Take a drive this spring on a route that encompasses
beauty and history, suggested by the N.C. Department
of Transportation. BY SIMON GONZALEZ
The siren song of the open road can be heard as soon as the weather warms
up. Spring is the perfect time to get in the car, wind the windows down, open
the sunroof or lower the top of the convertible, cue up the road trip playlist, and hit the
highway.
It’s a low-cost way to enjoy the beauty of the area, to explore, and to see the sights
while enjoying the wonderful feeling of the wind blowing through your hair before
the hot, muggy summer months arrive and necessitate the rolling up of windows and
april 2021
constant a/c.
Sometimes it’s a joy to merrily head
out to nowhere in particular, to randomly
explore unknown roads — the more twisty,
the better. But to truly appreciate the splen-dor
and the history of the region, a more
structured itinerary is helpful.
The North Carolina Department of
Transportation caters to car enthusiasts
who want to get off the beaten path and
learn more about the state by designating
61 routes as scenic byways, selected to
“allow motorists to experience a bit of the
state’s history, geography and breathtaking
scenery while raising awareness for the
protection and preservation of these trea-sures,”
the DOT website says.
The routes encompass the diversity of the
state, running along the coast, through the
Piedmont, and up to the mountains. They
all have something in common. They are
roads less traveled. There isn’t an interstate
on the list. The idea is to get out of the fast
lane, slow down, and enjoy the journey.
The DOT’s list of scenic byways includes
a few in the Cape Fear region, including
one just over the Heide Trask bridge from
Wrightsville Beach.
1
2
3
5
4
Fayetteville
Wilmington
Elizabethtown
Bladenboro
Lake
Waccamaw
Green Swamp
Preserve
1 Meteor Lakes Byway
2 Green Swamp Byway
3 Cape Fear Historic Byway
4 Airlie Road
5 Brunswick Town Road
30
WBM
BY WAYS
MARK AND ALLISON POTTER
Scenic