Hatteras

We've been going to Hatteras Island for our whole lives. We've driven down and back on every possible route, stayed in every town, eaten at every restaurant, unpacked lunch at every rest stop, and stopped at most of the gas stations. From these decades of experience, believe us : The fastest route to Hatteras Island from Kentucky and the Ohio Valley is to get on I-40. From Western Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana, follow I-65 South to Nashville and I-40. From Central or Eastern Kentucky, Ohio or Michigan go East on I-64 or I-70 to I-79 and I-77 South (I-79 becomes I-77 in Charleston) and follow it through West Virginia and Virginia to I-40 in North Carolina. From Western Pennsylvania or West Virginia just get on I-79 South and follow it and I-77 through Virginia to I-74 in North Carolina. I-74 takes you past Mt. Airy and Pilot Mountain, then through Winston Salem to I-40. Once on I-40, head East to Chapel Hill. We highly recommend stopping overnight in either Winston Salem or Chapel Hill. Next day, head East on I-40 and turn off on State Route 64, which you follow straight to Route 12, the Outer Banks Highway.

In Winston Salem, you have a magnificent overnight option at the Shaffner House, a 1907 Tudor Revival mansion built for Henry Shaffner, the founder of Wachovia Bank. This is one of Carolina's very best bed & breakfasts. There are eight guest rooms furnished with period antiques. The house is decorated with hand carved oak woodwork, nine impressive fireplaces and casement leaded glass windows. Grounds are impressively landscaped. There are business suites available in a separate house. You could stay here on the way down and Peaks of Otter en route home and experience the best of the elegant urban South and the best of the rural Mountain South. Or on the way home you could come back this same way and stop at a few other attractions we'll show you below. The Shaffner House is easy to reach just off 52 and 421. 336-794-0660. historicinnsws.com.

The Shaffner House offers rooms with private baths or shared baths. Most rooms have a single bed but you can get a room with two double beds. There's also the Piedmont Room, a third floor penthouse which is much larger but still only has one double bed plus a couch. It does have window ledges large enough for sleeping bags or bedding if you have kids. The Piedmont also has a Jacuzzi, if you can ignore the wall and ceiling mirrors, an odd touch. One room opens directly to the parking lot so is suitable for those with limited mobility. There's a large deck out back for relaxing and even a waterfall at the edge of the parking lot.

The Shaffner House is about six hours from Lexington, so if you leave at 9 a.m. you'll arrive in late afternoon so will have time to visit nearby Wake Forest University, one of the "Southern Ivy League" colleges, and Old Salem, a historic district originally settled by the Moravians in 1766.  It features a living history museum and is worth several hours. You could easily justify staying here two nights and spending the extra day at these attractions.

The night you arrive, you could walk down the hill one block to a very good Italian restauran, a very good contemporary restaurant, or an OK Mexican restaurant. But we often just order one of the Shaffner House's Charcuterie Boards and a bottle of their Kendall Jackson wine and eat out on the spacious deck. You order the board and wine when you reserve your room. The Shaffner Charcuterie Board includes generous amounts of Cheeses, Grapes, Crackers, Strawberries, Blackberries and Sushi and we really like their Pinot Grigio wine.

Breakfast will be one of the highlights of your vacation. Shaffner's runs a full service restaurant for Breakfast, Brunch or Lunch (sadly, not for dinner). The truly impressive breakfast is served on the porch (photo, right). The menu includes Shrimp & Grits, one of the best Omelettes you've ever eaten, Avocado Toast, Pancakes, French Toast, Fruit, Chicken & Waffles, one of the best bowls of Oatmeal you've ever eaten, Yogurt Parfait, six different juices, Sausage, very good Coffee and Hot Chocolate, and Eggs any way you want.

We usually reserve the Wachovia Room, which was the Master Bedroom. It's large, with two plush armchairs, a couch, and a classy bath with pedestal sink, clawfoot tub and modern shower. If you need to do a little work on the road, there's a fine table in the side room. If you have an older child travelling with you the Tanglewood Room is a smaller room also on the second floor with a single bed.

But if you need a room with two beds there's the Twin Cities Room down on the ground floor. The Twin Cities Room has a huge shower, kitchenette, sofa and large work table.

Howwever, if you want to drive further that first day, two hours east just off I-40 in Chapel Hill (on Europa Drive) is The Sheraton. This is a beautiful hotel, with a great fitness center, and great outdoor pool. With AAA rates, family rates and other discounts, you can get very good deals, especially if you're travelling on weekends. There are great Mexican and Seafood restaurants just across the highway and up the hill (you pass them coming in off I-40). Rooms on the back side have windows looking out on a pine forest. Rooms on the front have windows looking out on the pool. Sadly, Marriott bought out Sheraton in 2018, and closed the 1663 Restaurant, probably the finest restaurant in Chapel Hill. So you have to go elewhere for a restaurant.

If you have big basketball fans in your family or group, at Chapel Hill you can drive two miles over to the Dean Dome and five miles to Cameron Indoor Stadium, and if you have teenagers you can tour the University of North Carolina and Duke campuses. That's UNC in the photo at left.

Whether you stay in Winston Salem or Chapel Hill may depend on which day you drive down. I-40 between the two cities is heavy with traffic at rush hour, so if you're driving down on Friday, you may be better off staying at Winston Salem. If you're coming down on Saturday you may decide to come on to Chapel Hill. (You're locked into these two days because on Hatteras half the houses are Saturday checkins and the others Sunday checkins. Even the motels usually book weeklong reservations and Saturday or Sunday checkins.) Obviously, from Chapel Hill you'll be two hours closer to your house or room on the second day, but this may not be the advantage it seems, since houses and rooms tend not to be ready for check in until 4 or 5 pm.

The Nantucket Grill on Farrington Road is the best seafood restaurant in the Chapel Hill area. Go off Route 40 on the Route 54 South exit. Go about half a mile and turn right, then immediately right again into the parking lot.

Tucked into the back of the Huntington Bank Building, the Nantucket Grill specializes in New England style seafood. Their signature items are their Clam Chowder, Lobster Bisque, Crab Cakes, Stuffed Flounder, Sea Scallops, Whole Belly Clams and Seafood Ravioli. But they have a full menu offering various Chicken, Steak and Barbequed Pork Ribs. They run a bakery next door, which also makes their desserts, and they're epic. There's a whole page of delights, and they specialize in cakes. Saturday night is Free Cake Night. Everyone who orders an entree also receives a free piece of cake. A lot of Chapel Hill residents and UNC students drop by just for a piece of their cake.

As you head East on State Route 64, the Roanoke River swings in from your left (north), where it originates in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. The Roanoke will empty into Albemarle Sound at Plymouth, which has a historic riverfront and lighthouse several blocks to your left as you drive through town. The Roanoke is a popular canoeing and kayaking river, but as the coastal wetlands begin, there's not enough dry land to camp on. So the local tourist commission has established tent platforms, visible in the rear left in this photo. and raised walk ways. If you have a day or so to spare, you might consider bringing a canoe or renting one locally and paddling a section of the river. You'll see a wide range of birds and wildlife and the wetland forest is impressive.

Thanks to the extensive wetlands, Plymouth is famous for Black Bear. The largest Black Bear ever recorded have all been found here. You may see one or two along the highway but if you go paddling your chances of seeing some multiply. You may see one right in town.

This is also excellent fishing country. You can catch plenty of Catfish,  Smallmouth Bass,  Striped Bass,  Largemouth Bass,  Blue Catfish,  Bream, Bluegill,  White Perch,  Perch and Brook Trout.

As you continue on State Route 64, you'll pass through two hours of wetlands. The small town of Columbia is the heart of the Scuppernong River country, which is a gateway to the whole region. There is a series of rivers, canals, lakes and sounds here which is a paddler's paradise. If you can spare a day, consider paddling part of it. You'll see everything from Alligators and Red Fox to Muskrats and various raptors. As you enter Columbia there is a beautiful visitor's center with maps, advisors and displays. There is also a brand new canoe launching ramp. This is a Paradise for fishing, photography and birdwatching.

In the Spring, when the wildflowers are in bloom, and in Fall, when the leaves are in color, Columbia and Plymouth are tourist centers. Men come to hunt and fish and often bring their wives, who may go with the men, but often stay in town for antiquing and other pursuits.

Some of the great nature photography in North Carolina has been taken here. Photographers either set up their equipment in the woods and just wait until something comes along, or they load into a canoe or kayak and drift until they see something.

You'll also see painters with their easels out here.

There is a beautiful bed and breakfast, The Brick House, in Columbia, just a block off Route 64. The home was built in stages between 1890 and 1904 and meticulously maintained ever since. There are several small restaurants a short walk away for dinner and the breakfast you'll be served the next morning is wonderful. We have stretched the drive down and stayed here instead of in Chapel Hill. You could also stay here for two nights and spend a day paddling the Scuppernong, Roanoke or Albemarle Sound. There's a lot of history here as the town was once a thriving port, with ocean going ships able to come up the Albemarle and dock right at the end of Main Street. Their website is thebrick house.com. For reservations call 252-766-3333. Call ahead, though, because they do fill up.

From Columbia, you'll continue through wetland forest and cross the Alligator River. It is aptly named. There will be plenty of water on both sides of the highway, and if you watch carefully you are very likely to see at least one Alligator and probably more. They're not likely to be as easy to spot as this one. More likely, they'll be down in the water or the mud, resembling old logs. Then, when an unsuspecting bird, fish or mammal comes along, the Gator will suddenly explode in a wild splash, clamp its powerful jaws on its prey and drag them under water.

The Alligator River is wide and deep. You'll cross it on a drawbridge, which will be raised to allow ships to pass under. If you're lucky you'll see this maneuver. Traffic will be stopped in both directions for about 10 minutes. It's a long bridge and is often closed during storms. The winds whipping across these wetlands can kick up some surprising waves on Albemarle Sound (100 yards north of the highway and the bridge) and the Alligator River. A new bridge has been approved which will be higher and eliminate the drawbridge.

After the river crossing you'll drive through more wetland forest, cross Croatan Sound, Roanoke Island, Roanoke Sound and turn South on Route 12 at Whalebone Junction. From there, it's about an hour to Buxton and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

If you return by this same route, you might consider a little longer drive the first day and a stay in Wytheville ("Withville"), Virginia, about 90 minutes north of Winston Salem. Wytheville is a historic and still quite prosperous small town, the center of the Blue Ridge Plateau, with Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area nearby. In downtown Wytheville you might stay at the historic Bolling Wilson Hotel, named for local Edith Bolling Wilson, wife of President Woodrow Wilson. The century old hotel has been meticulously maintained and updated and offers very classy accommodations. There is also an excellent restaurant, Graze on Main, serving breakfast and dinner. Amenities include a fine bar, free wifi, a spectacular rooftop lounge looking out over the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains, certain pet friendly rooms, and a location in the very heart of the business district. But Wytheville, high in the mounrains, is a popular retreat from the heat and humidity of cities lower down, so you need to make reservations ahead.

You cannot, however, stay here on the way down, as it would put your arrival on Hatteras Island too late for check in, as the rental offices close at 6.

If you prefer a bed & breakfast, Wytheville has one of Virginia's very best : The Trinkel Mansion B & B. It's a 1912 Classic Revival home located on Main Street just at the edge of the businesses district. Four elegant guest rooms and a country cottage out back offer beautiful accomodations. All the guest rooms have private baths. Breakfast is served with crystal and silver. Seven fire places, a library, upstairs balconies and clawfoot bath tubs add to the Old South ambience. A short walk away are six very good restaurants.

You cannot, however, stay here on the way down, as it would put your arrival on Hatteras Island too late for check in, as the rental offices there close at 6.