Back in the 80's I used to drive down here to visit two of my uncles who had moved from NH to this state. One lived in Elizabeth City, ( my godfather) and the other in Aidelette. I always loved the state, but never imagined living here. Two years ago, when selling our place in search of a smaller home, we discussed the possibility of going back up north, and both decided to stay here in NC...I like it here, it's an interesting state, and the winters are so much easier than they were back in NH.That brings back fond memories. I once had a job to do in Kinston, NC and it was a remarkable trip due to the things I learned. It struck me that the name of the town was somehow a bit off - until I read that that the very old town had originally been named Kingston but due to the unpleasantries surrounding the Revolutionary War the townsfolk decided they didn't want no "King" in their town name. So they simply dropped a letter.
Then I kept seeing ads for the Ram Neuse museum. That could have been Swahili for all I knew since I was clueless about either word. I learned that there once were naval vessels whose only function was to ram enemy ships and do enough damage to sink them. And my geography was weak in that I had never heard of a major NC river named the Neuse. So that unintelligible phrase was Ram (type of ship) Neuse (named after the river it was built on). There is much more to the fascinating story about the Confederate vessel which didn't get finished in time to make any difference in the Civil War.
And then throw in the unlikely feat of finding two great barbecue restaurants two nights in a row.
The Carolinas are at the very top of my lists of places I wouldn't mind living in.