toilets but no sinks, so plan ahead if you'd like a nicer bathroom experience. The visitor's center has tons of educational information along with very informed staff. You can learn about where to go and even borrow binoculars to look for birds. There's a small gift shop as well. The path leading from the visitors center passes two large marshy fields and ends with a large tower overlooking more marshes. Bring binoculars- it's so fun to be able to watch the birds poke around in the sand, interact with each other, and sleep. The beginning of the path has a small pond filled with turtles as well that are fun to watch. Even if you're not a big bird fan, it's a beautiful area for a nice walk. You can spend time going to more of the refuge and, of course, you can go to the beach as well.

Lots of wildlife! Take bugs spray! The turtle pond was really cool because they all swim to you…read moreexpecting food. Water turtles and big snapping turtles. Jumping fish out of the water. Good nature walk. Beach was cool across the walk where you could see the top of a sunken ship. Cool little souvenir and information shop.

What a beautifully restored piece of history! The docents are extremely knowledgeable and happy to…read morechat! They honored the home with tons of little touches - down to same wall colors. They say it will take 45 mins we spent well over an hour! A definite must for the history buffs!

Such a beautiful building and museum with an interesting history, and in a beautiful location!…read moreInside photos aren't allowed, unfortunately, but expect to see some sophisticated plumbing of 1920's, an elevator and some really narrow hallways. The territory is impressive too and the park that is now there is lovely. It's so great that places like that get preserved and shared. We truly enjoyed our experience! Definitely worth a visit!

I've been obsessed with lighthouses since I was a child (an English thing, I guess?). Bodie…read more(Bow-dee NOT "body", I wish carpetbaggers would stop changing the pronunciations-two generations are now mispronouncing it) is not only beautiful, but has the additional museum and boardwalk to a scenic observation deck overlooking wetlands. I'm deathly afraid of heights so I can never go up, but I can appreciate the beauty and history from the ground.

After visiting the Hatteras Lighthouse and finding it all wrapped up in scaffolding, I was super…read moreexcited to get here to Bodie Island to find this one ready to photograph and visit. The Bodie Island Lighthouse is a striking black-and-white banded tower that has stood sentinel over the Outer Banks since 1872. This lighthouse is the third built in the area--the first, constructed in 1847, was abandoned due to a poor foundation, and the second, built in 1859, was destroyed during the Civil War by retreating Confederate troops. The current structure rises 156 feet and houses an original first-order Fresnel lens, casting light visible for up to 19 nautical miles. It was automated in 1940 and later transferred to the National Park Service in 1953. After extensive restoration, it opened to the public for climbing in 2013. Visitors can ascend its 219 steps for panoramic views of the surrounding marshes and Roanoke Sound. The lighthouse is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and remains one of the few tall brick lighthouses in the U.S. still equipped with its original lens. It was way too hot today to try climbing anything let alone that. I took my pictures and was more than satisfied. [Round number review 800 of 2025 - 4232 in North Carolina - 24360 overall]

A bit confused on the check ins and labels--we wanted to see the spot of "The Lost Colony" of…read moreRoanoke so I checked in at both "The Lost Colony" and "Fort Raleigh" as there is signage at both. It appears most people who review "The Lost Colony" are reviewing the play that is enacted every summer on-site here in the outdoor ampitheatre on site. So I'll keep my review here, as I did not see the play. Nor, unfortunatley, did I get to take the walking tour of Fort Raleigh/the Lost Colony. We arrived after the last one had started. We looked at the website multiple times and could only find "stop by the front desk" when we looked for tour times. Not sure if this is always the case or a delay related to COVID. Anyway, if you want a guided tour--come early, as the last ends at 1 or 2 pm. Fort Raleigh-- you get the historic spot of the Lost Colony, a short video about said lost colony in the viewing room, a few small museums, several walking trails (most shaded and ancient looking in a good way), some ocean front sitting straight out of last century, markers celebrating "First Light of Freedom" and other cool historic occurrences, and much more. And the gift shop. Well worth a stop for history loving travelers in the area.

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site was a great stop for our family. The visitor center has…read morewell-done exhibits about the Lost Colony and the Freedmen's Colony, and the kids especially loved the Junior Ranger program which made the history fun and interactive. The walking trails are peaceful and easy, and the historic earthworks are neat to see. The park rangers were excellent; friendly, knowledgeable, and great with kids. It's a mix of history and nature that's well worth visiting.

Hope Plantation is in Windsor, NC. It was the home of former NC Governor David Stone…read more Hope Mansion and the King-Bazemore House can be toured with a docent on certain days and times so check the website before visiting to make sure it will be open. You start your visit and buy your ticket at the Roanoke-Chowan Heritage Center. It has restrooms, a gift shop and two rooms to view that provide background information about the property. You can either walk or drive to the houses as they are a distance away. I was not sure what to expect when I decided to visit Hope Plantation and did not expect that the tour would be as long as it was and so thorough. It is possible that my tour was longer than normal as I was very interested in all of the facts provided. I was very impressed with this property; the history and the restoration. I try my best to find the hidden gems to visit so was excited that I found another. Both houses are on the National Registry for Historic Places. The land of the plantation sits was from a land grant by King Charles II of England. It was to lure settlers from Virginia and was given to Francis and Elizabeth Hobson. Elizabeth inherited the property after her husband died and later married Zedekiah Stone. The story told is that Elizabeth missed her homeland Hope Parish so the property was named Hope. David Stone was given the Hope tract of land as a wedding present. He constructed the Hope Mansion. The house was completed in 1803. It is of a Georgian style with Federal Period influences. The enslaved community provided the labor to run the plantation. The highly skilled labor can be seen with the craftsmanship of the home. After David Stone died, his son sold the property. It changed owners many times. In 1960 though the property was deteriorated and Bertie Country residents worked to save the property. They created a historical association and raised the funds to purchase the property. Then went on to restoring the mansion through research. The outside was completed in 1969 and by 1972 the restoration was completed. The King-Bazemore House was relocated to the plantation in 1974 to be restored. It is an example of a colonial home and would be compared to the Hobson-Stone House that was destroyed when the mansion was built. I highly recommend visiting this property in Bertie County if you love history and historic properties. You will not be disappointed. These properties are amazing and the restorations impeccable.

From the owner: Restored home of former North Carolina Governor David Stone (1770-1818). Located four miles west of…read moreWindsor, NC, the plantation complex offers unique insights into the late 18th & 19th century rural life in eastern North Carolina and the South.