DILLON, S.C. >> The I-95 route to Florida came up in conversation with some fellow travelers recently and the discussion was not centered around tourist attractions or scenic wonders to behold along the way. Rather, it concerned the quickest way to get through Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia without getting a speeding ticket.
The general consensus was if you want to put the pedal to the metal, your best bet is South Carolina. In Virginia, traffic is simply too heavy to risk such foolishness. In North Carolina and Georgia, the state police tend to be a little persnickety about such things. Thus, those sparsely populated stretches of South Carolina wetlands may by your only option for making better time. Well … so the survey said, anyway.
The reason this discussion came up was simple.
Traveling to Florida via I-95 can be pretty monotonous. The Washington D.C. traffic zoo stretches all the way down past Richmond, and when you finally reach the North Carolina line there’s nothing much to see. Along I-95, North and South Carolina provide some 370 miles of flat, featureless landscape. Often, the highway is lined by nothing but pine trees and swamps. About the only break in that pattern is near Santee, S.C., where I-95 crosses vast Lake Marion, named for Francis Marion, the Revolutionary War general who was known as “The Swamp Fox.”
Of course, you can always make a rest stop at South of the Border, the iconic Dillon, S.C., tourist trap on the North Carolina/South Carolina state line which has been luring travelers with its clever billboard advertising for more than 60 years. Those engaging ads are much more politically correct then they were a generation or two ago (no more “heir-conditioned” motel rooms?), but they still get people to smile and perhaps spend a dollar or two in Pedro’s Tee Shirt Shop, Pedro’s Diner, Pedro’s Hot Dog Stand, Pedro’s Pantries, the Sombrero Restaurant, El Drug Store or maybe the all-new Reptile Lagoon.
One thing I will say in South of the Border’s defense: The trinkets in Pedro’s Tee Shirt Shop – and it’s a really big gift shop – are not as outrageously overpriced as a lot of other places. Take that … for whatever it’s worth.
* * *Although there’s little scenery of note along I-95’s route through the Carolinas, there are a number of interesting attractions along the way for those travelers willing to get off the highway and take the time.
If Florida can wait, there are some noteworthy historic sites and unique museums. The first town after crossing over into North Carolina is Roanoke Rapids, home of the Roanoke Canal Museum and Trail.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Roanoke Canal contains some of the most impressive and best preserved early 19th century canal construction in the nation. Begun before 1819 and completed in 1823, the Roanoke Canal was built as the North Carolina segment of the Roanoke Navigation System. It was designed to connect the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and Norfolk, Va., over a distance of 400 miles.
At the time, the Roanoke River was the most important river in North Carolina, and it was believed that with “proper encouragement” the river could be used to transport goods to market. However, a granite shelf in the river created a fall line which also created the “great falls,” a major obstacle for transportation. Thus, the Roanoke Canal became one of the great engineering feats of a young nation just beginning to stretch its wings.
Today, visitors can explore the Roanoke Canal Museum, view the Roanoke Rapids Dam, or hike any or all of the Canal Trail, which starts at Roanoke Rapids Lake and stretches nearly eight miles to River Falls Park. Along the way, there are historic sites like a Confederate cemetery in the town of Weldon, a one-time railroad hub known as the “lifeline of the Confederacy,” and an aqueduct over Chockoyotte Creek, built in the early 1800s.
To visit the museum, just get off I-95 at Exit 180 (the first exit in North Carolina) and follow Route 48 towards town. There’s also a visitor center at Exit 173, where you can learn more about the canal and the region in general.
About 50 miles farther south, at Exit 121, the unique “The Country Doctor Museum” is on the campus of East Carolina University. It’s about 10 miles west of the interstate in Bailey, N.C., located off Highway 264. There are signs everywhere directing visitors to the museum, so it’s not hard to find.
The Country Doctor Museum is the oldest museum in the United States dedicated to the history of America’s rural health care. It was created in 1967 by a group of energetic women whose initial interest was to build a lasting memorial for rural physicians. Over the decades, the museum’s collection has grown to more than 5,000 medical artifacts and many volumes of historic texts gathered from across the nation. The interpretive range also expanded from rural doctors to include topics such as nursing, pharmaceuticals, and home remedies.
Guided tours are available on the hour 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., as docents lead tours through three buildings of exhibits. The exhibits contain artifacts relevant to the practice of medicine between the late 18th century and the first half of the 20th century.
In 2001, The Country Doctor Museum’s board of directors sought new stewardship. With its focus on primary care medicine, the division of Health Sciences at East Carolina U. seemed to be an appropriate guardian. After two years of negotiations, the museum was donated to the Medical Foundation of East Carolina University. Through an agreement with the Foundation, the museum is managed today as part of the History Collections of Laupus Library.
For a change of pace, at Exit 95, you might want to visit the Ava Gardner Museum in downtown Smithfield, the Hollywood star’s hometown. Gardner, the daughter of a tobacco farmer, was born and raised in Smithville. I know this is an unfair thing to say, but Smithfield (population 11,510) comes across as a somewhat dreary place. One can only imagine a young girl blessed with talent and rare beauty dreaming of the day she could “escape” Smithfield and become a movie star.
The Ava Gardner Museum invites visitors to discover the real Ava Gardner through more than 5,000 square-feet of exhibit space. There are extraordinary costumes, movie posters and awards that represent Gardner’s 50-year career as a leading Hollywood actress.
The new “Ava’s Closet” exhibit features never-before-seen personal clothing worn by Gardner. Special exhibit panels honor the Fontana Sisters, Ava’s friends and favorite designers, as well as, Christian Dior, designer for The Little Hut. Along with clothing items, cases include a great variety of the star’s accessories, jewelry, gloves, shoes and pocketbooks.
* * *There are also two lesser-known but important Civil War battlefields along Caroina’s I-95 corridor.
About 12 miles southeast of Exit 90 is the Bentonville Battlefield near the town of Four Oaks. The Battle of Bentonville (March 19-21, 1865) was the last battle between the armies of Union Maj. Gen.William T. Sherman and Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston during Sherman’s infamous “March to the Sea.” Bentonville was the last full-scale action of the Civil War in which a Confederate army was able to mount a tactical offensive. It was also the largest battle ever fought in North Carolina, and it was the only significant attempt to defeat Sherman’s army during its march through the Carolinas.
Outmanned, Johnston withdrew from the battlefield after the third day of fighting. As a result of the overwhelming Union strength and the heavy casualties his army suffered in the battle, Johnston surrendered to Sherman little more than a month later at Bennett Place, near Durham Station. Coupled with Robert E. Lee’s surrender earlier in April, Johnston’s surrender represented the effective end of the war.
A little farther south, just off Exit 65, is the Averasboro Battlefield. The Battle of Averasboro, fought March 16, 1865, was a prelude to the Battle of Bentonville, which began three days later. The Battlefield Museum is located just off State Route 82. It includes numerous artifacts, including an 1850 quilt owned by the Smith family that was used to hide and protect the family silver in the woods during the battle. It rained during the entire battle, and water stains on the quilt are still visible.
There is also a map in the museum showing troop positions during certain phases of the battle. A diorama of the successful Union assault on the first line is on display as well as models of the plantation houses.
For the avid historian, research books, copies of period newspapers and other printed and preserved materials are available.
For a much different military museum experience, visit the 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum off Exit 41 in the city of Fayetteville, N.C. Fayetteville is, of course, the home of Fort Bragg, one of the largest and most important military bases in the U.S.
The museum occupies 12,000 square feet and maintains an aircraft park. It tells the history of the storied 82nd Airborne Division from 1917 to the present. There are exhibits on World War I, World War II, the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, the Gulf War, Kosovo and the Global War on Terrorism. There are also exhibits on the division’s five Medal of Honor winners, including WWI hero Sgt. Alvin York.
Since becoming America’s first airborne division in 1942, the 82nd has been in the forefront of many battles, spearheading the invasions of Sicily, Normandy and Holland during WWII, and since that time has served as a strategic response force, ready to deploy worldwide within 18 hours.
From Fayetteville, it’s only 40 miles to the South Carolina line and South of the Border. Pedro will leave the light on for you.
Next: Changing times.