My Columbia Adventure (Not the USC City)

You’re probably very familiar with Columbia, SC, especially if you’re a Gamecocks fan.

South Carolina state capitol… state government hub… home of the University of South Carolina.

Ever been to Columbia, -North- Carolina?

If you’ve traveled to the NC Outer Banks via US Highway 64, you’ve gone right through it.

If you blinked, you missed it.

And that’s too bad.

After years of stopping in that town only for a short rest, my wife Gayle and I finally got out for a look downtown.

We discovered a gem.

The occasion was our 30th wedding anniversary earlier this month.  We had honeymooned at the Outer Banks (OBX) and were returning for this special anniversary.

As we came to Columbia, closing in on the OBX on this Sunday, it was well past noon, and we decided to look for a restaurant.

In a town the size of Columbia, we didn’t expect to find a good place (maybe not any place) open on a Sunday afternoon.

(The latest census says Columbia has exactly 801 residents, and Tyrrell County has just over 4000.  Agriculture, paper and metal manufacturing, and seafood are among the area’s main industries, plus supplying snacks, gas and place to stretch legs to the thousands of tourists making their trek each year to the OBX, less than an hour away.  The noteworthy events in the town’s history include the 1865 fire started by General Sherman that nearly destroyed the town.  The town was also the boyhood home of President Woodrow Wilson)

McClee’s Restaurant on Main Street was open.  And it was full, which is a great sign if you’re deciding on looks alone whether an unfamiliar restaurant is worth stopping.

Everyone was dressed in church clothes.

That is, everyone but us.  We stood out as strangers and for my bright red NC State University sweatshirt.

As I continue this story, remember the NCSU sweatshirt.

As we sat down, we noticed the food at the tables around us looked terrific, smelled even better, and the people were cleaning their plates.

We ordered, and everything was delicious, reasonably priced, and served with a smile, even for the two strangers.

As we ate, a well-dressed gentleman with white hair and moustache got up from the table where his wife and he were seated and struck up a conversation with us.

His first words were about football.  “What happened to our Wolfpack?“  He could tell from my sweatshirt which team I pull for (Gayle and I are NCSU grads).

State had lost to Duke the day before.

As we talked football, I found out he too was a State grad.

We talked as if we had known each other for years.

Shortly his wife came over to us too.  She was equally welcoming.

We learned their son lives (or had lived) very close to my parents in Hillsborough, NC.  Small world!

After a bit more conversation, they excused themselves, and we finished our lunch.

We remember their last name was Morris.  Their first names escape us.

But what we will never forget is the wonderful hospitality this couple chose to display to two strangers.

After the meal, Gayle and I enjoyed the view of Bull Bay, peeked in a few stores windows, and snapped pictures of interesting buildings and the Confederate Memorial statue in the town square.

The stop in Columbia, NC was the beginning of a wonderful week at the OBX.

I hope we’ll have opportunity to visit the OBX again soon.  When we do, we’ll make it a point to stop in Columbia, NC and enjoy another meal at McClee’s.

And hopefully, we will bump into the Morrises again.