Sign Up Now for the exciting BATTLEFIELDS, BBQ AND BOOS WEEKEND TOUR!
Are you looking for a way to add some fun and excitement to your fall? If so, the Kinston, North Carolina Chamber of Commerce has come up with a great tour filled with history, food and maybe a spooky moment or two! Jan Parson the Lenoir County Director of Events and Programs shared, “Spend a hauntingly, historic weekend in Kinston! Embark upon a spirited adventure as Civil War battlefield guides and local historians lead tours and tell stories of strange and unexplained occurrences on the battlefields and in historic homes. Each year tales of apparitions and sightings remind us that many lost souls are not to be forgotten. You may encounter visitors from the past as you and our team of paranormal investigators searches the battlefields and sites. A weekend visit to Kinston is not complete without tantalizing the taste buds by feasting on eastern North Carolina BBQ and a delicious farm to table reception catered by Chef & the Farmer at Mother Earth Distillery. We promise “spirits” will be present in one form or another.”
The chamber is offering two exciting opportunities to come visit. The first takes place the weekend of October 13-15, 2017 the second November 3-5, 2017. The cost for the event is $625 per couple or $425 per person.
Visitors will stay at the fun and eclectic Mother Earth Motor Lodge which is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. Decorated with a retro vibe, breakfast will be served at the Lodge each day during the tour by local southern restaurants.
Look forward to learning stories told perhaps by the spirits of yesterday. You will become captivated by the story of the ironclad gunboat CSS Neuse, a product of the Confederate navy’s ill-fated attempt to regain control of the lower Neuse River and retake the city of New Bern during the Civil War. Afterwards enjoy an old fashioned pig picking dinner catered by the locally famous Kings Restaurant.
The evening isn’t over until you visit to Starr’s Battery and Harriet’s Chapel. A local historian and guide will lead the tour of the sites and participate in a paranormal investigation with a professional paranormal investigation team.
Saturday is chocked full. After breakfast, visitors will learn about the Wyse Fork Battlefield Ghosts. Guide Dennis Harper has 52 years of experience as a battlefield guide will share tales from the battlefield that to this day cannot be explained, stories of sightings and strange apparitions and tales of visitors in gray and blue still wandering on the battlefield. It is amazing how much history lies in this North Carolina County and you will get a chance to explore some of it by dining in historic downtown Kinston where cotton warehouses have been converted into art studios, restaurants and shops. Take a couple hours to explore before heading to the Mother Earth Distillery for Heavy Hors’deurves Catered by famous restaurant, the Chef & the Farmer, owned by the famous chef and TV star Vivian Howard.
The night will wrap up with a visit to Historic Harmony Hall with history dating back to the Revolutionary Days. However, Jan Parson said, “Harmony Hall’s history is anything but harmonious! Local historian and guide Tonya Adams will share the turbulent history of Harmony Hall, stories of murder, accidental deaths or suicides, tragedies associated with the 18th Century home. Paranormal Investigators will lead the group through an investigation of the property.”
Sunday morning, the event will wrap up with brunch at Motor Earth Motor Lodge catered by Hawk’s Nest Café. You and your fellow tourist will learn about the paranormal investigation findings and sharing of photos and stories.
I visited the beautiful Kinston this past April and loved the history and beauty and you will too! For more information, log onto http://www.kinstonchamber.com. For reservations call Jan Parson or Chamber staff 252-527-1131.
