Discover the Small Town Charm and Back Road Treasures of Duplin County
Located between Raleigh and Wilmington in eastern North Carolina, Duplin County is known for its muscadine vineyards and award-winning wines. But this is an eclectic county and, sprawling out from Interstate 40, it offers visitors much more to see and do. Whether as the inland highlight of a trip to the nearby Atlantic beaches or as part of a southeastern wine tour, a visit to Duplin is an introduction to real North Carolina culture.
This is not the stick-out-your-pinkie kind of culture. This is a place that appreciates its past, celebrates its traditions and enjoys good times with friends. And if you spend some time here tasting the wines, exploring the shops and markets and savoring the North Carolina barbecue, you will be a friend.
Small towns dot the map here and locally owned businesses fueled by Southern hospitality are the norm. In Wallace, visitors find a classic Southern small town with streets lined with local boutiques, shops and restaurants. In Warsaw, the streets are home to the oldest consecutively running Veterans’ Day Parade in the country as well as the Duplin County Veterans Museum. For nearly 100 years, heroes have been celebrated here. Liberty Hall (409 S. Main Street, Kenansville NC 28349), is a historic landmark and the ancestral home of the Kenan Family, some of the earliest founders and leaders of Duplin County and the State. It is also the location of the “wedding of the century” where William Flagler, founder of Standard Oil, married Mary Lily Kenan back in 1901.
Kenansville is also home to Country Squire Winery (748 N.C. 24 Bus./50, Warsaw- Kenansville, NC 28398), a landmark for more than 50 years. Its winery, tasting room, restaurant and inn combine the tastes of muscadine wines, with grapes native to the Southeastern and South-Central United States and the country charm and heritage of Scotland, from where the owners hail. Just down the road in Rose Hill, the world-famous Duplin Winery (505 N. Sycamore Street, Rose Hill, NC 28458) is the largest winery in the south and the largest producer of muscadine wine in the country. Tours, tastings and special events make this stop a highlight for many.
As travelers explore this beautiful county, the rural areas are filled with tastes and treasures to discover, as well. Local markets such as The Country Barn (889 Fountaintown Road, Beulaville, NC 28518) and The Tipsy Bee (1752 Lyman Rd, Chinquapin, NC 28521) welcome visitors and share local products including breads, cookies, jams, jellies, cheeses, wines and more. There are antique barns filled with riches from the past and flea markets bursting at the seams with one-of-a-kind gems.
Of course, along the way everyone is lured in by the irresistible flavor of Eastern North Carolina barbecue. Not only is it a source of local pride, it’s finger-licking good! Whether in one of the local downtown or roadside restaurants, the barbecue, and a host of other Southern specialties, are served in heaping helpings with a side of Southern hospitality.
Small towns, family businesses and beautiful North Carolina countryside are all a part of the charm of Duplin County. This is authentic North Carolina and it’s the perfect place to explore or, as the locals say, uncork, unwind and unplug.