Love shopping for antiques but you’ve never been to Wilson? Oh, boy, are you in for a treat! If you can’t find what you’re looking for here, then you probably can’t find it in North Carolina.
Most North Carolinians think of Wilson only as a tobacco town. But Wilson is to antiques what Pinehurst is to golf and Bryson City is to outdoor recreation: it’s simply the best place to go. How did this come to be, you ask? Staff at the local visitor center attribute Wilson’s standing as the state’s antiques capital to the tobacco money that once pumped through town and to Wilson’s proximity to the old New York-Miami corridor, U.S. 301. The kinds of things you’ll see in the shops in Wilson often appear in highbrow antiques magazines, which helps explain the numerous out-of-state car tags in the shops’ parking lots. If you want elegant, antique European furnishings, then Wilson is your place!
If perchance you find exactly what you want within minutes of entering one of the shops, then you can enjoy other activities, like walking through the historic districts of Wilson, Rocky Mount, and Tarboro. It’s worth the drive to Rocky Mount just to see the train depot. One step inside and you’ll be transported to the romance of the days when rail travel ruled. Plus, spring in Tarboro means that all of the town’s beautiful old homes will be at their picturesque best.
Wilson is home to Miss Betty’s Bed and Breakfast Inn (800-258-2058 or 252-243-4447; www.missbettysbnb.com), a complex of four historic homes in Wilson’s historic district. If you prefer to stay in Tarboro, consider Little Warren Bed and Breakfast (800-309-1314 or 252-823-1314; www.bbonline.com/nc/littlewarren/), a late-Victorian mansion with a stupendous porch. Otherwise, look to the chain motels for lodging.
Where to Eat
Ask Wilson residents where to eat and they’ll likely say, “Parker’s,” meaning Parker’s Barbecue, a mecca for eastern North Carolina-style ‘cue. If they don’t say “Parker’s,” then they’ll likely say “Bill’s,” referring to the other barbecue restaurant that commands the admiration of local citizens. If you’d like something a little more upscale, try The Legacy in Elm City.
Ways to While Away the Day
Antiques
The space in Wilson devoted to antiques shops is astounding; current estimates put it at 300,000 square feet. Given the plethora of antiquing opportunities, you’ll be wise to get a brochure from the visitor center to plot your strategy. Cruising the four-acre warehouse on U.S. 301 that is Boone’s Antiques—employees tell me it’s the biggest antiques store in the country—can be a day in itself. The Rolodexes of designers’ addresses are impressive; employees say they work with people from around the world. So numerous are the items from England and France that I became curious about what the Europeans were sitting on and eating from. Several other shops are nearby; if you can’t find something you like at Boone’s, you don’t have to travel far to see what else is available. Rocky Mount and the nearby towns of Nashville, Spring Hope, and Bailey also offer a great number of antiques shops.
Architecture
If you like historic architecture, then stroll along Nash and Green Streets in Wilson. Stop by the Oliver Nestus Freeman Round House Museum on East Nash Street to see one of the state’s most unusual round houses. Built by Freeman, a noted black stonemason, the house testifies to the contributions of Wilson’s black community.
Gardens
The Wilson Rose Garden features over 154 varieties and over 1,000 specimens of roses. You’ll quickly forget that a four-lane highway and lots of utilitarian buildings are nearby when you see the collection of miniature roses at the garden entrance. Step toward the trellis and look for a map that indicates what kind of roses you’re viewing; given that the garden contains 56 separate beds, you’ll find the map indispensable. The garden is open sunrise to sunset. The roses bloom from May to October. For more information, call 252-399-2261 or visit www.wilsonrosegarden.com.
Golf
In Wilson, Happy Valley Country Club (252-237-6611), Wedgewood Public Golf Course, (252-237-4761), and Willow Springs Country Club and Golf Course (252-291-5171) are open to visitors.
Tidbits
Rocky Mount’s name comes from a rocky mound that sat at the falls of the Tar River, near where the first post office in the area was established in 1816.
The county seat of Edgecombe County, Tarboro was incorporated in 1760, making it one of the oldest towns in the United States. Its town commons is one of the two original chartered commons in the country.
A ballpark once stood on U.S. 301 North (Church Street) in Rocky Mount. That ballpark was where Jim Thorpe, a star of the 1912 Olympics, made his professional baseball debut.
Jazz great Thelonious Monk was born in Rocky Mount.
Heritage
Tarboro’s Historic District National Recreation Trail covers a 45-block area full of beautiful old homes; the trail includes the Town Common, a 15-acre park covered by tall oaks and studded with monuments reflecting the town’s history. The Tarboro walking tour begins at the Blount-Bridgers House (252-823-4159), which also serves as a gallery of the works of Hobson Pittman, a noted 20th-century artist.
Kid Stuff
Located at 224 East Nash Street in downtown Wilson, Imagination Station will keep little hands busy for a long time with its 200-plus exhibits. It is open Monday through Saturday from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. An admission fee is charged. For more information, call 252-291-5113.
Museums
One of the state’s best little museums is the Country Doctor Museum in Bailey. The apothecary shop captures the early days when doctors had to be their own pharmacists. While you won’t see any eyes of newts and toes of frogs, you may very well encounter ingredients like wild indigo and squirrel corn. All sorts of gadgets, gruesome and otherwise, fill the examining area. Civil War buffs take note: The kit used to amputate Stonewall Jackson’s arm is here. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. and Sunday from 2 P.M. to 5 P.M. For more information, call 919-235-4165.
Railroading
The second floor of the Antique Barn in Wilson contains a double-track HO-scale mainline. Sixty model-railroad engines pull 2,000-plus cars over bridges and trestles through 65 scenes. The exhibit is open Saturday from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. The Antique Barn is located at 2810 Forest Hills Road; call 252-237-6778.
And if that’s not enough, consider riding the Wilson Mini-Train. Purchased by the Wilson Kiwanis Club in 1954, the train has attracted many visitors over the years. Rides are offered Saturday and Sunday from 1 P.M. to 6 P.M. April through September. A fee is charged.
Sports
Want to watch a little baseball that has a heritage to it? Then check out the Wilson Tobs (short for Tobacconists), a team that has been playing ball since 1939. Fleming Stadium is located at 300 Stadium Street; for more information, call 252-291-TOBS.
Or maybe you’d like to see a little dirt-track racing. If so, County Line Raceway, a quarter-mile track in Elm City, may be just the ticket. Call 252-985-1949.
Whimsy
Ever hear of “outside” art? Created by people who are outside the established arts community, outside art can be intensely fascinating. To see one of North Carolina’s best examples, visit the sculpture yard of Vollis Simpson, nationally renowned for the metallic sculptures he calls “Whirligigs.” You’ll wonder if the circus came to town and left half its stuff, or if Jules Verne dropped by and talked of fantastical things with Mr. Simpson. The Whirligigs sit at the intersection of Wiggins Mill Road and Willing Worker Road in northeastern Wilson County; Wiggins Mill Road intersects U.S. 301. The sculpture yard is open daylight hours; no admission fee is charged. Simpson often keeps hours at the yard Monday through Saturday during the mornings. Be sure to abide by the No Trespassing signs posted near the pond.
If your travels happen to put you in Wilson Monday through Thursday between July and November, consider going to a tobacco auction. The auctioneers sell at 500 words per minute; just try to understand them! And be sure to watch for the flick of a hand or wrist among those in the crowd, either of which can be full of meaning. The best time to observe a sale is around 10 A.M. For more information, call 252-243-8440.
Festivals/Events
| April | Tarboro Tour of Historic Homes |
| May | Since the mid-1960s, The Happening, an arts festival in Tarboro, has welcomed spring. |
| The Harambee Festival in Rocky Mount celebrates African-American culture. | |
| August | Cultural Awareness Festival in Wilson |
| October | The Down East Festival of Arts in Rocky Mount features crafts, music, and food. |
More Resources
For information about Rocky Mount and Nash County, call 800-849-6825 or visit www.rockymounttravel.com.
For information about Wilson and Wilson County, call 800-497-7398 or visit www.wilson-nc.com. or visit www.wilson-nc.com.
For information about Tarboro and Edgecombe County, call 252-641-4200 or visit www.tarboro-nc.com.
For other nearby activities, see the “Weekend with Sir Walter” and “Weekend in Neuse River Country” chapters.
