1. King’s Restaurant:
Try barbecue voted best in the nation: Picture this: Tender, pork barbecue painstakingly hand-chopped daily and slathered in our secret family sauce. Oh, and hush puppies, collard green, and coleslaw. For three generations this is what King’s Restaurant has been serving up in Lenoir County. The same old fashion flavor perfected in 1936 is what you get today. If the packed parking lot is any indication, visitors can’t get enough. Just make sure you stock up on extra napkins. If your face and hands don’t get messy eating this barbecue, you’re doing it all wrong.

2. Mother Earth Motor Lodge:
Time travel to the 1960s. There’s only one place to stay in Kinston if you want to feel like you have traveled back in time. The Mother Earth Motor Lodge is conveniently located in Downtown and has been meticulously renovated to be a time capsule of the 1960s. There are 45 rooms –standard, economy and suites– equipped with a refrigerator, microwave and subtle accents of avocado green. The center courtyard features a three-ring pool, shuffleboard and 9-hole mini golf for outside entertainment. The whole experience is groovy. And, yes, this version of the 60s includes free wifi.

3. CSS Neuse Civil War Museum:
See what remains of one of only four ironclads in the world. The CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center is home to the remains of an Ironclad warship. It’s one of only four in the world. Once upon a time, the Confederate Navy tried to use an ironclad gunboat to regain control of the Neuse River and retake the city of New Bern. Let’s just say that things didn’t work out as planned. The ship got stuck on a sandbar, was scuttled, and then remained on the bottom of the Neuse River for almost a century. Today visitors can explore the 158 foot skeleton of the ship. They can read about how it took 20 men to operate one gun. Most importantly, they can learn how NOT to take a ship down a shallow river.

4. Chef & The Farmer:
Grab a meal at a place that invented farm-to-table. Chef Vivian Howard was raised in a town with more pigs than people. Which is probably why she feels a certain connection to the land. With her culinary degree in hand, she and her husband, Ben Knight, moved from New York back to Kinston in 2006 with the goal of opening their own restaurant. At first she made seasonal tweaked versions of other people’s foods. But soon her curiosity led her back into the farming fields of her youth. It was here that she found herself working to help displaced tobacco farmers transition into food farmers. From that process, she began defining her own version of Southern cooking rooted in this region’s ingredients and traditions.

5. Mother Earth Brewing Company:
Try sustainably crafted beer. Peace, love, and beer. It’s a phrase the folks at Mother Earth Brewery in Kinston live by. On your visit you can expect to taste their next great artisanal creation – an Alpenglow Hazy IPA, a Belgian-style Weeping Willow Wit, or a Long Weekend India Pale Ale. But what you might not expect, is that behind that flavor is a beer made using only sustainable practices. Because Kinston isn’t just where the folks at Mother Earth brew. It’s where they live.

6. The O’Neil Hotel.
There’s no where else in Kinston you can tuck your kids up in a bank vault for a good night’s sleep. Then again, there’s no other lodging in Eastern North Carolina quite like The O’Neil. Originally the Farmers & Merchants Bank, this grand building was lovingly renovated in 2015 and turned into a boutique hotel. There are seven eclectic rooms guests may reserve. Each has a different theme and feel. They range from classic elegance to an over-the-top asian decor. Perhaps The O’Neil’s best feature is its proximity to things to do in Downtown Kinston. Step outside and you’re only a couple blocks from local art galleries, ax throwing competitions, or a farm to table meal at the place that invented farm to table meals – Chef & the Farmer. If you want a unique, lux way to stay over in Kinston? Bank on the O’Neil.

7. Social House Vodka:
Enjoy locally made and artisan crafted vodka. Where can you find the best Vodka made in North Carolina? Look no further than Kinston. It’s here that Social House has converted an old power station into a farm to flask distillery. Social House is a corn-based Vodka made from crops grown locally. The corn gives the Vodka a sweet, buttery, soft, subtle note suitable for sipping on the rocks or mixing into cocktails. You can taste those cocktails at the PumpHouse 1906. This local speakeasy is owned and operated by Social House. It showcases small batch collections of craft spirits, infusions, syrups, and bitters. No one cocktail is quite like the other. So, head over and raise a glass. Here’s to a Vodka as unique as you are.

8. Ironclad Marketplace:
Shop like it’s a sport. Ironclad Marketplace offers visitors a chance to browse through 12,000 square feet of antiques and collectibles from more than 40 vendors. Enter the door and you can feel the history. Retro modern side tables mingle with country sideboards. Quilts fall lazily over a perfectly padded rocker. Accent pillows abound in colors that match hand-blown glass vases and plates and paintings. If it was in Grandma’s attic, excluding Grandpa, you’ll probably find it here.

9. Down East Wood Ducks:
Catch the Major’s Leagues rising stars on the field today. Grab your glove and head over to Grainger Stadium for a minor league baseball game with the Down East Wood Ducks. Part of the Carolina League, the Wood Ducks are owned and operated by the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Get ready for popcorn, peanuts, and some great craft beer at the Mother Earth Pavilion on the right field line. Bring the family for a whole lot of fun at the ballpark.

10. Lion’s Adventure Water Park:
Cool off with a two-story drop. One look at the 32-foot-high water slides and your kids will be grinning and gleeful for the next two hours. Leave the older kids to the slides while you relax in the Lazy River that stretches over a football field in length. You’ll stay cool with your feet in the water and the occasional drenching from dump buckets and sprayers along the way. Competitive swimmers can get their strokes in at the 25-yard, eight-lane pool. Tired from all your touring? Relax in the 550-foot accessible wellness pool kept at 90 degrees–perfect for soothing sore muscles. Store your valuables in the lockers; shower and change in the bathhouse. Don’t forget to bring your own towels and get ready for a chill afternoon.