On the way to North Carolina’s Outer Banks beaches? Here’s where to stop along the way

Starting Memorial Day weekend in North Carolina, all roads lead to the beach; some routes are just more circuitous than others.

If you find yourself in a highway traffic jam caused by road work — and many people will, because the Good Roads State is busy expanding, repairing and rerouting several major arteries — try to see it as more of an opportunity than an inconvenience.

Same with the late check-in you learn about only after you’ve hit the road. If the widespread shortage of housekeeping staff leaves you temporarily homeless, it’ll be handy to know some places that will welcome you until the rental is ready.

Here are options if you’re vacationing at the northern coast, anywhere along the Outer Banks between the Virginia border and Ocracoke.

Destination: Ocracoke, Hatteras, Buxton, Avon, Salvo, Waves, Rodanthe, Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk

From the Triangle, your GPS will look at traffic delays caused by road work on U.S. 64 east of Raleigh and flip and electronic coin on whether to deliver you these Outer Banks beaches via the southern end, at Ocracoke, or the northern end, near Nags Head.

If backups aren’t too long, U.S. 64 East is the most direct route, delivering you all the way to N.C. 12 at Whalebone Junction, from which you can almost see the beach. From there, N.C. 12 runs down Hatteras Island and will take you to the ferry landing for the ride to Ocracoke. Make that ferry reservation.

▪ Detour to Rocky Mount: The city’s Imperial Centre houses the Arts Center and the Children’s Museum & Science Center, the latter of which has a new exhibit this summer called Mindbender Mansion.

More mature travelers will enjoy a stop at Rocky Mount Mills, a cotton mill on the Tar River dating to 1818 that now has housing, breweries, restaurants and coffee on an 82-acre campus.

▪ Detour to Jamesville: Not a real detour, but it does require a U-turn on U.S. 64 near Jamesville to get to Mackey’s Ferry Peanuts and shop for snacks. A box of dark chocolate-covered peanuts is $10 and worth it.

▪ Detour to Plymouth: This small town on the Roanoke River hosts the annual Bear Festival each June, and the rest of the year is a nice break for a meal near the water, an ice cream cone or a bit of downtown shopping. Visit the Roanoke River Lighthouse & Maritime Museum.

▪ Detour to Columbia: This town hosts the headquarters of the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, site of one of the country’s largest wetland restoration projects and home to one of the densest known populations of black bears. At the headquarters is the kid- and wheelchair-friendly Scuppernong River Interpretive Boardwalk, a 25-minute stroll over the water’s edge that offers a hint of what else can be found throughout the refuge’s 110,000 acres.

Another way to make this trip is to leave U.S. 64 in Tarboro, picking up U.S. 258 north, then turning east on U.S. 158, which eventually crosses the Currituck Sound and meets N.C. 12 north of Kitty Hawk.

▪ Detour to Scotland Neck: This town on U.S. 258 is home to the Sylvan Heights Bird Park, which is trying to conserve some of the world’s rarest waterfowl species. Walk through the 28-acres of habitats and gardens to see birds from South and North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.

Scotland Neck also has the Hometown Hardware and General Store at 1023 Main Street.

The southernmost route to the Outer Banks

The southernmost route to the Outer Banks puts you on U.S. 70 to Havelock, then N.C. 101 around Morehead City and Beaufort, back onto U.S. 70 and out to Cedar Island via N.C. 12. At Cedar Island, you can get on a ferry to Ocracoke. Remember to make a ferry reservation in advance.

▪ Detour to Johnston County: Might as well take a field trip to Bentonville Battlefield, the state historic site that preserves a section of the place where the largest Civil War battle fought in North Carolina, in the spring of 1865. Take the 10-mile driving tour, walk the grounds and tour the Harper House with its reconstructed kitchen and dwelling for enslaved people who once lived there. It’s in Johnston County at 5466 Harper House Road, Four Oaks.

▪ Detour to Kinston: Or, put a few more miles behind you and plan a stop at the Kinston Music Park, at the intersection of Spring Hill and South Queen Streets, Kinston. The park honors African American Musical Heritage with a monument to famous jazz, R&B, blues, soul and gospel musicians from the region.

▪ Detour to New Bern: The former colonial and state capital is another good place to cool your engine. If you’re up for a stop of several hours, get a one-day ticket for Tryon Palace and the N.C. History Center. If you just need to stretch your legs or get a meal, go to a downtown restaurant and walk along the riverfront or stroll through historic Cedar Grove Cemetery at 808 George Street. If you forgot to pack something, Mitchell Hardware downtown on Craven Street probably has it. Children can burn off pent-up energy at Kidsville Playground in Seth West Parrot Park, 1225 Pinetree Drive.

Where to eat along the way to the Outer Banks

▪ On the Square

115 E. St. James Street., Tarboro. 252-823-8268 or onthesquarenc.com

This is probably not the kind of restaurant you were expecting to find in Tarboro. Or maybe that was the sentiment 20 years ago when On the Square first opened, but today it is the beating heart of a vibrant downtown dining scene, serving lively and upscale bistro food. Sushi and burgers come out of the same kitchen. On the Square is also part wine shop, in case you need a few bottles for the weekend.

▪ Tarboro Brewing

526 N. Main St., Tarboro. 252-563-6522 or tarborobrewingcompany.com

From the owners of On the Square, Tarboro Brewing seems to have an outsized influence greater than its short seven years. But for your beach week (or weekend) you’ll want to grab a few tallboys of “Sexy Canoe,” the brewery’s crisp lager.

▪ HopFly Brewing

1147 Falls Rd., Suite 121, Rocky Mount. 252-886-9178 or hopflybrewing.com

Hop heads, this one’s for you. There are so many IPAs coming out of this Rocky Mount-based brewery, each showing off a different combination of hops, some hazy, some juicy, some both. HopFly has quickly become one of the state’s go-tos for consistently balanced and flavorful IPAs and its original taproom in Rocky Mount Mills sits right on the Tar River.

▪ Casita Brewing Company

217 S. South Street., Wilson. 252-237-2337 or casitabrews.com

Situated right across from the Vollis Simpson Wirligig Park, Casita quietly makes some of the state’s best beer right in the middle of Wilson. It’s also one of the most creative, exploring beer versions of popular cocktails and desserts and fresh new takes on standard beers. You’re unlikely to find the same beer twice when dropping in.

▪ Old Colony Smokehouse

802 W. Queen St., Edenton. 252-482-2400 or oldcolonysmokehouse.com

This Edenton restaurant just off of Route 17 is doing some of North Carolina’s best new school barbecue. That means in this land of chopped pork, barbecue fans line up for slices of smoked brisket and housemade sausages. Owner Adam Hughes is the winner of a special all-barbecue, all-Carolina version of Food Network’s “Chopped” and the restaurant goes to great lengths to make just about everything in the building, down to the pickles and sauces.

▪ Sunny Side Oyster Bar

1100 Washington St., Williamston. 252-792-3416 or facebook.com/sunny-side-oyster-bar

Beach season doesn’t line up with oyster season as Sunny Side sees it, as the restaurant closes every April and reopens in September. But if your trip to the Outer Banks is planned for the off-season, Sunny Side is a historic spot for oyster lovers, serving trays of steamed oysters to diners on coveted barstools in a cramped and cozy dining room. It’s never a detour to Sunny Side, everything else is out of the way.

▪ Spoon River Market

263 Pamlico St., Belhaven. 252-945-3899 or spoonrivernc.com

There are just those mornings where you need a Bloody Mary, and Spoon River in tiny, charming Belhaven serves a famous one, served with practically its own charcuterie board.. Part arts gallery and wine shop, Spoon River is also a hyper seasonal restaurant, changing its menus as often as every day. But if passing through for brunch, there’s usually a seaworthy benedict, sometimes with crab cakes or softshell crabs and lunch often means burgers and salads.

▪ The Hackney

192 W. Main St., Suite A, Washington. 252-623=2368 or thehackneywashingtonnc.com

Opened just four years ago in a century-old bank, The Hackney has quickly become a destination restaurant in Eastern North Carolina, helmed by chef Jamie Davis. That usually means an elegant dinner and a fine dining menu, but on Saturdays, a popular day to set off for the beach, the Hackney also has a lunch service. How does a fancy restaurant on the Pamlico River do a burger? Smash-style, topped with pimento cheese and truffle fries.

▪ Bill’s Hot Dogs

109 Gladden St., Washington. 252-946-3343

At nearly a century old, Bill’s is one of the most famous hot dogs in a very hot dog famous state. Served in downtown Washington, the dogs at Bill’s come bright red, topped with chili, mustard and onions and diners order them by the armful.

▪ Barnyard Betsy’s Cheesesteaks

106 E. Main St., Creswell. 252-797-2276 or barnyardbetsy.com

There aren’t too many cheesesteak shops in Eastern North Carolina, so a Philadelphia native created her own. The cheesesteaks are served with beef or chicken and sweet or hot peppers and best devoured in the side patio with umbrella-topped tables.

▪ Tienda Mexicana Peniel

208 Main St., Columbia. 252-796-7528

This Mexican market and taqueria was built in a former cafe and art gallery space. Today it’s serving authentic tacos on house-made tortillas and keeping up with the taco trends with quesabirria plates. Be sure to grab a few bags of snacks for the road.

▪ B’s Barbecue

751 State Rd. 1204, Greenville. 252-758-7126

B’s is the kind of barbecue spot that calls for you to stop whenever you’re close-by. Hopefully your beach route takes you by early, as the barbecue starts selling at 9 a.m. and before noon the smoked chicken, a sleeper favorite, will likely be gone. Even if you missed the chicken, B’s pork barbecue is about as good as consolation prizes get.

▪ Barley and Burger

2921 Zebulon Rd., Rocky Mount. 252-557-3215 or barleyandburger.com

This wildly popular Rocky Mount burger shop serves a menu imagining just how far it can push a burger bun. There are the classics, smashed and griddled, a version of the Carolina burger, and a tangy swiss and candied bacon burger topped with whiskey-sauteed mushrooms. Perhaps the most decadent is The Big Kahuna, where a burger is topped with pimento cheese, bacon and fried pickle chips. Bonus points if you’re able to nap in the car after lunch.