​Less than three hours's drive from Atlanta in Georgia lies Jackson County in North Carolina. I speak of a whole county because it consists of five cities but any one city by itself would be too small an area to consider a location on its own. A few miles past the NC visitor center on US23North lies
Dillsboro, one of those cities I mentioned above that is part of Jackson County. On the day I arrived, it was one of their four days/two weekends when they host a citywide holiday celebration called Lights and Luminaries featuring more than 2,500 lights. Many locally owned shops are in this area but there is a surprisingly high number of pottery places within such close proximity to each other and while I
assumed that might create a bit too much competition, my thoughts were shushed by my very first visit where the lovely lady who owned the pottery place stated it actually helped that they were all located together in this craft center and could represent the area well at the national level!

A half hour away and you will drive through another small town, this one being Sylva, housing a few shops and businesses you can rummage through but my destination was the River Lodge bed and breakfast in Cashiers. Now be thoroughly forewarned, there seems to be some issue with mapping devices, which will take you up the wrong narrow dirt mountain road in your quest to get here when in fact, that is not the way at all. Don’t venture onto an eerie treacherous upward hill drive if your GPS tells you so. Follow the directions provided on their website, don’t make the mistake I made.

Once at the b&b though, charming cCathy makes you feel at home asap. She will show you around and give you the ins and outs of your stay. The place is pretty and charming although that entrance/exit route is a tad bit narrow for me, and I only drive a Kia Soul so if you drive any other larger vehicle, you might be tight for space. Lovely spacious living and family area greet you as you head up wooden steps to a corridor of rooms on either side. Mine was the very first room available since I was the only one staying there during that time. Closest to the stairs and easiest to get to with my bags, light though I pack.

Of my room, I will say it had the comforts necessary for me. A good size bed for one occupant, dresser, closet space, night lamp and a tub and shower in a spacious bathroom area. I also luckily had a balcony area overlooking the outdoors and one grumpy brown cat that I decided not to take any chances bothering. There is heat and air conditioning, and the room had a fan that I never had to use. No television here but Wifi pretty much substituted that need. They offer a wide variety of books and magazines in the common area along with a pool table so a larger group would easily be able to entertain themselves.

​Stay tuned for more updates!

My ride to Masonboro Island began with a group on a Wrightsville Beach Scenic Tours sailboat that meet at the dock in front of the Blockade Runner hotel. Now this comes with fair warning but the parking situation on the street here can be a bit of a hassle. So either carry quarters with you and just play safe or be prepared for the conundrum that ensues trying to pay by card. The meters say you can call a number and pay but you will have to create an account through your phone to be able to pay. God forbid you make a mistake along the way because then you will have to talk to customer service and they cannot help you until your account is created so back you go to calling from the start again. The service leaves from across the Blockade Runner but no you cannot park in their lot. There is a parking lot at the corner before the bridge that takes credit cards but you will have to go park there and then walk about 5-10 minutes to the pier. I know all this because I was the one that delayed my group from taking off while carrying out this very exercise. So just be smart and keep quarters on ya is all. The boat ride itself though was fun. Good company and tour guide always make any experience enjoyable. Captain Joe knew and shared a bunch about the local greenery and animal species. He knew every type of bird species around - its nice to see your tour guide excited about bird sighting every day as they did the first time, the excitement permeated! You can get off on Masonboro to do a guided nature tour and some of the guests with me did that. Masonboro is the longest undisturbed 
barrier island ecosystem in southern North Carolina, accessible only by boat. Captain Joe was also happy to share about the  local history and ecology of WB. On an another visit I hope to be able to do the Masonboro walking tour as well but I had to head on back to solid ground and get a few more sightseeing venues ticked off my list so off and away I went.

Began the day with a somewhat relaxed lunch at Dockside - another local fave. I was amongst the first to enter but over time I saw quite a few people head on in for brunch, on a weekday! I guess thats the beach lifestyle for ya. Anything by the water in WB offers nice views so this too was fun. I am thinking though the place is probably a hotspot at night for dinner. Their catch of the day was a grouper so I did the grouper sandwich - a hearty option. I thought I was done with coffee but could not resist their chocolate cake and had to get some to go. Right on the water's edge and with a laid-back, rustic atmosphere, this is a great option for a casual no frills eatery. While I was sitting there eating I saw folks come and go cruising in their boats, a few folks being adventurous with their stand up paddles and a couple fishing fanatics as well. 

I was told the Bluewater Grill would be a fantastic dinner location so I got there while it was still daylight to be able to see the place transform - and it sure does. They had music, on a Sunday evening! Live band was great, people were dancing, they had a DJ playing tracks - it was the place to be. It was by the water and you could see other businesses and places across the water on the other side, people on their boats docking, quite the nice lifestyle I must say. Dinner was a simple affair for me, just wanted to take in the ambiance. I enjoyed a sesame ginger shrimp on crab fried rice with a nice red wine and finished up with an apple cobbler which was HUGE. I did not finish it really. I loved the energy in the space, sat outside as thats where all the action is. Good music and food always gets folks happy and this evening was no different. A pretty nice meal for my first dinner in WB. If you do visit, I strongly suggest heading out earlier to get in some music and ambience over drinks at the bar. If you have the time and inclination, you might want to check out Motts Seafood Channel - a seafood market open all year round offering fresh fish on ice and carefully curated readings and other condiments.  

Stayed at the Hilton Holiday Inn during my visit to Wrightsville Beach and it was prime property straight on the sand. The view from my balcony was over the pool and common areas and looking right at the beach. I enjoy certain amenities in a hotel room, especially with my travels these days, so it was nice to have parking on the premises free of charge, wifi, tv, fridge, microwave and coffee machine, although it was a little odd seeing the coffee machine in the restroom albeit a convenient option in case of spills. I was pleasantly surprised to hear a knock on my door after I checked into my room and had a ginormous tray of cheese and fruit delivered to the room. Wow. I was a guest of the local CVB and they were certainly treating me well. I also liked the fact that the hotel was located close to a few places I wanted to visit during my stay. Nothing is very far in Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington is only about a half hour away. If you keep along the coast then you can drive to Kure Beach and Carolina Beach but I had only enough time for one so Wrightsville it was. If time permits, do check out Johnnie Mercer’s Pier – the only concrete fishing pier in North Carolina which extends more than 1,200 ft. into the Atlantic Ocean. There is a charge of $1.50 to walk on the pier but if you happen to be in the vicinity then consider giving it a shot.