A Day Trip Guide to Windsor, North Carolina

I’ve shared my love of eastern NC before, and I love exposing some of the unique aspects of the region. I am thrilled with the work that eastern NC is doing to attract visitors to the area and I hope to help support the efforts of local businesses by sharing some of these hidden gems with you.

My dad called me one day and said that he had an idea for a blog post and that he would plan the itinerary for a day trip to Windsor. Windsor is a small town in eastern North Carolina that is near and dear to my parents. My parents lived in there after they got married, and he was excited to check out some of the new updates the town had added, including the tree houses on the river.

Windsor is approximately an hour and 45 minutes from Raleigh, 4 hours from Charlotte, and an hour from Greenville.  It’s a smooth ride on quiet highways once you get out of the major city traffic.  It makes a great pitstop if you’re heading to the Outer Banks!

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The first thing I recommend you do is take the Sans Souchi (pronounced “Suzy”) ferry across the Cashie River. It’s about 11 miles outside of Windsor on a small country road. The ferry is free to use and holds up to 2 cars & 6 people. It’s a short 4 minute ride across the extremely calm Cashie River and I learned that this ferry is generally used by farmers. We got off on the other side of the ferry & drove through some farmland before hitting the major highway to circle back in to Windsor. What makes this ferry unique is that it’s one of 3 remaining cable ferries in the state. The state won’t pay for a bridge to be built here, so it doesn’t look like this tiny ferry will be going anywhere anytime soon.

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When we got back into town, we headed to the Roanoke-Cashie River Center.  I learned a lot about the history of Bertie County and its economic impact for North Carolina. If you’re a history buff like me, they are currently researching some artifacts found that may be linked to the Lost Colony. There are also kayaks and canoes for rent on the Cashie River. On Saturdays, you can take a free boat ride from 10-11AM.  There’s also a section of the river that has a nice, shaded walkway & a small amphitheatre.

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The Treehouse Guys from DIY Network built the Cashie River Tree Houses for the town of Windsor as an addition to an existing campground.  These two houses are right on the water, and the town will build a few more.  These should be available for rent this fall.  Bonus, there is a boat ramp right beside the walkway to these little treehouses.  It’d be the perfect spot for kayaking or canoeing. I love the common communal spaces in between the tree houses, and each individual tree house comes with a queen bed platform and a sleeping loft. They’re a steal at $60 a night!

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Our final stop on our tour was at Bertie Peanuts to take home some samples to David & my mom.  These peanuts are pretty darn famous across North Carolina.  They’re sold at a lot of local businesses in Raleigh and make great gifts; they start preparing for their Christmas orders in August.  I’d recommend popping in for a container before heading back home so you’ll have something to snack on in the car.  My favorite are the Sans Souchi Smokey.

It’s worth one last drive through town to check out the architecture of some of the houses, like this one.

If you decide to spend the night and don’t want to camp in the tree houses, there is a cute little bed and breakfast hidden by the prettiest crepe myrtles & is in walking distance to the quaint downtown area & the Roanoke-Cashie River Center.

Special Thanks to my dad for (willingly) planning, photographing, and driving around with me.  

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