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Turnage Theatre – Why You Need to Visit This Historic Theatre in Washington NC

February 14, 2019 By Liz 20 Comments

When you spot a historic downtown theatre in active use, it’s a sure sign the town is alive and thriving, and that’s certainly the case for the beautiful Turnage Theatre and its home of Washington, North Carolina.

I had the chance to tour and explore the building, and I discovered some compelling reasons people should make a point to visit this handsome historic theatre.

The Turnage Theatre is the only known U.S. building with two theatres inside.

The Turnage Theatre building was constructed in 1913 as a bakery and shoe store with a Vaudeville theatre on the second floor. Touring vaudeville groups would perform here, including famous acts like Roy Rogers.

As the popularity of “talking” movies took over (and traffic noise escalated), a new 432-seat palace theatre was added to the rear of the building in 1929 (away from traffic) thus becoming two theatres-in-one. However, the Vaudeville stage was essentially abandoned when the new palace theatre opened.

To the right of the theatre was originally an alley for carriage drop-offs.

Nostalgia reigns supreme.

Right inside the lobby is a fabulous display of memorabilia and furnishings from the original Vaudeville theatre including old metal marquee numbers, slide show projectors, plaster ceiling flowers still wrapped with wires, wood and twine, and an original theatre seat.

The palace theatre blends grand old style with a state of the art entertainment experience.

Multi-million dollar renovations restored the theatre to its former glory and introduced new lighting and sound equipment, a catering kitchen, new dressing rooms (one’s named after favorite son, Cecil B. DeMille) and three art galleries with rotating exhibits. There’s also a dessertery with high-end chocolates and gourmet treats.

Programming includes everything from Broadway HD and movies on the big screen to comedy shows, music concerts, dance performances, community theatre, children’s events and more. The day I toured the theatre there was a concert one night and a Bubblegum Theatre Halloween production the next.

One of the three galleries inside the theatre

The music jams are an attraction in themselves.

Whether you bring an instrument to play or sit back and listen, the informal jam sessions where musicians improvise and riff without rules is some of the best free entertainment you can find anywhere. Thursday evening jams take place at 6:30 pm and Saturday morning jams kick off at 10 am. If you love traditional all-strings music (guitar, banjo, ukulele, etc.) you won’t want to miss the jams! More info here.

jam session at Turnage Theatre- Washington NC

Photo: Pironti Photography

Plans are underway to restore the old Vaudeville playhouse.

I had a chance to peek inside the old theatre (pre-restoration), and it’s going to be quite amazing when it’s all done. I was thoroughly enchanted when I saw the original theatre doors, the mezzanine, tin ceiling, plaster walls with stamped brick, earthquake rods and a full bank of windows looking out over Main Street.

It’s hoped that restoration will be complete in about two years, and once finished, there will be seating for about 180 people in this area.

It was built with a slanted floor so there’s a natural grade for chairs.

Original Vaudeville theatre doors

View from the Turnage Theatre onto Main Street

Bonus: there’s a ghost.

Now that may or may not thrill you, and odds are you’d never encounter “George the ghost,” but I think it adds to the lore of the building and makes for a fun reason to visit. George lives in the Vaudeville theatre and has reportedly been seen as a dark male figure at the end of the hall and upstairs in the mezzanine.

You’ll have to visit Turnage Theatre when the Vaudeville restoration is complete for a chance at seeing George. Let me know if you spot him! And for the record, I didn’t.

And then there’s the neon sign.

Make sure you visit downtown Washington at night so you can see the Turnage Theatre marquee all lit up. There’s just something about neon lights…

Public tours of the Turnage Theatre are available and encouraged!

Many historic theatres will let you poke around on your own, but the Turnage Theatre will happily arrange to take you on a guided tour and share even more of what makes it such a special place. Contact Arts of the Pamlico for general info, tour details and a comprehensive arts and events calendar.

For other Washington, NC visitor info and a visitors guide: visitwashingtonnc.com and be sure to check out my post on Washington’s other historic must-see tour stop.

Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum

February 6, 2019 By Liz 11 Comments

I stepped inside the bright orange caboose housing the Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum in Washington, NC expecting to feel a sense of heaviness and grief.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

While there’s no denying the very nature of slavery carries the weight of sadness, the museum exemplifies goodness. The stories of freedom seekers and the abolitionists who helped them are full of hope, faith and the promise of a better life.

In co-founder Leesa Jones’ words, “It’s the story of how the whole town worked together at a time when humanity wasn’t at its best, but the Underground Railroad was humanity at its best.”

Leesa admits she didn’t set out to found a museum. The truth is the museum found her.

When researching her family ancestry for her grandkids, she discovered records for 143 plantations in the Washington area and 300 years of black history that had never been talked about.

Leesa was able to back up oral history and stories with a staggering amount of found documentation which ultimately led to the Washington waterfront’s designation as an official Underground Railroad to Freedom site and to the creation of the Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum itself.

Official certificate on display in the museum

The museum does an excellent job of illustrating the secret codes and communication techniques used on the underground railroad. Everyday items of food, clothing, songs, certain colors or quilts would convey information in a way that the average person wouldn’t pick up on, and these codes were changed frequently.

Leesa explains the hidden meaning in quilt patterns

For instance, if vegetable sellers were along the waterfront, freedom seekers would wait for specific things they’d say such as “Rutabagas, I got your fresh rutabagas. ” The word “fresh” indicated there was new information and instructions and they should go the route of the beggar to find it out. Turnips meant an abolitionist had turned up to help.

Sunflowers or okra flowers on display but not for sale indicated there were too many eyes watching and freedom seekers should leave the waterfront area.

Washington was a huge slave market so there were always people either looking to buy slaves or looking for escaped slaves in order to cash in on reward offers. Freedom seekers had other worries as well. They had to look out for those who pretended to be abolitionists and slaves who would sell them out in order to garner their master’s favor.

The Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum tells an incredibly rich and detailed history of freedom seekers who passed along its shores, and it’s well worth a visit.

The balanced approach to history reminds us that there were good people in the world trying to do the best they could even in a time when many others weren’t.

I promise you it’s an experience you’ll never forget.

Visitor Information:
Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum
1776 Gladden St. Washington NC
Hours: 11-5 Thurs-Sat
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PS. Don’t miss my post on things to do in Washington NC.

Washington NC – Hidden Gem of the Inner Banks

February 4, 2019 By Liz 22 Comments

Most everyone has heard of the Outer Banks but Eastern North Carolina’s Inner Banks (the coastal plain) has its own secret charms including the quaint maritime community of Washington NC.

Fast becoming a favorite getaway destination, Washington has the makings of a perfect weekend escape: a peaceful waterfront, a historic downtown, and a unique and diverse collection of restaurants, boutiques and galleries.

Washington NC was founded in 1776 and was the first town in the United States to be named after George Washington. It’s the original Washington, but its diminutive size relative to our nation’s capital is how it came to be known as ‘Little Washington’.

This small town treasure is the heart of the Inner Banks, and it’s a secret too good to keep to myself. Plus, it’s the perfect stopover on the way to or from the beach as it’s just 1 1/2 hours from Nags Head and just over an hour from Atlantic Beach.

Washington NC Waterfront

With an ideal and incredibly picturesque location on the northern bank of the Pamlico River, the waterfront is an especially wonderful place to hang out and I found myself drawn to it time and time again throughout my hosted weekend visit. I especially enjoyed strolling the mile-ish long boardwalk promenade with its panoramic views.

There are waterside swings, benches and Adirondack chairs in which to cozy up as you bask in the last golden rays of a glorious sunset, watch kayakers at play or admire the boats sailing along the river.

Love selfies or photo ops? Don’t miss the crabby little statues located around the dock area. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

A can’t miss experience is the world’s first estuarium, the North Carolina Estuarium, where visitors can explore what makes an estuary’s unique fresh and salt water ecosystem so vital to the nation’s fish population. Allow about an hour to watch the movie and wander through the colorful, kid-friendly galleries, hands-on exhibits and aquariums,

Look for this crab outside the Estuarium.

One of the highlights of the estuarium includes seeing and hearing about the massive art installation in the lobby. Be sure to ask about it!

Historic Downtown Washington NC

I started my two-day adventure in Washington NC with a visit to the Underground Railroad Museum which is currently housed in a bright orange railroad car just a hop and a skip from the riverfront itself. It’s a small but mighty museum that does a beautiful job of telling the stories of freedom seekers who passed through Washington NC.

After lunch, I walked over to the historic Turnage Theater, once a vaudeville circuit stop for the likes of Roy Rogers. Eventually, the theater transitioned to silent movies and “talkies” abandoning the upstairs vaudeville theater. Fortunately, Arts of the Pamlico has plans to restore the old theater. Stay tuned!

I spent the next couple hours strolling the historic district on a self-guided walking tour. Stop by the Washington NC visitors center for a copy of the tour book and then enjoy the gorgeous stately homes, gardens and vintage commercial buildings of Main Street. I enjoyed this so much that I made plans to come back with my boyfriend and take the tour together.

Pamlico House Bed & Breakfast

Restaurants in Washington NC

For a morning caffeine fix, I dashed into the Giddy Up Coffee House, a super cute place to grab a cuppa joe and a quick bite.

For delicious pastries, sandwiches, soup, coffee and tea, I loved Rachel K’s Bakery. I went at lunchtime and ordered a delicious BLT sandwich with a side of hummus. I also tried (and failed) to resist the baked confections, and ended up leaving with an enormous iced orange roll and a fluffy scone for dessert.

Worth it.

For dinner, I stopped at Grub Brothers Eatery on Main Street, a casual eatery serving up burgers, sandwiches, salads and more. You know I love my spice, so I settled on the Firehouse Burger with fried jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and onion and a side of black beans and rice.

FAN-tastic.

On my second day, I stopped in at Down on Mainstreet (a local favorite) for a Caesar salad. The nautical decor was delightful and I sat by the window for some prime people watching.

I also had dinner at The Bank Bistro & Bar housed in Main Street’s original 1852 bank building, and to say my dinner was exceptional is an understatement.

I had the pleasure of chatting with the chef and his creativity brought new flavors and textures I never expected to my filet mignon dinner. Chefs hate when people order steak well-done (and I go well beyond that with my triple well-done butterflied hockey puck requests) but he was kind enough to indulge me and it was magnificent. His Bordelaise sauce was out of this world!

I cry at the mere memory of the flavor. Delectable.

One of my favorite meals ever.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one of the most legendary food stops in Washington — Bill’s Hot Dogs, a local institution since 1928. It’s bare bones simple (just hot dogs, chips and drinks) but it’s definitely where the locals eat. Tip: Order your hot dog “all the way” for spicy chili, mustard and onions.

Washington NC Shopping – Boutiques and Galleries

One of my biggest surprises was discovering the shopping in Washington NC is superb! I was expecting… well, not much, but I was blown away by how on trend, distinctive and special each of the boutiques and galleries was.

I loved Cottage Junkies so much I visited twice and found lots of little gifts for the holidays and a few treats for myself.

Some of my other favorite finds were Little Shoppes, The River Girl, and Secret Garden. I also loved the fun combination of gourmet goodies and books inside Wine and Words where there’s a free wine tasting every Friday from 4-7pm.

Secret Garden Gallery & Boutique

Wine & Words Gourmet

With its captivating waterfront location, fabulous shops and restaurants and fascinating history and architecture, Washington NC has the makings of a perfect weekend getaway. I stayed at the new Fairfield Inn just minutes from the historic downtown area, but there are also a number of wonderful B&B’s within the historic district itself.

For more info and a visitors guide: visitwashingtonnc.com/

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