Goldsboro Day Trip to Kinston

Daytrip to Kinston for Food, Beer, and Battlefields

After a long workweek, it can be refreshing to break out of your comfort zone on the weekend. There’s no need to go far from downtown Goldsboro — within about half an hour, you can drive to Kinston, home of an award-winning chef, a leading brewery, fascinating historical sites, and even a hit television show. Here’s why this small town is worth the drive.

Rich History  

            Kinston was first created as a township by an act of the North Carolina General Assembly back in 1762. A man named Richard Caswell introduced the bill to incorporate it and soon moved to the town; Caswell would go on to be North Carolina’s first governor. As one of the state’s first cities, it played an integral role in the Civil War — including a Battle of Kinston that took place on December 14, 1862.

            Post-Civil War, Kinston became a major tobacco and cotton trading center. As decades passed and the twentieth century dawned, tobacco and cotton ushered in other industries, including lumber and cotton mills. In more recent history modern industry has come, too: 63 years ago DuPont established a Kinston plant and research center, where renewably sourced polymer and other pharmaceutical equipment materials are developed and produced.

            Such a well-rounded and diverse past makes for many points of interest. Harmony Hall, in downtown Kinston, is a still-standing historic home that served as the capital of North Carolina during the American Revolution and then as a hospital during the Civil War. The CSS Neuse II is a full-sized reproduction of Confederate gunboats during the Civil War. You can also take self-guided driving tours (perfect for a daytrip schedule — fit it in when you can!) of Civil War battle spots, including the Battle of Kinston site and the Battle of Wyse Fork nearby. Go at your own pace, according to your daytrip schedule, and this is the sort of family activity sure to please everyone. 

The Power of Howard

Once you’ve appreciated the small town’s past, you can truly savor Kinston’s current happenings. And they’re something to talk about. Kinston native Vivian Howard left home to pursue a culinary degree, which led her to New York City where she worked in some of the nation’s most respected kitchens. There, she met her husband, artist Ben Knight; and a decade ago, the two decided to launch their own venture back in her hometown. Thus was born Chef & the Farmer, a creative modern American restaurant rooted in Southern cooking traditions. Slowly but surely, Chef & the Farmer garnered a buzz — fast-forward to today and Howard has won a James Beard Award, which is the equivalent of an Oscar in the culinary realm. At Chef & the Farmer, expect gourmet dishes with familiar flavors: smoked beef brisket with field pea salad, pimento cheese grits, flash-fried collard greens, and fruit upside down cornmeal cake. It’s fancy food, to be sure, but the kind of fancy food you can relate to.

Then, a few years ago, Howard teamed with a childhood friend who is now a filmmaker in Durham, N.C. to produce and star in a PBS show about Howard and Knight’s restaurateur journey in Kinston. A Chef’s Life just debuted its fourth season. The show is one-part recipe-and-cooking show (think Food Network) and one part behind-the-scenes documentary; watching it is both compelling and guaranteed to make your stomach rumble.

Meanwhile, Howard and Knight launched another restaurant called Boiler Room — with a true crowd-pleasing menu of steamed seafood and hearty burgers — and Howard just released her second cookbook. Magazines and food critics nationwide are taking note of the culinary renaissance in Kinston. Now is most definitely the time to visit.

Sustainable Sips  

            Of course, it’s not all about Vivian Howard, and the hometown chef is the first to urge visitors to explore everything Kinston has to offer. Among the other culinary must-stops is Mother Earth Brewing, the passion project of two other Kinston natives with a love of both local agriculture and craft beer. Mother Earth’s beers are now distributed throughout the state and in some parts of Virginia. You’ve likely tried their Weeping Willow Wit — a light, easy-to-drink wheat beer — and it’s worth branching out to try some of their creative concoctions, such as Homegrown, an ale brewed with local tomatoes.   

            The Mother Earth facility is open for free tours at the top of the hour every hour Tuesdays – Fridays 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Saturdays 1 – 8 p.m. There’s also a tap room, where you can try flights of the brewery’s suds and hang out, open every evening except Mondays.

By the time you hit a few historic spots, try a bite to eat at Boiler Room, sample beer at Mother Earth, and make it in for dinner at Chef & the Farmer, you’ve had a full day. It’s a good thing you’ll only be 20-some miles from home sweet home in Goldsboro. 

Chef & the Farmer’s weekend dinner reservations fill up fast, so call ahead to secure your mealtime.