CAROLINA BEACH — Looking for a way to experience all that Pleasure Island has to offer? Well look no further, Tasting History Tours invites both residents and visitors alike to experience the island with “all your senses.”
Tasting History Tours offers a trip around the Carolina Beach area, stopping at five different restaurants along the way. While you enjoy the food, and in between stops, their knowledgeable tour guides will fill you in on the long and storied past of the area.
The tours began as a passion project by long time Kure Beach residents Jeff and Brinsley Christner, who are self-described “foodies and history buffs.” There are many different tasting tours, and the Christners have been on quite a few of them. But, they felt that for the most part, there was something lacking.
Seven years ago, they began writing the script for the tour. Aided by Amy Thornton of the Cape Fear Museum, they came up with a tour that they found both witty, and informative at the same time.
“That’s one of the cool things about the tour, it plays to two sides,” Jeff Christner said. “Say your wife is a foodie and she wants to go on the tour, I’ve had guys come up and tell me that, ‘You know, I wasn’t sure about doing this, but it turned out to be a lot of fun.’”
Pleasure Island has a long and storied past, so Tasting History has brought on John Moseley, site coordinator at Fort Fisher State Park, as their main tour guide. Christner says they call him “Mr. Knowitall” for his vast knowledge of the Cape Fear region.
“We try to gauge the audience we have as to whether they’re really into the history side, or the food side,” Christner said. “We don’t want to beat them over the brow with facts, that’s why we try to include fun and interesting information about the area.”
They try to share information that people don’t know, even locals. According to Christner, many people don’t know that after the U.S.S. North Carolina, Robert Harrill, aka the Fort Fisher Hermit, was the number two tourist destination in North Carolina up until his death.
The food tour
But the main deal, obviously, is the food. The tours start at 3:30 p.m., and runs up until 6 p.m., covering the course of about one mile in the process.
Christner says that all though the tour takes place in mid-afternoon to take advantage of the restaurants down time, they will leave you full by the time it’s all said and done.
The tour starts at the Veggie Wagon with a bit of lighter fare to get you going. Next, the tour proceeds to Havana’s Restaurant, Surf House Oyster Bar, and The Dive, wrapping up with dessert at The Fudge Boat.
Each restaurant offers a different selection of dishes to choose from, so there’s something for everyone on the tour. Meals can also be paired with adult beverages and cocktails at an additional cost.
Dishes are hand-picked by the Christners, who work with the restaurant’s chefs and owners to perfect the menu for their customers. The menu may vary slightly from week to week, as things like the “catch of the day” and other seasonal items may become unavailable over the summer.
The one exception to that rule, is from the Surf House, where Chef Craig Love whips up “hands down the best food in the area.”
“I would put Craig up against any Chef in the world, he’s just an all-star,” Christner said.
Since this is a walking tour, Christner says that people should be prepared for the elements. He says normal concerns from customers are: A) The heat, and B) the weather.
But, Christner says, although the tour does cover about a mile, it’s in short burts. The farthest you’ll ever walk is about 12 minutes, with most legs of the tour being only eight to ten, so the heat typically isn’t a problem. But if you do get too hot, they offer complimentary bottled water at each stop.
He also notes that in the seven summers they’ve operated the tours, they’ve only been rained on once. But, just to be safe, the tours always carry umbrellas, as they run rain or shine.
The tours operate every Tuesday throughout the summer, and cost $32 per person to attend. Private tours are available, just be sure to contact them ahead of time at tastinghistorytours@gmail.com to schedule.
For more information on the tours, and to book your own, visit their website at tastinghistorytours.com, and be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram for the latest happenings in the Pleasure Island food scene.
Send comments and tips to Cory Mannion at cory@localvoicemedia.com, @corymannion on Twitter, and @corythamann on Facebook.
