DigitalRoadtrip: June Roadtrip, Day 4...Bald Head Island, or Not

Day 4

Friday, June 4

This day was supposed to have been all about Bald Head Island. There’s an hourly ferry service out to the island, and the ferry company also offers transportation to the various hotels and resorts on the island.

My plan was simply to check out the lighthouse, then walk down to the hiking trails in the forest preserve. Grab some lunch at one of the hotels, then the ferry home.

The weather guessers were right on the nose. Promptly at 6A there was a flash of light, followed by a loud slam. The morning’s thunderstorm had arrived.

By 10A, the skies had cleared. Taking the 11A ferry seemed like a bit of a late start, so I ditched the car by the waterfront and started walking.

Just beyond the tourist area, I found a historic marker. It recounted Southport's thriving shrimp industry. By 1915, their shrimp was being shipped as far as New York. By 1923, a million and a half pounds was being shipped just to New York. That all changed in 1954 when a category four hurricane named Hazel made landfall around the NC/SC border. The storm destroyed the docks, buildings and most of the boats. Southport's shrimp industry never recovered.

The town was still called Smithville in 1890 when business leaders and investors came up with a plan. The idea was to build a railroad extension to connect to the Appalachian coal fields. Steam ships still had to go the long way around South America and Smithville would be their refueling stop. As part of the plan, they would change the name of the town to Southport, as in port of the south.

Numerous railroad companies failed before the Wilmington, Brunswick and Southern completed the line in 1911. However, during that twenty year gap, steam ships were already changing from coal to oil. The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 did the rest.

Cutting back towards downtown, I randomly came across the old Brunswick County Jail. There are regular tours, but only on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Yes, I had lunch at a place called the Fishy Fish Cafe.

The seemingly requisite daily afternoon rain began to splatter, and I just headed back to the motel to wait it out. A question though. If rain was in the forecast, why would someone take the doors off their Jeep?

With the afternoon rain over and the sun starting to peek out, it was about that time. It was a little early for sunset, but plenty of time for a nice walk about downtown. After ditching the car, I found myself at a place called the Moore Street Oyster Bar. While I'm not much for oysters, they did have some intriguing selections on the menu. Imagine a grilled cheese sandwich, but with lobster. Yum. They also make their own potato chips. One choice was made with Rosemary. Really good!

I decided to head back to the municipal dock for sunset. On the way, I passed a few groups doing walking tours, and one setting up for an evening ghost tour. Another night here, and I probably would have taken one. But, I had a date with the setting sun.