We are always looking for new places to discover and explore in our state. One of our favorite ways to go the adventure way is to take an Epic North Carolina Day Trip. Luckily for us, North Carolina is home to so many little gems for day tripping. On our epic quest to visit every North Carolina State Park we always try and research the area first. This helps us find a new small town or city to experience on our day trip. From where we live, Kerr Lake and Medoc Mountain are a great pair of State Parks to visit in a day. And the small town of Halifax makes for a great stop in between. These are all places we had never been to and we came home that day in love with them. North Carolina is always surprising us – in the most excellent way.
Kerr Lake State Recreation Area
Our day started early as we traveled to Kerr Lake. Kerr Lake is a State Park Recreation Area. It is located a little over an hour north of Raleigh. Kerr Lake is split between North Carolina and Virginia. When we visit each park we always want to spend some time really getting a feel for the park and walking away knowing what its all about. We knew going into this day that this park was mainly for boating (we don’t own a boat). But, we knew that we could find something to experience at this State Park.
We stopped by the visitors center first (always do this!) and spoke to the Park Ranger who helped solidify our plans. There are numerous access points to Kerr Lake and they are spread out for miles. The entrance for the visitors center is the Satterwhite Point entrance and from here you can get some good information on what the park has to offer.
Things to do in Kerr Lake State Park
Upon entering, the Park Ranger let us know that most people who visit Kerr Lake are boating and/or camping. We fell into neither of those categories so he helped us find some fun things to do for the couple of hours we had there! We are always so thankful for the Park Rangers!
First, we spent a few minutes checking out the exhibits in the visitors center. Its a great little center with fun interactive things for kids. Next, we walked the kid’s track trail loop that starts right outside of the visitors center. Its a paved track – we loved this! And you have several viewing spots of the Lake. One thing to consider is there really is not a ton of hiking here. It really is a boating and water use park.
Things to know – the trail was free to walk but any of the recreation or boating areas have a fee to enter. You can get to the visitor’s center without paying the fee as well. All water access on the North Carolina side had a $7 day use fee. Camping is available for a fee as well!
John H. Kerr Dam/Reservoir
We decided to drive north a little further and view Kerr Lake from the Virginia side. This is where the John H. Kerr Dam is located. The dam is really fun to drive on, neat to see, and its huge! There are also nice viewing and recreation areas on both sides of the dam. These are great areas to relax and have a picnic. These areas have public beach access which is free. So, if you wanted to not pay for swimming – come to these spots! We spent about 20 minutes here checking out the dam, walking the beach shore and dipping our toes into the water. It was a nice little rest break.
There is a nice little visitor’s center at the dam where you can learn all about how the dam operates. There are some great views from here. They also have an old decommissioned tugboat that you can check out. Silas really enjoyed the tugboat, it has a great little story so don’t miss reading about it!
Grab a Bite to Eat at Ralph’s!
After our epic Kerr Lake experience (we totally didn’t plan on going into Virginia) we were starving! Our plan was to drive to Halifax to eat at The Hen and Hog but we realized they were closed for lunch on Saturday’s. This is totally another day trip we have to do! The Hen and Hog is on our NC bucket list. Make sure to check it out and find out what the hours are before going!
We quickly discovered another little eating place that is near and dear to the NC locals and that’s Ralph’s Barbecue. Ralph’s is a quintessential NC BBQ place and finds itself on a lot of lists of top places to eat. Warning – you will walk away totally stuffed and satisfied! Ralph’s is not only a BBQ joint but is a BBQ buffet. Yes, a full out Southern Cooking Buffett. Think church potluck lunch and you have it about covered. Fried Chicken, Dumplings, Chopped BBQ, Brunswick Stew, Biscuits, Slaw, Banana Pudding…and that’s just the start. We loved eating at Ralph’s!
Historic Halifax
Halifax, NC is “The birthplace of Freedom”. Sometimes a little slice of the world you didn’t even knew existed enters into your life. You take it all in, learn about the history, see the beauty and walk away with a new perspective. That is exactly what Halifax did for us. If you live in NC please visit Halifax.
Historic Halifax is the birthplace of the Halifax Resolves written in 1776. This was the first official action for independence by any colony. The Halifax Resolves were taken to Philadelphia and used as a template for the Declaration of Independence! It is so fun to explore this well preserved town full of historic stops and landmarks. You can learn about the history in their visitors center/museum and get lots of info about the day’s offerings. The awesome worker for the NC Historic Society pointed us in the right direction for how to spend the hour or so we had here. It seemed like most things closed around 4pm so be sure to get here before its too late!
We stopped by the taproom and were taught old tavern games by one of the locals – this was a fun experience for us and a must do on a visit here! We also checked out the restored town jail and toured a historic home. Recently, the town has been working on revitalizing the downtown where The Hen and Hog is located as well as a few other antique shops and other small businesses. This was one of those places that I wish I knew about earlier and I wanted more people to know about. We loved our detour stop to Halifax and it should be on everyone’s bucket list for a North Carolina Day Trip . Which leads us to our final stop for the day!
Medoc Mountain State Park
This State Park is located in Halifax County and is the home of Little Fishing Creek, lots of hiking trails and the Mountain Summit. Medoc Mountain really isn’t a Mountain anymore but it does give you a great uphill hike if you take the Summit Loop Trail. Something to note is that there is no viewing area at the Summit or panoramic views. Its more about the hike and the river you walk along to get there. We loved this hike and would recommend taking it. We combined the Stream Loop Trail, the Discovery Loop Trail, and the Summit Loop and had a great hike. The Summit Loop trail is labeled as moderate and it does have quite a little climb, so just keep that in mind!
Kids Activities at Medoc Mountain
One of the highlights at this park was meeting Charlie the Corn Snake. He lives in the visitors center and loves to meet new friends. Charlie is a rescue from the Sylvan Heights Bird Park who now lives here in Medoc Mountain. If you have kids or like snakes make sure to come say hello to Charlie!
Like most State Parks Medoc Mountain also has a kids track trail right by the visitors center. We have done a lot of these and we all felt like this one has been our favorite! The trail is really well maintained and has a lot of great activities for kids. We liked that the track is fully paved and is easy to walk. A must do with younger kids.
Other park highlights include Camping, horseback trails, biking trails and paddling in the creek. There is much to do as this great State Park!
We had a great time on our journey through this part of the state. Our family got to experience some beautiful places, incredible food, and learn about North Carolina’s place in history. What are some things that you have learned about your home state that have surprised you? What are some of those little known facts that make your state unique?
Looking for more North Carolina Day Trip Plans? Check out our guide for visiting Historic Edenton, North Carolina or Plan a day trip to Little Washington!
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