My first port of call “in Blackbeard’s wake” was the college town of Greenville, North Carolina.
Last time I visited the home of East Carolina University was in 2015 as part of my BBQ Bound adventures. Greenville and the surrounding area of Pitt County was the dream destination for whole hog BBQ and an ideal destination for downhome eats. Since then, a number of restaurants, bars and cafes have opened alongside a handful of craft breweries to ensure there’s plenty of quality beer to pair with all the great food.
As much as I savoured reacquainting myself with such a tasty town, I was primarily there to take a peek into the East Carolina University lab where artefacts from Blackbeard’s sunken flagship are being preserved and studied for a more accurate record of North Carolina’s coastal heritage.
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Queen Anne’s Revenge Conservation Lab
The ship that served as Blackbeard’s flagship for a year was a frigate built in Bristol, England during the early 18th century. Originally named Concord, it was being used by French slave traders when captured by Blackbeard off the coast of Martinique in 1717. Renamed Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship played a key role in some of the pirate’s most infamous exploits before being run aground in 1718.
The wreck was discovered in 1996 by private firm Intersal about a mile offshore near Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. Now on the US National Register of Historic Places, the vessel’s remains are being excavated, examined and catalogued by the Underwater Archaeology Branch of the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology.
East Carolina University in Greenville runs the Queen Anne’s Revenge Conservation Lab, where these artefacts are being preserved and documented. Guided tours of the lab are conducted regularly. Highlights include the following activities:
- Enter the warehouse, which contains one of the largest collections of cannon excavated from a single wreck;
- View pieces of the actual Queen Anne’s Revenge, including a 12-foot anchor and parts of the hull structure itself;
- Explore how “mysteries of the sea” are revealed through x-ray technology;
- Preview fully conserved artifacts before they reach the museum, with minutia and ephemera incredibly well preserved.
My tour of the lab was a fascinating way to spend a morning, Find out more at
qaronline.org/visit.
Sam Jones
When I was in Greenville in 2015, I had the pleasure of visiting Skylight Inn, an acclaimed BBQ joint about ten miles out from Greenville in Ayden. Without a lick of hyperbole, I can say my lunch there was one of the best meals of my life. At the time Skylight’s third generation proprietor, Sam Jones was in the final stages of opening another outlet, Sam Jones BBQ, closer to town. I was chuffed to get to swing by there for dinner while in Greenville. As at Skylight, the restaurant featured perfect wood-fired whole hog BBQ along with other smoked meats and a range of southern staples such as catfish, collards, and more.
Sam Jones BBQ is located at 715 West Fire Tower Road, Winterville, North Carolina 28590. Find out more at samjonesbbq.com.
Craft Beer
There’s quite a crafty beer scene brewing around Greenville these days. I poked my head in at four including the mother of them all, Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery, in nearby Farmville and three others all in uptown Greenville and with a short stroll of each other. All beer consumed was enjoyed but I had two faves: the Mandarina Mild from Duck-Rabbit and the Skullville Jalapeno Pale Ale from Trollingwood.
- The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery – duckrabbitbrewery.com
- Trollingwood Taproom – trollingwoodbrewery.com
- Pitt Street Brewing Company – pittstreetbrewing.com
- Uptown Brewing Company – uptownbrewingcompany.com
More Food and Drinks
In addition to the amazing BBQ I had at Sam Jones, I ate well at a few other local eateries. The sophisticatedly southern menu at the Dickenson Avenue (deviled eggs with sorghum candied bacon; shrimp and crab stuffed oysters with sauce ravigote, Parmesan, lemon, crackling and collard dust) was an especially scrumptious treat. I had some great coffee too while in Greenville at the small batch roaster and café (with the perfectly suited name for my trip), Blackbeard Coffee.
- Blackbeard Coffee – blackbeardroasters.com
- Coastal Fog – coastalfog.com
- Crossbones Tavern – crossbonestavernnc.com
- Dickinson Avenue Public House – daphousenc.com
- The Scullery – facebook.com/thescullerygreenville
Knee Deep Adventures
To work off some of the calories racked up eating all the good food in Greenville, I took to the water with a paddle along the Tar River with Knee Deep Adventures. It was great to be out on the river, drifting along with the current, navigating through a tupelo and cypress swamps, scoping some wildlife, and stopping at a little sandy beach for our break. Highly recommend!
Details at kneedeepadventures.com.
The Music House
In Greenville, I stayed at The Music House, an impeccably restored Victorian house (one of the oldest in town) owned by a local music professor who was apt to practice piano in the afternoon. The house convenient for everything I wanted to do. My room was comfortable and full of fun vintage and antique bric-a-brac. I loved the spacious bathroom replete with Toto Washlet Japanese for a refreshingly clean experience.
The Music House is located at 408 West Fifth Street, Greenville, North Carolina 27834. Visit its Facebook page for more info: facebook.com/The-Music-House-167355323288497/?ref=page_internal
Keep a watch out for more posts to come in my Blackbeard’s Wake miniseries.
