FATHER'S DAY IN BADIN, NORTH CAROLINA

Today is Father's Day and I am lucky to not only have my husband and son to spend the day with but also my father here from Georgia for the weekend.  We ... Mom, Dad, brother, husband, son and I ... loaded up in the mini van and headed to Badin, North Carolina to spend the day.  Badin is described as a "French flavor town" built up in the early 1900s when a french company came to build a damn.  It is indeed a small but oh so charming little town on the lake.  The "downtown" consists of just a few buildings.  There is a coffee shop, a couple of restaurants and a few shops ... all very quaint and picturesque.  Since it was early Sunday nothing was open so we had to be satisfied with window shopping.

Next we went to The Biden Inn and Golf Club and Resort.  www.badininn.com I would describe it as a mini Pinehurst.  The Inn is a beautiful white house with inviting rocking chairs on the sprawling front porch.  I looked inside the lobby and photos of the rooms.  Each room had a different decor and I thought the rates were very reasonable.  We ate lunch in the pub on the porch overlooking the golf course.  It made for a fun afternoon watching the golfers tee off and the food was yummy too!  

We then drove just a few miles away to Morrow Mountain State Park. www.stateparks.com/morrow_mountain  The park offers hiking, swimming, boating, camping and more.  We first went down by the lake.  My husband and son rented one canoe and my father and brother rented another.  The cost for 1 hour was only $5 a canoe.  They had a great time exploring Lake Tillery while my mother and I rested on a blanket  in the shade watching the boaters go by.

History buffs like myself will also enjoy seeing in the park the homestead of Dr. Francis Kron who emigrated to the U.S. in 1823 and was the first doctor in this area of North Carolina.  

There was much more to see and do in the park but my group was tired and ready for a cold drink somewhere before the ride home.  We definitely need to go back ... or even spend a weekend there .. they also have cabins you can rent.

Yet another adventure with many surprises and only an hour away from home!