Put Your “Pedals to the Medal” on the Best North Carolina Bike Trails are Waiting

,
nc-bike-trails-belmont-lake-preserve

You have become familiar with the local area since moving into your new home in Rocky Mount at Belmont Lake Preserve. We have detailed the many outdoor activities locally and l across the state. We’ve discussed camping, mountains, hiking trails, parks, and more. So, given the great location at BLP putting you “never too far from there,” this post begins a three-post series. It is the perfect guide for those who “like to ride.” Below is our listing of the Best North Carolina Bike Trails.

As is with basically all the great outdoor activities and options in NC, when we talk North Carolina Bike Trails, we have many options. Just as we mentioned with camping, biking has many levels of interested partakers. With differing skill and experience levels as well as some of the “riskier” or “hardcore cyclists, obviously are looking for different trails than a family of four. But, not to fret, there are North Carolina Bike Trail options that range from flat, easier rides along the spectacular, scenic coastline. Consequently, there are also rugged and steep climbs along the mountain trails. Any way you prefer and choose, your perfect trail awaits.

Enjoy the Scenery and a Smooth Ride Along the North Carolina Bike Trails

To begin our series on North Carolina Bike Trails, we will cover five paths that are smoother than most. These allow for a leisurely ride alongside some of the most stunning, natural backdrops that you could find anywhere. Easy enough a ride on most of these trails that anyone could enjoy. Yet, still challenging and beautiful enough, that even the most experienced cyclist would appreciate.

New River Route, High Country

We begin our top North Carolina Bike Trails with a rare combination making up this path. What we have is a flat bike trail that is located in the mountains. As unlikely as that sounds, this smooth ride is along the southern fork of the New River in Ashe County. 

Following along Railroad Grade Road, of all, our North Carolina Bike Trails this is the most level and easiest to ride. But don’t let that deter you. This trail goes past some amazing scenery including but not limited to the river, lush pastoral settings, and miles of gorgeous greenery.

Hatteras Island, Outer Banks and Currituck

Well, just as we mention covering almost anything outdoors in NC, we likewise at some point in that coverage suggest a stop at the Outer Banks. This trend continues with our next two North Carolina Bike Trails. To start, we ride the stunning 25-mile coastal trail that is parallel with NC Highway 12. If you are unsure, yes, it is that one and only major road on all of Hatteras Island. 

This quiet ride barely even passes by a single home or billboard. It’s just you, the trail, and on either side, the ocean and the Pamlico Sound. Finally, when you reach the end of this ride, you reach the only high rise on the island, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. A truly spectacular ride.

Duck to Sanderling Resort, Outer Banks and Currituck

Ok, now any of these trails we discuss is going to have a tough time following the one we just discussed. Consequently, for our second ride, we continue to run parallel to NC Highway 12, as we are now in the Northern Outer Banks though.

Not as long as our first trail, along this route, you will see the awesome views of the Currituck Sound. You can actually duck down and through some side roads of these North Carolina Bike Trails and take some even more amazing looks at the ocean. The distance you ride is for you to decide, however, if the five miles between Sanderling Resort and Duck isn’t far enough, head along toCorrolla and you may even pass a few wild horses on the beach as you go.

North Carolina Bike Trails from Smooth Sailing into the Wild Terrain

This concludes our first look at the North Carolina Bike Trails. These all feature smooth riding and gorgeous scenery. In our follow up post, we will continue these paths. However, the riding of the trails coming up are a bit more challenging. 

For more information on the Belmont Lake Preserve new home community in Rocky Mount, visit belmontlakepreserve.com.

by

The Top 3 Rocky Mount NC Restaurants : All-American and All According to You

,
rocky-mount-nc-restaurants-belmont-lake-preserve

In the initial posts, we ran through numbers ten through four in the rankings. That just leaves us just three places left to go. Being that you are now in your Rocky Mount new home at Belmont Lake Preserve, these should all be on your radar. Consequently, below, are the top three Rocky Mount NC Restaurants.

Somehow the trend of each type of restaurant having a specialized in its area continues., This just opens up more options for you in your new hometown. Either way, bring your appetite to and you may want to start with these three Rocky Mount NC Restaurants.

Going All-American With the Top Three Rocky Mount NC Restaurants

The “top three” Rocky Mount NC Restaurants, all do fit in one category together. American! One specializies in burgers, dogs, and the like. Another actually uses “America” in its name. Then ” first among our Rocky Mount NC Restaurants covers BBQ. ‘Nuff said.

3- Barley and Burger

Is anything more American than a great burger joint? Barley and Burger has been turning heads with its amazing burgers since opening. We feel one reviewer really “nailed it” in it below.

This customer begins, “The food was great. According to the restaurant, their burgers are sourced from the highest quality black angus whole muscle cuts of short rib and chuck. This truly shows in the juiciness and flavor of the meat.” 

The juicy burgers were not all that impresses though at Barley and Burger. Their great service also plays big into the top three ranking of Rocky Mount NC Restaurants. The same customer addressed the amazing service, too. “What sets Barley & Burger over the top is the service, in my opinion. This stems from the hardworking nature of the owner… Every employee was attentive, hardworking, and friendly.” In conclusion, this loyal customer adds, “Their motto is ‘Great Food. Great Beer. Made Simple.’ I personally think that they nailed it.”

2- Lou Reda’s An American Table

This is our second entry owned by Mr. Reda. As for an “All- American,” restaurant, this is called an “American Table.” Anyhow, we will let the customer experiences continue on the talking. Below is a happy Lou Reda’s visitor.

“This is my favorite restaurant in all of Rocky Mount…It was so good I almost screamed. Really. Just delicious! They add, “The entire meal was phenomenal, the food was so good I came back the next day…”

As they explain on their own website, Lou Reda’s are “almost unclassifiable by traditional culinary standards.” They go on saying, “It’s neither a steakhouse, a seafood restaurant, or a ‘meat and three comfort joint.’ It’s all three of those places and more.” 

1- The Prime Smokehouse

Surprisingly, this was the only BBQ joint among the best Rocky Mount NC Restaurants. Unsurprisingly is that number one is Prime Smokehouse. With its unmatchable atmosphere and menu, it’s been a hit since opening in 2013.

The owner of Prime is Ed Wiley. Speaking about the unique and delicious food offerings at Prime Smokehouse, he said, “Whether you choose entrees from our time-tested, famous wood smoker; our thick, juicy premium steaks; our delicious fresh seafood choices; award-winning mac and cheese and other gourmet sides; or any of our many homemade desserts, you will immediately recognize the freshness and creativity of every dish.” 

Fittingly enough, we close our series with a pleased customer of Prime Smokehouse. “This was maybe the best meal I’ve ever had. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and tender, and mac and cheese were amazing.” She adds her husband’s take too. “My husband had ribs and they literally fell off the bone… We are excited to have found this place and look forward to coming back.”

The Top 10 Rocky Mount NC Restaurants

Once again, to arrive at our top ten Rocky Mount NC Restaurants, we looked to the public. With hundreds or ratings and reviews at Yelp, we used your feedback to compose the listing in these past three posts. One thing for sure is that by moving to your new home in Rocky Mount at Belmont Lake Preserve you are in a great location for great food statewide. But you also are minutes from some of the most delicious times you could have anywhere in NC.

For more information on the Belmont Lake Preserve new home community, visit belmontlakepreserve.com.

by

More Selections and More Variety at the Best Restaurants in Rocky Mount

restaurants-in-rocky-mount-belmont-lake-preserve

In the first of our three-post series covering the “top ten” Restaurants in Rocky Mount, we saw somewhat of a theme. With seafood, Mexican, Italian, and diner/comfort food establishments in the four covered to this point, we will see much of the same as we look at the next three eateries on our list. Once again, each of these is just minutes from Belmont Lake Preserve and have ranked among the top Restaurants in Rocky Mount based upon actual customer reviews.

The Best Restaurants in Rocky Mount: The Far South, the Sea, and a Familiar Face Bring Us into the “Top Five!”

Variety, variety, variety. It’s a great thing when the choice is all yours. This is especially true when you are hungry. Thus, it is as easy as hopping in the car and making a choice of Caribbean fare, fresh seafood, or giving the owner of a known favorite a try in a different venue. Well, no that we read that last sentence back, maybe that is not so easy of a choice when it comes to deciding between several of the best Restaurants in Rocky Mount. We stand corrected that it is not so easy to pick, however, we stand by the fact that it is a really good problem to have so many incredible eateries so close to BLP.

6- Taste of Paradise

No question, with all of the spots listed you just can’t go wrong. However, the delicious Caribbean options at Taste of Paradise comes in at number six. As one happy reviewer explains, if you are looking for authentic and delicious, look no further than 101 Atlantic Avenue here in Rocky Mount.

“Best Jamaican food in town,” the first reviewer gushes. “Everything in there tastes great. The people in there are friendly and overall the place gives you a cozy feeling.” Backing these sentiments was a second reviewer in support of this as a top Restaurants in Rocky Mount. 

“The food is incredible,” the review starts. “I’m a vegetarian. PLENTY of options to go around. All are fresh, savory, and perfectly spiced.” They conclude, “You can’t beat the prices. Definitely check it out!”

5- Tasty Crab House

The Tasty Crab House differs from the seafood restaurant in our previous post mostly in preparation. This of our Restaurants in Rocky Mount specializes in “delicious, finger-lickin’ New Orleans Cajun-style boiled seafood.”

Looking to create the most customer-friendly experience possible, they’re known for “build-your-own- seafood platters. This allows you to “mix and match” options including snow crab legs, shrimp, lobster, and more. How spicy is your call to, as they offer four options for how much seasoning goes on. 

These same flavors are very popular here on chicken wings. Consequently, even the signature sides including hush puppies, “Cajun” fries and traditional Cajun sides like boiled eggs and corn on the cob are big factors in this spot reaching the top five Restaurants in Rocky Mount.

4- The Tap at 1918

Moving along in the “top five,” fourth place in our top Restaurants in Rocky Mount finds us art The Tap at 1918. The atmosphere is amazing for starters, as it resides in a former 100-year old restored cotton mill, giving you unique addition to your dining spots.

Self-titled “Eastern North Carolina’s only Modern Gastropub,” they specialize in smoking, in-house brining, pickling, as well as curing charcuterie execution. They also have twenty local micro-brews on tap. The owner, Lou Reda is no stranger to great Rocky Mount eating venues for sure.. Actually, this may not be the last we see of him in our blog series as his other restaurant has been one of the city’s most popular for years.

I think about all that can be said about our number four spot on the Restaurants in Rocky Mount was captured in the following review. “No question one of the BEST restaurants in the country. If you have not been here, make the trip.” They went on, “This meal was the reflection of a genius in the form of an artist… Truly no words to capture the full essence of what I just experienced.”

Restaurants in Rocky Mount: On to the Top Three!!!

This brings us to the conclusion of the second post in our series of three documenting the top Restaurants in Rocky Mount. Amazingly, numbers, three, two, and one continue the theme of variety in specialties, which we all can agree is nothing but a good thing! 

For more information on the Belmont Lake Preserve new home community in Rocky Mount, visit belmontlakepreserve.com

by