City of Oaks

Currently in: Shawboro, NC (Outer Banks)
Next Up: Fayetteville, NC on our way to Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA
We have the month of December booked in Florida!

So I spent much of the last few days "under the weather", as my mother would say.  We did have the opportunity for a couple of outings, but I wasn't as quick with the camera so not the variety of photos.

We had a nice bike ride along the Nuese River Greenway in Clayton, NC.  Those Greenways are popular in NC!

We also had a very interesting morning at the Aloha Zoo in Cameron, NC.  It is a rescue zoo, so all of the animals came to them from various dire situations.   We were able to get much closer to the animals than the Brookfield Zoo, which was cool.  Here are a couple of our favorites.

White Bengal Tiger

Wolverine (a bit hard to see)

We got back to the campground for a cookout, ND game, and the weekend trick-or-treaters in costume.  Just like home!

We also toured the Bentonville Battlefield, the last full-scale action of the Civil War.  Our southern tour guide told us that during this battle, the "Federals" took over the home of the Harper family and used it as a hospital during the 3 day war.  The family moved upstairs, which most likely saved their home.  We learned a lot about medical treatment of casualties during the Civil War.

The battlefield was reminiscent of Gettysburg, with monuments and graves.  We also got to see actual remains of trenches that were dug during the battle.  There was a driving tour as well so we could geographically understand how the battle unfolded.  The markers described how the Confederates put up a valiant fight before succumbing to being outnumbered.

On our last day near Raleigh, we did a walking tour of the "City of Oaks" named for all of the native Oak trees.

We saw the old water tower from 1887.

The 1883 Executive Mansion still has hand made bricks lining the sidewalk.  The bricks were made by prisoners and some have the original signatures of the prisoner who made them.

I found the architecture in Raleigh particularly interesting.   The mansion above is in the Queen Anne style, while the Heck-Andrews House, one of the first houses built after the Civil War, is in a style called Second Empire.  The style includes mansard roofs and square based domes.  Very different.

The Mordecai House here is the oldest house in Raleigh on its original foundation.  Built in 1785 and updated in 1824, it is an example of Greek Revival.











We then drove around the historic Oakwood neighborhood and I felt at home with several Arts and Crafts as well as Victorian Painted Ladies homes.  The varied architecture adds a lot of character to the city of Raleigh.

We also found a cute little area called the City Market, named for the historic market hall .  Very reminiscent of the West Side Market in Cleveland.  Full of shopping and restaurants.  We had a delicious southern lunch including biscuits and cornbread, along with Brunswick Stew.