DRIVING; Heading South, Taking It Slow |
Posted: December 22, 2014 |
THE 100-foot-high wind-sculptured dunes of Jockey's Ridge State Park are where hang gliders soar in the same prevailing off-shore winds that buoyed the Wright brothers 100 years ago atop Kill Devil Hill, the famous dune south of Kitty Hawk. Nags Head is said to have been so named because land pirates once lured passing ships onto the shoals by dangling lanterns from the necks of ponies and parading them on the dunes. The ships' captains mistook the jiggling lights for vessels bobbing at anchor in safe harbor. Back on the mainland, take United States Route 64 east along the south shore of Albemarle Sound to Williamston, N.C. Turn onto United States 17, which will carry you south through rural woodlands and marshlands and cotton and tobacco fields all the way to Wilmington, N.C., a small city on the Cape Fear River that is home to the Screen Gems Studios. Both Wilmington and the nearby oceanfront town of Wrightsville Beach are draws for fans of ''Dawson's Creek,'' the television teenage drama produced on location there. Back on Route 17, you'll soon cross into South Carolina, where you will want to avoid the maddeningly congested beach road that is the main drag of Myrtle Beach, the popular resort town. But beware: Myrtle Beach gets so crowded during the long spring break season that sticking to the four-lane bypass is no guarantee that you won't get caught in a traffic jam anyway. About 25 miles south of Myrtle Beach, adventurous travelers with time to spare may want to leave Route 17 and follow Causeway Road two miles east to Pawleys Island. This four-mile-long spit of sandy beaches and moss-hung shade trees was first settled by summering rice plantation owners in the 1700's. The island has a handful of bed-and-breakfasts but, as the Sea View Inn proudly points out on its Web site, ''no filling stations, no fireworks stands, no grocery store or ships.'' A single country lane separates a long row of beachfront rental cottages from salt marshes on the leeward side. The Sea View, which usually opens for business in mid-April, is opening March 28 this year to accommodate the influx of visitors expected for an annual tour of local antebellum plantation houses. Nestled in the dunes, the inn has a screened dining area where guests eat grits, gumbo and oyster pie (843-237-4253, www.seaviewinn.net). Back on the mainland, continue along Route 17 as it follows the coastline through thick woods and marshlands. About 70 miles south of Pawleys Island, you'll reach the graceful port city of Charleston, S.C. With its gorgeous 18th-century homes, fine restaurants and rich history, Charleston is an ideal stopping place before facing the inevitable return to I-95, which Route 17 meets 60 miles to the southeast, just north of the Georgia line. From there, you should get to the Florida line, 150 miles away, in two and a half hours. But before you leave Charleston, linger a bit and stroll the famous Battery. Peer across the harbor at Fort Sumter, where the Civil War began, and be glad you took the road less traveled. Photos: NOT I-95 -- A sailboarder near Route 12 in North Carolina. (Marty Katz for The New York Times)(pg. F1); REST STOP -- The boardwalk along the beach at Ocean City, Md., a place to pause on the coastal route between New York and Florida. (Marty Katz)(pg. F8) Drawing (Rodica Prato)(pg. F1)
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