Cute little rural eastern NC town, worth checking it out and walking around to see what it has…read more There's a town center and a little downtown area with shops and food. This is about a 15-20 min drive east from Greenville NC.

Many of the markers in the South reference the Colonial times or the Civil War. Markers in the…read morenorth reference Colonial times or the War of 1812. It can be unsettling to spot one that mentions a much more recent conflict and while I am sad for the loss, I am pleased to see it represented here. The marker reads, "Youngest American to be killed in Vietnam War, at age 15. Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps. Grave 1 mile southwest." It is marker F-71 and it was erected in 2017 by North Carolina Office of Archives and History. Online, there is more information. " On June 7, 1969, PFC Dan Bullock, a rifleman in the U.S. Marine Corps, was scurrying about to bolster the ammunition supply of the Second Platoon of Company F at An Hoa Combat Base outside Da Nang, under assault by the North Vietnamese, when he was mortally wounded by a burst of enemy small arms fire. He died shortly thereafter. He was fifteen years old. "Raised in Goldsboro, Dan Bullock, who was African American, was big for his age and thus able to carry off a deception. His mother died when he was eleven and he moved with his father to New York, to the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. At fourteen he altered his birth certificate, changing the year of his birth from 1953 to 1949, and enlisted in the Marines. Training at Parris Island was tough but he survived with the help of fellow soldiers. He had been in Vietnam for just twenty-one days when he was killed. "A week later the New York Times broke the news about Bullock's age and the Defense Department has confirmed that he was the youngest of the war's 58,000 American casualties. Public attention came to his story in 2000 when television talk show host Sally Jesse Raphael purchased a headstone for his grave in Goldsboro. Efforts to memorialize him since have included appeals to the Department of Transportation to name a highway in his honor and to President Barack Obama to award him the Medal of Honor." [Review 750 of 2025 - 4182 in North Carolina - 24310 overall]

Yes, I drove an hour round trip to take a picture of a sign but this one is special. It denotes the…read moretime that the United States bombed North Carolina, nearly a hundred years after the end of the Civil War. The marker reads, "Nuclear Mishap. B-52 transporting two nuclear bombs crashed, Jan. 1961. Widespread disaster averted; three crewmen died 3 miles south." Okay, all kidding aside. Three Air Force crew died and in the process, prevented what would have been an unspeakable tragedy. It is a serious matter. During the height of the Cold War, the United States had a policy of keeping armed aircraft in the air at all times in the event of a conflict. Nuclear deterrence and all that. Well, this B-52G Stratofortress took some structural damage during an air refueling and while preparing to land at nearby Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, it experienced a major failure of the right wing. The plane broke up and exploded at 8000 feet. "As a result of the breakup of the plane, two MK39 nuclear weapons were released at a height of between 10,000 and 2,000 feet. Seven of eight arming, fusing, and firing switches and devices in one bomb automatically actuated. Only a crew-controlled switch prevented a nuclear detonation. Since its parachute deployed, one bomb had only minor damage when it fell about a mile from the crash site. The second bomb fell free, without its parachute deploying, and broke apart on impact." "Components of the bomb were sought for several weeks. The decision was made to leave remaining portions of the weapon containing uranium, believed to have entered the water table, in the ground. As a precaution, the government purchased part of the site and still maintains an easement in order to prevent digging in the vicinity. Periodic groundwater tests, still conducted by the state, have revealed no contamination." As the sign mentions, the actual crash is three miles away and the grounds are secured. Here in downtown Eureka, there isn't much. A small sandwich shop is near the sign if you're hungry. [Review 15486 overall, 990 of 2021, number 3029 in North Carolina.]

This marker is located along a relatively quite road that follows the Neuse River. It points out a…read moreCivil War battle that took place nearby. The marker is on the side of the road and there is room to stop if you wish to read. It says, "On December 15-16, 1862, on a raid at Whitehall, Union troops led by Gen. J. G. Foster damaged the Confederate Ram "Neuse."" Online, there is more information. "The engagement between Federal and Confederate forces at Whitehall (today known as Seven Springs) took place during Union General John G. Foster's raid from New Bern to Goldsboro in late 1862. On December 15, Foster's contingent of three companies of cavalry and several pieces of artillery entered Whitehall, which is located on the south bank of the Neuse River several miles above Kinston, hoping to capture or destroy the railroad bridge and confirm suspicions of Confederate ironclad construction on the river. Upon their arrival, they found the bridge burned by the Confederates in order to protect the ironclad and the opposite bank of the river occupied by several regiments of Confederate troops under the command of Brigadier General B. H. Robertson. During the ensuing battle, which lasted through December 16, the Federal artillery bombarded Confederate positions with such a barrage that the dense woods along the bank were cut down for a quarter of a mile back from the river and construction materials for the ironclad were damaged or destroyed." This is marker number F-44 and some of the letters could use a repainting. [Review 286 of 2024 - 3543 in North Carolina - 21321 overall.]

This was a conveniently located post office in downtown Kinston. I arrived late on Saturday after…read morethey had already closed but the mail drop outside was easy. Plenty of parking and good access, even for the Sprinter van. [Review 276 of 2024 - 3533 in North Carolina - 21311 overall.]

I spent about a half of a day in downtown Kinston. If you are visiting downtown, that's about all…read moreyou really need to spend here. My disclaimer when rating towns and cities, is I rate based on cities of similar size. So I do not compare Kinston to Atlanta for example. Kinston is in the eastern part of NC. Population ~ 20K. Located right on the Neuse river. Several parks in the area. The closest larger city is Greenville. If it wasn't for the Chef and the Farmer, I doubt I would have ever visited Kinston. It just isn't easy to get to, at least for me. Now I was impressed with the downtown area. Most of the buildings were occupied. Several decent shops to see. Art galleries as well. A lot of the shops close around 5 PM so keep that in mind if you visit. Not a lot of bars, but there are places to get a drink, including Mother Earth Brewery. Restaurant scene is decent with low end, diners, middle of the road restaurants and higher end. There is free parking in lots right in downtown. If you are into Civil War history, the CSS Neuse museum is right in downtown. I found downtown safe and not real congested. There were even scooters on the sidewalks for rent. We don't have scooters in Wilmington and they have the here. Crazy.

Downtown Kinston has a lot of potential from restaurants to museums to art galleries to stores. But…read morea lot of these businesses are not open during the advertised hours. There were signs that said "open" but the doors are locked. Then others were "closed" but the opening hours were to be open during that time. At least some businesses were open the day I was in town so I could shop and dine.

Wayne County was established on November 2, 1779, during the Revolutionary War, carved from the…read morewestern part of Dobbs County. It was named for General Anthony "Mad Anthony" Wayne, a daring and trusted officer under George Washington. It was settled by English and Scotch-Irish colonists who moved inland from the coastal regions after 1750. The original county seat was Waynesborough, established in 1787 on land owned by Andrew Bass, but it was later moved to Goldsboro in 1850 following public votes in 1845 and 1847. The Wayne County Courthouse was completed in 1913. Designed by prolific architect Frank Pierce Milburn in a Classical Revival style. I've seen other Milburn courthouses including Columbia County (Lake City Florida), Wise County (Virginia), Boyd County (Catlettsburg Kentucky) and Lowndes County (Valdosta Georga). The courthouse absolutely reflects the grandeur and power of the county. Its most striking features are the large porticos on the east, north, and west facades, each supported by four classical columns that rise to pediments at the roofline. Inside, the main courtroom occupies the second floor, serving both the County Superior Court and County District Court of the 8th Judicial District. There is street parking nearby and don't miss Veterans Memorial Park across the street. [Review 752 of 2025 - 4184 in North Carolina - 24312 overall]

This place saved my sanity during the COVID 19 pandemic. The books, were collected, and they…read morebrought them to my car. They have saved books for me they thought I might like, they call me by name when I visit. Everyone goes out of their way to be friendly and helpful.The rooms are always clean and well organized. Our library is a treasure. Too bad their only 5 stars to give.

Terrible staff. A bunch of old ladies with nothing better to do than police chairs. Extremely rude…read morefor people that just shelf books all day. I will not be coming back.