A majority of people take one big vacation, at the most, during the summer. But there are many more days left before the cold weather sets in.
Some of the best-loved places to go are just a short drive away. Just ask anyone what are their favorite Eastern North Carolina places to go — they might be right here in the surrounding counties.
Here are 10 trips you can take in a day — some for the children, some for adults.
This is only a guide. Choose the places you would like to visit and enjoy each at your leisure, without cramming too much in one day.
1. Children’s Learning Day
Voilis Simpson's Windmill Farm/Whirligig Park
See the whimsical metal sculptures of color as much as 70 feet tall created by self-taught folk artist Vollis Simpson, 90. Internationally famous, they are three-dimensional spray-painted whirligigs and flashing reflectors that all move and chime with the wind.
The Windmill Farm is located on Wiggins Mill Roadin Lucama in WilsonCounty, but visitors can see 21 of the planned 31 sculptures by going to the Wilson Visitors Center and taking a walking tour. The sculptures are a few blocks away awaiting the planned WhirligigPark.
Smaller whirligigs are available for sale at Simpson's shop adjacent to the windmill farm.
Address: 209 Broad St. W., Wilson
Phone: 800-497-7398
Website: wilsonwhirligigpark.org
Imagination Station
All ages can enjoy the interactive learning about science and technology and their impact on the future. The 20-year-old museum continues to revamp and bring in new exhibits. Children can learn about science through experiments and other activities. Call for admission prices.
“They have a lot of hands-on things to do in the Imagination Station,” said Sandra Homes, executive director of the Wilson Visitors Center.
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-4 p.m. Sunday
Address: 224 E. Nash St., Wilson
Phone: 252-291-5113
Website: imaginescience.org
2. History and Mini-golf
Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace Historic Site
See the homestead of Charles B. Aycock. As governor from 1901-1905, he was focused on education. More than 1,000 schools were built during his term.
The mid-19th century site includes a one-room schoolhouse. Guided tours and living history demonstrations are offered. Crops were recently planted.
“We’re also a working farm, so we have animals,” Site Manager Leigh Strickland said.
Second Saturdays are held through the summer. A free vintage farm equipment show will be held 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.June 8 by the Eastern Carolina Vintage Farm Equipment Club.
Pets are allowed on a leash.
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday
Address: 264 Governor Aycock Road, Fremont
Phone: 919-242-5581
Website: nchistoricsites.org/aycock/aycock.htm
WaynesboroughPark and Historical Village
Old Waynesborough was the seat of WayneCounty from 1787-1847 until the railroad came through. The historical village includes the Visitors Center and nine buildings that were moved to the park.
“It was set up as a self-guided tour,” tour guide, Lynne Waddell, said.
Waynesborough Park, part of the Mountains to the Sea Trails Project and N.C. Birding Trail, offers nature trails, picnicking, fishing and non-motorized boats on the Neuseand Little rivers.
Bike riders are recommended to use mountain bikes and helmets. Dogs should be on a leash.
GPS users should enter Old Waynesborough Rd in Goldsboro.
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.Monday-Saturday, 1-5 Sunday; Dock and trails: daily sunrise to sunset
Address: 801 U.S.117 Bypass S., Goldsboro
Phone: 919-731-1653
Website: oldwaynesborough.org/index.html
Larry Bill’s Fun Time Golf
Let the kids try their hand at swinging a golf club. The 18-hole championship miniature golf course includes streams, waterfalls and water spouts, along with natural landscaping. The par 44 course offers a challenging, but fun, game for adults and children.
Bumper cars provide 360-degree rotation rides for all ages (at least 44 inches tall). The Putter Express Train Highway 581 runs around the golf course and through a tunnel with sound-activated lights. Patrons are encouraged to scream in the tunnel.
Five years and younger are free; concessions available. To get to the facility, drive through the Rosewood Walmart parking lot.
Hours: 4-10 p.m.Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.weekends. The facility closes in inclement weather.
Address: 2940 U.S.70, Goldsboro
Phone: 919-288-2040
Website: funtimegolfgoldsboro.com
3. Water Fun
Cabin Lake County Park
You don’t have to go to the beach to enjoy a swim by a sandy bank. Cabin Lake has a roped-off swim beach with showers and sandy and grassy areas.
“It is a very safe swimming area,” Superintendent Steven Wilson said, “provided kids stay within the ropes.”
The park, part of the N.C. Birding Trail, also features two playgrounds, hiking, fishing, boating, picnicking and camping.
Admission to the park is $3 per person, and children ages five and under are free. Canoes and paddle boats are available to rent. Picnic shelters can be reserved for a fee. No alcohol is allowed. Restaurants are nearby in Beulaville.
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.Monday-Wednesday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.Thursday-Sunday
Address: 220 Cabin Lake Road, Pink Hill
Phone: 910-298-3648
Website: duplincountync.com/qualityoflife/recreation.html
4. A Country Look Back
Country Doctor Museum
What was it like to be a doctor, or a patient, in the 1800s? Take a look at the family doctor’s medicine bag and other medical and apothecary artifacts at the restored offices of two country doctors who practiced for 30 years starting in 1857.
Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.Tuesday-Saturday, 2-5 p.m.Sunday
Address: 6629 Peele Road, Bailey in NashCounty
Phone: 252-235-4165
Website: countrydoctormuseum.org
OliverNestus Freeman Round House Museum
Oliver Nestus Freeman, a black stone mason, built the house that is now a museum and other houses for soldiers returning from the war in 1946. Though it’s said to be made of stone, the round house was built from found materials, including bottles, tree saplings and string. The museum features artifacts depicting the culture and contributions of African-Americans to the city of Wilson.
Hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.Tuesday-Saturday
Address: 1202 E. Nash St., Wilson
Phone: 252-296-3056
Website: wilson-nc.com/museums.cfm
African-American Historic Trail
C. Rudolph Knight is founder of the Perry-Weston Historical Institute and the self-guided trail, which consists of 18 historic sites in Tarboro, Princeville and Edgecombe County. Part of the tour can be walked.
“These are sites,” Knight said, “that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.”
The Franklin Dancy House was home to the first black mayor of Tarboro in 1882, the great-great uncle of Knight.
The 1868 George Matthewson House was built by a prominent black carpenter and mason in Tarboro. The house is said to have one of the town’s first cisterns with a force pump in the kitchen.
For information about guided tours, call Rudolph Knight at 252-823-0275.
Cliffs of the Neuse State Park
A person would never guess these 90-foot cliffs and waterfalls exist in the flat coastal plain. The NeuseRivercarved the cliffs along a fault line, created by a shift in the earth's crust.
“That was the original centerpiece of the park — the overlook where the bluff is,” Park Superintendent Ed Wilkerson said. Today, the 11-acre swim lake is a main attraction. Non-motorized boats can be rented.
The 1945 park, part of the N.C. Birding Trail, offers hiking trails, paddling, picnicking and fishing. The museum showcases a variety of local wildlife.
Visitors can bring a picnic lunch and grill. Pets on a leash are allowed, and vending machines are available. The park is about 8 miles south of U.S. 70.
Hours: 8 a.m.-9 p.m.daily through August
Address: 345-A Park Entrance Road, Seven Springs
Phone: 919-778-6234
Websites: ils.unc.edu/parkproject/ncparks & ncbirdingtrail.org
The Tarboro Cotton Press
The large wooden mule-powered cotton press was built in the mid-18th century to press cotton into bales. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it was moved from a local farm years ago and renovated. It is situated at the west end of the Town Commons.
5. Flower Tour
Wilson Rose Garden
If you love roses, you will love the city of Wilson’s rose garden. Look for the water tower with a rose painted on it and nearby you’ll find the garden, in bloom from May to October.
The garden has more than 180 varieties of roses, from heirlooms to modern, including hybrid teas, floribundas, grandifloras, miniatures and climbing roses. There are arbors, a pergola, sculptures, gazebo and fountain.
No alcohol is allowed. To schedule a group guided tour of the garden, contact Sandra Homes at 252-243-8440 or info@wilson-nc.com.
Hours: daily sunrise to sunset
Address: 1800 Herring Ave., off U.S. 301, Wilson
Contact: Helen Bass, 252-399-2261
Website: wilsonrosegarden.com
Wilson Botanical Gardens
The gardens, started as an educational resource in 1997, features more than 235 plant species.
Look for the tree collection, turf grasses, bird and butterfly gardens, perennials, daylily and hosta collections and a children’s secret garden.
“They have things you can actually do with your hands,” said Sandra Homes, executive director of the Wilson Visitors Center.
On the Wilson County Agricultural Building grounds and sponsored by the Wilson County Master Gardeners, the gardens are part of the N.C. Birding Trail.
Hours: daily sunrise to sunset
Address: 1806 Goldsboro St., Wilson
Phone: 252-237-0111
Website; wilson-nc.com/gardens.cfm
Library Rose Garden
Founded in 1987, the Library Rose Garden features 24 varieties of hybrid tea roses, many of which are award-winning. Eight beds contain over 120 plants providing continuous blooming from mid-April to November.
Hours: daily sunrise to sunset
Address: 249 West Nash St., Wilson
Website: wilson-nc.com/gardens.cfm
Flower Hill Nature Preserve
Flower Hill is a 10-acre nature preserve, owned and managed by Triangle Land Conservancy, at the Johnston and Nash county line.
The mountain-like microenvironment of Flower Hill is a sheltered home to Catawba rhododendron, galax and other flora more commonly found 200 miles west in the southern Appalachians. It received national attention in the 1930s by naturalist B.W. Wells.
The half-mile trail will take you to the cliff face where a spectacular array of rhododendrons bloom in winter and early May. Then in summer, its cool canopy is a refreshing relief from the heat, followed by the fall colors. Keep children secure from the bluff’s edge.
Open year round. Best season: May-June
Address: 9150 Flower Hill Road, Middlesex
Phone: 919-833-3662
Website: triangleland.org/what-we-do/nature-preserves/nature-preserves
6. Bird-lovers’ Paradise
Sylvan Heights Bird Park
Formerly the Waterfowl Park, the BirdPark houses more than 2,000 ducks, geese, swans and other exotic birds from around the world. The wheelchair-accessible BirdParkprovides an education on the importance of waterfowl, wildlife and wetland conservation.
“We do have the largest bird collection in the country,” said Brent Lubbock, marketing and membership manager.
The 18-acre facility, with its walk-through aviaries displaying birds from all the continents but one, is a nature photographer’s paradise. Gardens and lush flora provide a backdrop to the beauty of the birds.
The newest attractions include the Landing Zone with about 400 parakeets, the 20-foot Bird's Nest Treehouse with wild birds and Beaver Pond Blind, showcasing Eastern North Carolina's native animals and plants and their habitats.
Visitors can also watch honey bees and poison dart frogs in an enclosed exhibit. Take a picnic or eat at restaurants in Scotland Neck where you can visit the Home Town Hardware General Store.
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.Tuesday-Sunday
Landing Zone: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Address: 500 Sylvan Heights Park Way, ScotlandNeck
Call for admission prices: 252-826-3186
Website: shwpark.com
7. Guys Day Out
N.C.BaseballMuseum— Fleming Stadium
The historic Fleming Stadium is aptly home to the museum that features baseball memorabilia from across the state. Native Hall of Fame North Carolinian players include Catfish Hunter, Hoyt Wilhelm, Gaylord Perry, Rick Ferrell, Buck Leonard, Luke Appling and Enos Slaughter.
“There are 32 showcases and 18 wall displays,” said Sandra Homes, executive director of the Wilson Visitors Center.
Baseball merchandise is for sale. Admission is $3 for ages 18-65, other ages $1.
Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.Thursday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m.Sunday
Address: 300 Stadium St., Wilson
Contact: Kent Montgomery at 252-296-3048
Website: wilsonnc.org
Wilson Area Railroad Modelers Train
Train lovers will enjoy the scaled version of a 7-mile train with 65 modules, plenty of scenery and a capacity of 2,000 cars all made by members of the Wilson Area Railroad Modelers. The model is located in the Antique Barn.
Entry fee is $1 per person. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Call the Wilson Visitors Center first. A retail hobby shop at the site is one of the largest in the state, co-owner Steve Sidelinger said.
Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.Saturdays
Address: 2810 Forest Hills Road, Wilson
Phone: 252-237-6778, 800-497-7398
The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
Calling itself the dark beer specialist, the microbrewery specializes in full-flavored dark beers.
Tasting and tours: 3-9 p.m.Fridays
Address: 4519 W. Pine St., Farmville
Phone: 252-753-7745
Website: duckrabbitbrewery.com
8. Wine Tasting and tours
A Secret Garden Winery
Enjoy this quiet little winery on a country road just north of Goldsboro. It's nearly a secret except for the sign on U.S. 70 West. They produce naturally fermented wines from Muscadine grapes, ranging from sweet to dry.
Address: 1008 Airport Road, Pikeville
Phone: 919-734-0260
Website: asecretgardenwinery.com
Hinnant Family Vineyards
An award-winning winery with the largest Muscadine vineyard in the state.
Address: 826 Pine Level-Micro Road, Pine Level
Phone: 919-965-3350
Website: hinnantvineyards.com
Enoch Winery & Vineyard
Tour the 15-acre family vineyard in JohnstonCountyand sample the wines in the tasting room. Enoch produces 10 types of fruit wines, including muscadine, bramble, apple and peach.
Address: 3735 NC Hwy 50 S., Benson
Phone: 919-207-0100
Website: enochwinery.com
Ventosa Plantation Vineyard & Winery
The Muscadine vineyards are about eight miles east of Scotland Neck and Sylvan Heights Bird Park. The winery is owned and operated by Alex McLennan Jr. and his son Alex McLennan III, who have developed unique magnolia, noble and Carlos wines that are light and crisp. Tours are available by appointment only. Call ahead to sample in the tasting room.
Address: 279Clark Canal Road, ScotlandNeck
Phone: 252-826-3416
Duplin Winery
The South’s oldest and largest winery offers tours and tastings, as well as the Bistro Restaurant and dinner theater.
Address: 505 N Sycamore St., Rose Hill
Phone: 910-289-3888, 800-774-9634
The Country Squire Restaurant, Vintage Inn & Winery
The restaurant in Duplin County is for the Inn’s patrons. But the winery, in the 18th century section, offers a tasting room and gift shop open to the public.
Address: 748 N.C. 24/50, Warsaw
Phone: 910-296-1727, 877-830-1602
Huffman Vineyards & Winery
The Onslow County vineyard makes muscadine, vinifera and fruit wines from sweet to dry in small batches, using 25 varieties of grapes. Taste the wines and visit the gift shop.
Address: 221 Haw Branch Road, Richlands
Phone: 910-324-3997
Website: huffmanvineyards.com
9. Learn About Nature
Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center
Howell Woods, in the Bentonville community of southeastern Johnston County, offers outdoor educational experiences and low-impact recreation for various skill levels.
A variety of nature programs are offered, and activities include hiking, canoeing, birding, biking horseback riding and fishing, as well as hunting in controlled areas.
“All the trails are clearly marked,” Director Jordan Astoske said, “and brochures and trail maps are located on the outside of the learning center.”
See the live exhibits of birds of prey, reptiles and amphibians, and enjoy the wildflower and pollinator gardens, ponds, creeks and wetlands. Learn about the wildlife at the natural resource reference library.
Pack a picnic and eat under a covered shelter or in a 10-foot-high observation shelter.
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.Monday-Saturday
Address: 6601 Devil’s Racetrack Road, Bentonville
Phone: 919-938-0115
Website: johnstoncc.edu/howellwoods/default.aspx
10. Entertainment
The Paramount Theatre
Plan your trip with a live stage show in mind for the end of the day. The 1882 building was damaged in a fire and reconstructed in 2008. It's worth driving by just to see it. Performances are listed on the website.
Address: 139 S. Center St., Goldsboro
Phone: 919-583-8432
Website: goldsboroparamount.com
Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.