- Next on North Carolina Weekend, join us from Washington as we highlight fun places to explore along our waters.

We'll visit Croatan National Forest.

Spend a weekend in Washington.

And check out the scene at Savage Surfboards in Wilmington.

Coming up next.

- [Woman] Funding for North Carolina Weekend is provided in part by Visit NC dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of barrier island beaches.

You're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

[upbeat folk music] - Welcome to North Carolina Weekend I'm Deborah Holt Noel, and this week we are in Washington.

A charming town on the banks of the Pamlico River, that's full of great places to eat, shop and stay.

The first and oldest Washington in the United States, this town is full of history and new life.

We'll spend an entire weekend in Washington before the show is out.

But first let us take you to another jewel nestled in our waterways.

We are winding down the estuaries in Pecos into the Croatan National Forest.

[light guitar music] [water flowing] - [Michael Cruz] This is just the best place to paddle in the area.

- [Narrator] Michael Cruz loves to paddle at Croatan National Forest's Cedar Point recreation area.

He lives nearby, so this is a quick escape.

- [Michael] This is a beautiful, perfect spot for that.

We have very hectic world now and coming out here just immediately as soon as you hit the water and paddle away from this access right here, you know, that kind of melts away.

- [Narrator] For his customers too.

Crews owns Hot Wax Surf Shop and Paddle Sports in nearby Emerald Isle.

He sends his customers who rent kayaks and paddle boards here, and he takes groups on guided trips.

- [Michael] Early in the day is a call for all our activities here because the wind is the calmest and the wildlife is out.

We have a king fishers, eagles, of course the osprey.

They can sometimes spot bottlenose dolphin in here.

- [Narrator] The water is only two to three feet deep and it's protected from strong winds and currents.

- So it's a very safe place to paddle.

I always say, if you want to be like a baby bird in nest come right here and paddle in this first bay.

And our Southwest dominant wind, which is to my back, will blow you right back to the access on most days.

- [Narrator] There are two connecting bays paddle to.

- [Michael] All of the things that this place has to offer, it's just a superior spot to paddle.

- [Jessica Snyder] In 2016, I was introduced to the Thailand 24, which is a 24 hour ultra marathon.

- [Narrator] Jessica Snyder runs the annual ultra marathon on the Croatan National Forest Tideland trail.

It's a nearly mile and a half loop.

She runs it other times too.

- [Jessica] When it's nice I try to run at least once a week here.

- [Narrator] She's logged a few miles on this trail.

- [Jessica] Over 1,000 I'm sure if not more.

- [Narrator] Pushing her daughter Annalise makes it even more of a work out.

- [Jessica] That's a challenge.

Some of the bridges are a little narrow, so we really have to turn a lot and navigate it, but we've kind of mastered the way of doing it.

So you have to kind of keep- pay attention so you don't miss your turns.

- [Narrator] But... - [Jessica] I prefer trail to pavement.

- [Narrator] Especially this trail.

- [Jessica] The scenery is beautiful.

I've got wildlife, a lot of fowl and people like to kayak out here too, so you see people out kayaking.

Has some beautiful bridges.

I've told many people about it.

Every time I post a picture on my running groups, they all ask, "Where is this?"

so I spread the word.

[horses whinnying] - [Darrell Williams] Everybody's got their outlets for the things- that the stressors, if you will, that they accumulate during the week.

And this is ours.

- [Narrator] Meaning the back country horsemen of the Croatan.

- [Darrell Williams] We're a volunteer service group.

We also do a little socializing of course, and it's always horse related.

This group is primarily into trail riding.

It seems there's a lot of comradery as well.

- [Narrator] Especially here on the 13 and a half miles of riding trails in the Croatan.

- [Darrell Williams] The trails are maintained.

They're well maintained by our group.

One of the trails goes out by the river.

We put a picnic table out there where folks can stop.

Some of the other trails will go along swamps.

There's some up and down, some varied terrain if you will, which is kind of uncommon in this part of the world.

So that makes it nice.

And we enjoy being with each other.

It's just nice to be here.

- [Narrator] And nice to have this public resource its users value.

- [Darrell Williams] It's important because it offers an opportunity for folks from the outside to come and enjoy this area.

- [Woman] Oh my goodness.

- [Narrator] With her horseback riding, fishing in the forest, five lakes, hiking, or running its trails or paddling its waters.

- [Michael] This is, I think probably one of the most important things we can have is areas like this for people to get away and explore and to get back to nature.

- [ Deborah Holt Noel] The Croatan National Forest has several entry points for visitors in Craven, Carteret, and Jones counties.

For more information, go to visitnewburn.com and look under things to do.

This is the historic Turnage theater.

Built over 100 years ago, this beautifully restored old vaudeville playhouse is now home to the arts of the Pamlico.

It's just one of the places that I visited on my weekend in Washington.

[cheery guitar music] - [Woman] Washington is a lovable town because of the people, because of the water, because of the vibrant energy, that's here to revitalize a wonderful small city in Eastern North Carolina.

- [Woman] People here, whatever they do, they can somehow work that into your life and just make your life a beautiful collage.

- An estuary is where freshwater from the mainland meets saltwater from the Pemlico Sound.

So right here, we have the Tar River, which is fresh, and we have the Pemlico Sound, which is a salt water.

And they come together right about at Washington.

So a type of water, we call brackish that mix of salt and fresh water, which makes it a perfect space for a nursery for the fish of the ocean.

We have the second largest estuary in the continental US.

So it's a pretty big deal.

Not only for us to talk about the idea of biodiversity and why diversity is important, but also to talk about what that means to the rest of the ocean.

We highlight the fish, the reptiles, amphibians that are in the area, and that are sort of special to the area and that they all live in that one place.

We have some great interaction.

We're able to talk to the kids about what they have in their own backyard.

And they're able to see the effects up river and how that affects us down river here in the estuary.

- [Deborah] On hot days, visitors can explore the brackish waters of the Tar Pamlico, aboard a free river roving tour.

- This is one of the few rivers that has two names.

Today, as you can see is a beautiful day in Washington, North Carolina, on the Pamlico river.

And we're going to take a ride up and down the river and just see what we can see.

And if you look at that second group of pilings, that is an occupied Osprey nest.

We basically just take a look at all of the environmental and historical and geographic landmarks that are around here.

And you never know what you will see.

- [Deborah] The boat tour was so cool and refreshing, the next day I decided to steer my own ship with the help of Inner Banks Outfitters.

- Now, what we have is a nice overcast morning.

The river is very calm.

It hasn't really woken up yet.

So it's just kind of the perfect day to go out, especially like a beginner kayaker like yourself.

You're going to not have any issues with the river.

No waves, there's only a little bit of wind, so that's going to just make it comfortable.

And you're just going to get to see a lot of cool things.

You're going to get to see turtles and fish jumping.

You come to my shop in the morning, go out kayaking, paddle boarding, or you could run a bike if you wanted to.

When you come off the water, you can have a cold drink at Jack's, lunch, whatever you want in your kayaking clothes as you are.

you can have a whole daycation right here, that's what we call it.

[crowd chatting] [band playing] - [Deborah] With live music, food and drinks, Backwater Jack's Tiki Bar and Grill is definitely the perfect fun zone for adult relaxation and play.

When you're visiting the original Washington, I've been told by all the locals I have got to come by Bill's Hot Dogs and get two hot dogs.

Let's go.

[upbeat funky music] - Since day one in the community.

We've been here since 1928.

Been in this location since 1934.

But it's the chili is what brings everybody back here.

Just original chili that Bill Jackson used when he originally started.

Menu hasn't changed throughout the years.

The only thing we've added is fountain drinks, a few homemade desserts.

So other than that, that's it.

Past 90 some years.

- [Woman] Okay, have a nice day - [Deborah] I will.

Try one of these famous hot dogs.

Good stuff.

[reggae music] - We have a lot of local seafood, yes.

Down on Main is a fun place with good food and good friends and good atmosphere and just a casual place in little Washington.

- [Deborah] Another great bet for casual dining downtown is Grub Brothers where they serve seafood sandwiches and more, but when you're in the mood for more fine dining, head to the Hackney.

[blues music] - I would describe this restaurant as a little bit of Britain dropped into the heart of East North Carolina.

With the art deco feel here, I think there's a bit of glamor.

We've taken this beautiful bank and brought a bit of London pizazz to the design and the layout.

Every bit of our produce is North Carolina.

All of our fish comes from the North Carolina coast.

All of our meat from other local farms.

So yeah, all about supporting local.

- [Deborah Holt Noel] As you can see, Washington has lots of options to satisfy your appetite for fun food and shopping.

[soft guitar music] Places like Lemonade Gallery feature the works of local artists.

Plus you can get custom jewelry handmade, or learn how to make your.

- We have about 18 or 19 artists currently showing in the gallery.

We try to keep all of our artists from the area, that makes us special.

- [Deborah] For upscale, clothing, accessories, and art visit the Secret Garden gallery and boutique.

And if you're planning an overnight stay, check out what's upstairs.

- It's called the Loft on Main.

It's an Airbnb that I designed and furnished with kind of an eclectic mix of old pieces, new pieces.

Contemporary art that is done by us and some friends.

So it's an extension of the gallery.

[jazz music] - My name is Mary Mehlich and I'm the owner of Wine & Words & Gourmet.

We have wines from around the world.

Cheese from around the world, gourmet foods.

All kinds of accessories and gift items and always bringing new things in.

What I try to do to bring in things that nobody maybe would have the chance to taste, or open up their palette a little bit.

Share some of my favorites.

- It's nice.

- We have little shops.

And what we do is we rent out spaces to other vendors.

We have everything from candles and soaps, pet boutique, vintage jewelry.

We run the business for people and they don't have to be here, we do it all for them.

- Anything you can think of, we try to have it.

Most people that come in here, they don't really know what to expect.

And once they come, they always come back.

- [Man] Say bye-bye.

- [Jane Weisal] See ya.

- [Deborah Holt Noel] New to downtown is the Harbor District Market.

[light banjo music] - We are in the Harbor District Market.

We're an indoor farmer's market.

And we have small businesses that are flourishing here in this space.

Everything here is locally made or grown.

We've got farmers that come through.

Soaps which are amazing.

All kinds of crafts.

[bell chimes] - [Deborah] The Harbor District Market is also a portal to learning about Washington's past.

- This is the Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum.

We have exhibits and we have documents that show you how with the help of Abolitionists, who in Washington, white, black, first American, native American immigrant, they work together with freedom seekers onto 143 plantations in the greater Washington area.

And working with them, they were able to secure the freedom of many, many enslaved people.

- [Deborah] The Turnage theater is Washington's creative and entertainment hub, and its rare costume collection is a must see.

- I think every costume tells a story.

The Gone with the Wind barbecue dress is probably the most recognizable thing I have.

- So Jeff, you not only have costumes, but the accessories.

- Yes, this is jewelry that the actress Natalie Shaffer owned.

She was better known as Mrs. Howell or Lovey Howell on Gilligan's Island.

- Skipper, do you love it?

- I do!

[both laugh] We have a variety of entertainment that's onstage.

From music to live theater, opera theater, big holiday concerts.

So it's just a happening place.

- [Deborah] When the sun goes down, The Wine Crate is where locals like to wind down.

- We really were going for coffee bar meets wine shop.

So just somewhere to hang out more lounge-y than restaurant-y.

A lot of our seating of courses, is plush couches, and coffee tables, more so than high top bar tables like you see most places.

- [Deborah] Of the many historic homes you'll find in Washington, this former plantation home Elmwood 1820 is perhaps the most enduring.

Today it's a welcoming and elegant bed and breakfast inn.

- Elmwood has always been sort of the grand am of Washington.

[jazzy music] She's always been very ornate.

Lots of parties have been held here.

So as a bed and breakfast, we continue to welcome guests from all around the world, as the house has since 1820.

We have five active guest rooms right now.

Each room has artifacts, history, magazines, and experiential components that help you step into the shoes of these characters while you're here at Elmwood.

- So.

we're a bed and breakfast inn.

We take our second b seriously.

We want to make breakfast a fine dining experience.

So we do it in multiple courses.

Whenever possible we use fresh local ingredients.

We try to do as much as we can to really elevate the breakfast experience for our guest.

- [Richard] Nobody's ever complained that I put too much cheese on here.

- How are we doing over here?

- So good.

- Oh good, good.

- We had a cantaloupe panna cotta with cream and melon and berries on top.

Followed by a summer squash au gratin, accompanied with a light side salad and asparagus wrapped with candied bacon.

- We often times forget what's in our own backyards and what's, just 20 minutes away or 30 minutes away or a couple of hours away.

And we're proud to be part of a collection of properties and towns in North Carolina that is the perfect weekend getaway for North Carolinians.

- [Deborah] To plan your weekend in Washington go to visitwashingtonnc.com.

North Carolina is home to some of the most popular beaches for surfing on the east coast.

And in Wilmington there's an outfitter that's been preserving the art and legacy of handcrafted surfboards since 1982.

Let's join Heather Burgiss with My Home, NC for this inspiring story about Savage Surfboards.

[country music] ♪ Come home, come home.

♪ [upbeat alternative music] - Growing up surfing was- I ate it up and lived it.

I knew that somewhere way down the line it was going to be my livelihood.

- God, surfing, and family.

That's what we're about.

God gave us the ability to build these and to do what we love to do for a living.

And we both are on the same mission, we're a team.

- My name is Kenny Brill.

- My name's Sean O'Donnell.

- [Both] And our home is Wilmington, North Carolina.

- I'm born and raised here in Wilmington, North Carolina.

I started surfing when I was about 12 years old with all my friends.

I just did it to have fun with my friends and to meet girls.

That's why I think every surfer starts surfing.

- Growing up I couldn't hardly get through school because of surfing.

And if the surf was head high or bigger, I could see it from my classroom windows.

And I literally would walk out and go surfing.

You just can't get it out of your blood no matter what you do.

- I was 17 years old.

I quit high school and I walked into the surf shop and the guy looked at me and said, "Well, you're going to be a pro surfer."

You can even win every contest locally.

And he popped me in the back of the head and said, "Show up at my surfboard shop Monday morning."

And here it is 28 years later and I'm still doing this.

- I grew up never wearing a shirt, never wearing shoes, always fishing, living off the land.

And I had a buddy that I grew up with.

He used to call me the Savage and that's how the name kicked up to the label.

Originally.

I started building surf boards in 1972.

I started building a few boards on the custom level.

And at that time I started bringing them down to Sean who was Wrightsville glassing.

And we decided to team up and start producing the boards on a little bit larger scale.

And he got in a head-on accident.

[somber guitar music] - 2014, I was in a very severe car accident.

I spent almost five months in a medical chair.

I had just met Kenny about probably five to six months before that, and I was doing work for him.

And I believe it's a God thing.

Kenny lives an hour and a half away, drove here every day and ran my surfboard factory for me while I was healing.

And didn't charge me one dime, nothing.

It just showed me how much this guy cared.

And I mean, he would come in, tell me what was going on day to day and just tell me to focus on healing.

[waves crashing] - At that point the retirement or semi-retirement ended and went back into full swing, which was fine because I love it.

I drive basically an hour and a half to hour and 45 minutes a day and people ask me, why do you do that?

And I go, "Because I love my job."

- It was just this great mixture of old school and new school that we really bounce, good ideas off each other.

With his 40 plus years of building surfboards.

And I'm in my 28th year.

There's a lot of cool things that we embrace technology.

And we still respect the old school way.

I think that's really why we're growing and keep getting bigger every year.

It's honoring, it's humbling to be able to build something that you create through your mind, that then is gravitated from eyes to your hands to then be able to craft that project and then be able to watch somebody else take that piece of material that you've carved and finished and watch them gravitate, and then enhance the same joy, the same excitement that you've been able to do surfing.

Now they get to do it and they're doing it through something you created.

[energetic instrumental music] - To go out and surf something that you made.

And you're just like, "Wow, I made that."

But while you're paddling back out and seeing what the younger kids can do with something that you made, it's mind blowing.

[energetic instrumental music continues] - I think the last part of my legacy in this industry is, I would like to know that everything I was taught that I would like to pass on to them.

Because I don't believe it's mine to keep, I believe it's mine to continue to hand on to the next person.

- [Deborah] The Savage Surfboards factory and showroom is at 2725 Old Wrightgsborough Road Building 15-4 in Wilmington.

And it's open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

For more information, give them a call at [910]622-0044 Or visit them online at savagesurfboards.com Well, that's it for tonight's show.

I just love visiting Washington.

It's a really great place right here in the heart of the inner banks.

And if you've missed anything in today's show, just remember, you can always watch us again online at pbsnc.org.

Have a great North Carolina weekend, everyone.

[upbeat folk music] ♪ - [Woman] Funding for North Carolina Weekend is provided in part by Visit NC dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of barrier island beaches.

You're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.