Clockwise from top: Churton Street is lined with eclectic, galleries, gift shops and restaurants. Weaver Street Market, a cooperative grocery, specializes in local and organic foods. Heidi and Tim Zimmerman examine a display in one of the town’s many gallery windows. I turn in past the police station, find a free parking spot, walk and settle my pug dog Bella for a nap in the back seat and head out to see the town. My first stop — that intriguing stone building on the corner — pays off. There, Orange County Historical Museum assistant director 36 hours in hillsborough Scotty Washington greets me at the door and pulls me into the vivid history of Hillsborough and our great state. A lover of history, in no time as he talks, my head is jacked up on stories of a time when Native Americans were alone here, living without the “benefit” of the white man. Then, regions of the country were crisscrossed with paths the Indians traveled seasonally in their hunting and gathering lifestyle. It was not uncommon for inland Indians like the Occoneechee to make use of these paths, which often paralleled and intersected rivers, to cover great distances, including travel to the coast to feast on the sea’s bounty. This is followed in rapid succession with stories of North Carolina’s role in the Bill of Rights, patriots hanged, a daring kidnapping and William Hooper. I begin to glow as firm connections to Wilmington are revealed. Leaving there, I walk south stopping in at light-filled galleries and shops glittering with handmade jewelry, art and collectibles. These are delicious places to linger, but I push on. I take note of Radius across the street, the pizzeria in a retro bank where I am to lunch the next day, and find myself at LaPlace, where I am to dine this night. I pop in to say hi and meet Chef Matt Fox for the first time; he is young and friendly. He says he will be too busy to talk with me that night, but I should come and dine. We agree on a time and I set off, but only make it two doors away where I turn into Matthew’s Chocolates, a much-anticipated destination on my itinerary. I am unable to sample any of the handmade chocolates due to the lateness of the day, coupled with the now regrettable consumption of inferior chocolates on the drive. The shop promises to be a favorite place. 67 www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM
Wrightsville Beach Magazine May 2014
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