Up & Coming Weekly

Campbellton Landing Offers More Than Just History: Food and Fun Abound by STEPHANIE CRIDER While Campbellton Landing is far from new, it is under new management. If you’ve never been there, it is perched upon the banks of the Cape Fear River at 1130 Person. It is full of possibilities, history and, for many, it is a place of great memories. Local businessmen David Soles and Don Dumas have come together to help bring this significant and historical site to the forefront of Fayetteville’s recreational scene — which is exactly where it belongs, so that a new generation, will have a place to come to make their own memories and discover the magic of the river anew. First a little bit of back ground — here is the short version of how this fair city came to be and the importance that Campbellton Landing has held in the devel- opment of the area. During the early 18th century, merchants in Wilmington wanted a town on the Cape Fear River to secure trade with the frontier country.They were afraid people would use the Pee Dee River, thus taking their goods to Charleston, S.C. Since the Cape Fear River was the only navigable river in N.C., the administration of the North Carolina colony was all for expanding colonial settlement along the upper Cape Fear River. Thus, the river front settlement of Campbellton was established in 1762. After the American Revolutionary War, Campbelton Landing and the neighboring town of Cross Creek were merged and renamed to honor General Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette, a French military hero who fought with and significantly aided the American Army during the American Revolutionary War. In it’s heyday, the Cape Fear River was a busy trade route with more than 100 steam boats a day moving goods from place to place. According to City of Fayetteville Historian Bruce Dawes, Campbellton was a bustling place at one time, but the railroad brought a slow, painful death to the river trade and the surrounding communities were changed forever. “The river is more recreational now than anything,” said Dawes. “There is a lot of fishing and pleasure boating that goes on. There are some record size catfish that come out of the Cape Fear River.” This fact has not been lost on Soles and Dumas. Where Lock’s Creek and the Cape Fear River come together, there are about 33 acres of land, some great opportunity and a vision that has been in the making for quite awhile. For years the Cape Fear Regional Theater has used Campbellton Landing to showcase their annual river show, but Sol Rose, the amphithe- ater’s namesake had bigger plans for the area. Unfortunately, Rose died be- fore ever having a chance to complete his dream and it has been left in the hands of a group of local entrepurneurs who are seeking to fulfill all of the potential that this historical site offers. Although Lock’s Creek Seafood Grill at Campbellton Landing had to close its doors last year, the rest of the operation has proceeded unhindered. Don’t Consolidate...Eliminate Eliminate your debt for less than $2,000! Contact Attorney Grant Patten To See If You Qualify. www.myharvardlawyer.com 910.960.7529 We are a Debt Relief Agency WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MAY 5-11, 2010 UCW 23 Riverside Steakhouse and Oyster Bar features a well priced menu of surf and turf. The Riverside Grill and Bait Shop has become a regular place to stop and grab a bite for local residents including downtown busi- nessmen, attorneys, local judges, and PWC utility workers ac- cording to the new co-owner David Soles. Riverside is all about the river. It is friendly, the food is tasty and well priced. “We are just looking to attract the regular folks around here,” said Soles. “That’s what we are is just regular guys and we want to make a place where people will be comfortable.” Also new is the Riverside Steakhouse and Oyster Bar that has been open for about a month and while it is a little more upscale than the Riverside Grill across the parking lot, it’s not a place that will bust your budget — and that is by design. “We believe that there should be a nice restaurant in town where a man can take his wife out for a good meal and it won’t cost an arm and a leg,” said Soles. The management team is dedicated to listening to the customers and working to make this a place the meets the needs of it customers. “We want this to work. It is not ‘Our way or the highway.’ We’ve taken a lot in to consideration and we’ve asked our customers for input and have already made a few adjustments just based on that.” While the short-term goals are to get the restaurant established, more parking and more seating for the Sol Rose Amphitheater, the own- ers of Campbellton Landing are looking to add a floating dock to the boat ramp that is already there. “We’ve got a boat ramp but we want a dock where people can pull up and park and walk around or have dinner,” said Dumas. “Fayetteville is really missing out by not using the river.” Campbellton Landing offers a boat dock for public use. Specialty shops, camp sites, walking trails, possibly a riverboat dinner cruise and even a zip line park are in the works for the property too; along with plans to host community events at the Sole Rose Amphitheater complex. “We are trying to come up with things to draw families in so that they won’t have to go to the beach or Raleigh for entertainment,” said Dumas. “We are going after the immediate community. We want them to know that there is a place to go in Fayetteville that is fun and affordable and this is it. You don’t have to drive to the beach or out of town. There is plenty to do right here.” STEPHANIE CRIDER, Staff Writer. COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 editor@upandcomingweekly.com

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