KINSTON

Byrd's restaurant is a true Kinston experience. It's not just a place to fill up your empty stomach. It's a place to get some of the area's best everyday southern cooking. The sandwiches are piled high. The biscuits are the size of saucers. (The tenderloin and gravy biscuits will surely be served in heaven.) The food is served with a kind smile and a "y'all come back now, ya' here." Plan to come often, come hungry and with pants that have an elastic waist.

In Kinston, imagination has a door--seven actually. Just behind Lovick’s Cafe, in what has become the Arts District, you’ll find seven tobacco barn facades called Flue. They are built on a lot that once was Brooks Tobacco Warehouse. Each piece stands 28 feet tall and 16 feet wide casting shadows over an empty field. The sculptures were erected here by world-renowned artist Thomas Sayre--using the dirt found on the site. The project is a way to pay respect to Kinston’s tobacco heritage while looking forward to its arts-based future. To passers by, it’s just really cool to look at.

The first stop for any fisherperson in Kinston is the Neuse Sport Shop. Passing through a local fruit and vegetable stand by the main doors, enter and see an alluring forest of fishing gear on the left. Shiny rods and reels of all colors make for an impressive gallery as you walk between the displays. The knowledgeable staff will set you up for any kind of angling. Sport fishing, deep sea fishing, fly fishing—you name it, they’ve got it. All kinds of lures. Live bait. Tackle and tackle boxes, hooks, and gear. Once you’ve found what you’re looking for, be sure to check out the rest of the store which carries clothes, coolers, beach supplies, and pretty much anything you might need for an outing. Yeti, anyone?

The affordable quick bites of Lovick’s Cafe have been an institution in Lenoir County since 1941. Originally sitting between two tobacco warehouses, Lovick’s was the perfect Kinston restaurant for farmers who were in town selling their crops. And when they stopped, many would order the Doughburger, a product of meat rationing during World War II. This delicious sandwich has stuck around and I think you should eat it at least once in your life. Their other lunch items and breakfast menu are also filled with amazing finds, so you’ll need to come back more than once to this place.

Conquer the 14-foot Loch Neuse Dragon at Pearson Park. Scale the rope ladder, whiz down slides, soar on the swings, and then decide which obstacle to tackle next at this inventive playground. Stroll the River Walk Trail that runs parallel to the Neuse River for about a quarter mile and enjoy your snacks under the covered picnic area.

You can almost smell the gunpowder when you tour the CSS Neuse II, the only full-sized replica of an Confederate gunboat in the world. During the tour (Saturdays), you'll get to see what living and working on one of these steam-powered warships was like. An ironclad warship had 200 men assigned to it, and it took 20 men to operate each gun. Its steam-powered engine kept the boat at a constant temperature of 130 degrees, and because of this, its crew slept onshore. A must-see for history buffs, and anyone who loves a tour guide dressed in costume.

Explore the celebrated life of Richard Caswell, the first governor of the independent state of North Carolina and his role in establishing North Carolina as part of the United States. An active member of the colonial government and militia, Caswell participated in the Battle of Alamance against the Regulators in 1771. When relations between the colonies and England became strained in 1774, he was elected to the Continental Congress. During the American Revolution, Caswell resumed his military career and commanded Patriot forces at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in 1776. It’s a revolutionary stop on your history tour.

Have fun and learn at the same time when you visit the Neuseway Nature Park’s Science Museum and Ellis Planetarium. Crawl through a giant model of intestines. Play make-believe in the puppet theater. In the planetarium, get up close to stars, nebulae, and planets that are currently in the night sky. Exhibits change daily in the giant dome, 60-seat theater, which also presents movie nights, laser shows, video game tournaments, and other events. Bring your curiosity and prepare to question everything.

In late 1862, 2,400 Confederates faced 12,000 Union troops at the Battle of Kinston. At the Kinston Battlefield Park Memorial Site, you'll find earthworks, markers, and an 1860s Baptist church, which replaced Harriet's Chapel, a Confederate defensive position turned Union hospital that was destroyed during the fight. The battlefield park includes a plaza that honors each state that sent soldiers to fight here. This battle was the war's second-largest in North Carolina.

Picture this: Tender, pork barbecue painstakingly hand-chopped daily and slathered in our secret family sauce. Oh, and hush puppies, collard green, and coleslaw. For three generations this is what King's Restaurant has been serving up in Lenoir County. The same old fashion flavor perfected in 1936 is what you get today. If the packed parking lot is any indication, visitors can’t get enough. Just make sure you stock up on extra napkins. If your face and hands don’t get messy eating this barbecue, you’re doing it all wrong.

On the outside, it’s an unassuming warehouse. On the inside, it’s a 12,000 square-foot antique and collectibles market with nearly 40 vendors who sell everything from furniture to handmade crafts and every sort of somebody’s got-to-have-it you can imagine.

Hanging baskets aren’t just for flowers. Spend the afternoon perfecting your aim on Kinston’s disc golf course. Barnet Park’s 18-hole course winds through the woods and around the park. You’ll find downhill holes, doglegs, and one heavily obstructed hole, but most of what you will find is a day of great fun for all ages.

Vodka, distilled in Kinston. Get an up-close look at the process with a distillery tour at Social House (appointment only). With ingredients from North Carolina farmers, distillers break down the corn’s starches, producing fermentable sugar. After blending and filtering, distillers taste the vodka to make sure it’s perfect for you and your friends. Now that’s smooth.

When the menu includes items like red velvet chicken and waffles and OXtails, you know you're in for a meal that you'll be telling your friends about. Jessie Bell's Soul Food restaurant delivers unique flavors mixed with a southern kick. This is the kind of restaurant that lures you in from the parking lot with the smells of sweet, spicy and salty drawing you to the table in preparation for your next great meal. Curious palates a must.

There is only one place you can stay to put you two blocks away from everything --the O’neil. This luxury hotel was opened in 2015 in what was once an old bank. The seven chic, individually furnished rooms with hardwood floors, one even has a vault with bunk beds for the kids. The main bank vault in the lobby is filled with free Mother Earth beer. Tempted?