Things to Do Involving Nature in Fayetteville, North Carolina

Fayetteville, North Carolina, has many things to do that will get you back to nature! For starters, many things to do in Fayetteville, North Carolina, exist because the Cape Fear River runs through this city of nature. With that in mind, here's several things to do in Fayetteville, North Carolina, which have a nature theme:

Fishing the Cape Fear River

I am not the most patient person in the world, but fishing is one of the things to do where I actually enjoy being patient. What a fun thing to just cast the line out into the water and wait in anticipation for a bite to come on my line. When I think of fishing in North Carolina, the images that are burned into me are those television reruns of Sheriff Andy Taylor and Opie enjoying this activity! Unfortunately, Andy and Opie were nowhere in sight. Still, I must say that my fishing experience for a couple of hours on the primarily 10 foot deep Cape Fear River was quite enjoyable. I didn't fish alone, and so waiting for the catfish to bite was made all the easier by the good conversation I had with the other people during a hot afternoon. The North Carolina heat was made more bearable by being on the river and catching the constant breeze of Mother Nature.

The boat I was on is captained by one Freddie Mims, a jovial fellow who really knows his fishing and boating! He never really got around to officially naming his 1985 model Sanpan pontoon boat, which measures out to being 24 feet long and over 8 feet wide, and can get 150 miles on a tank of gas. He has captained this water vessel for some 12 years. Mims is also a commander of a Fayetteville area Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteer unit. His duties include educating the public about water safety and even backing up the Coast Guard for many functions save law enforcement.

Freddy Mims told me early on during the excursion the real secrets to catching fish: "having plenty of time" and when it is "quiet and still." Freddie also told me some things about catfish that I didn't know about, even though my father used to take me fishing for them often when my family visited relatives in northeast Arkansas. Did you know that some large catfish will actually eat smaller fish and young birds like baby geese and ducklings?

The kind of bait that most catfish will go for, and that is more readily available to humans for use, is cut up river eels, which is what we used to attempt to catch some fish. Yet catfish will also go for hot dogs, chicken liver, and marshmallows.

Nope, I didn't catch any fish during my time on the boat in Fayetteville, North Carolina, but that was okay. I will say it again: Being patient is the best of the things to do when it comes to fishing in Fayetteville, North Carolina, or anywhere your pole will travel!

River Boat Cruises by Freddie Mims: call 910-630-1475 or 910-391-1246. He also will take people to Jordan Lake and Shearon Harris Lake, which is near to Fayetteville, North Carolina.

They're Not Mirages at the Jambbas Ranch

Camels in southeastern North Carolina? A kitty cat that who wants to help with the office filing? They're not mirages at the Jambbas Ranch of Fayetteville! You may very well experience both happenings as a desert creature trots over as close to the high fence as possible (near the walking trail), gives you a rueful stare, and then makes a really annoying yawing sound that proclaims, "Feed me!" Upon entering the welcome center of the ranch, you are most likely to come upon two cats and two large dogs that serve as greeters. One of the greeters is a particular feline named Lester, who also likes to hang out in the filing box! As you head out the back door to go exploring, Charlie the llama is standing there waiting for you to give him some apple bits.

Everywhere I ventured at the 150-acre Jambbas Ranch of Fayetteville, North Carolina, it was all about the animals and their appetites! Included in this motley crewe of Mother Nature's great and small who also love to eat bread pieces (which are sold at the ranch like the apple bits) are goats, sheep, deer, buffalo, one pot bellied pig who has a duck groupie, some peacocks, and a wild turkey. Last but not least of the things to do at the ranch is the really big attraction that the kids flock to: Ben the Bear. This 600 pound creature isn't allowed to roam freely, and actually has to be fed his apple bits with very long tweezers behind a caged fence.

Milton Bass, who runs this ranch, told me this venture came about as a result of "an ego problem that got out of hand". Yes, it must feel good to have as one of your things to do in Fayetteville, North Carolina, to brag that you're the only person in your neighborhood that has his own camel!

Well, besides animals, the things to do at this ranch include using the hiking and nature walk which can take as long as 1.5 hours to cover as you come across some interesting spots like the Swinging Bridge of the ranch, which will make you feel a bit unstable for some 203 feet as you cross over a ravine that must drop some 25-50 feet. Along the walkway, you'll go under a covered bridge, and spot the entry way to a gold mine, where many children like to be photographed (there's nothing inside it though). Along the nature trails are a couple of places to stop and have picnics, with the trees providing plenty of shade. From the Welcome Center, the trail will take you all the way to the muddy-colored Cape Fear River, about 15-20 minutes away.

Jambbas Ranch: 5386 Tabor Church Rd., Fayetteville, North Carolina 28312. 910-484-4808 or 910-484-2798. Admission charge.

More Things to Do Involving Nature in the Fayetteville, North Carolina, Area

The 79 acres of the Cape Fear Botanical Garden is a big draw for those who are really into plant life and into nature walking as things to do. Guests can spend 2-2.5 hours of walking time getting fit while enjoying the beauty of the wild ginger, Japanese Maple trees, or the Cherry Laurel shrubs. Overall, this botanical refuge contains more than 2,000 ornamental plants, including 500-plus varieties of daylilies and 200-plus varieties of camellias. Their Children's Garden is inspired by the book Gulliver's Travels, featuring a large chair as its entryway. Within this garden, a large pair of spectacles can be found among the plantlife.

This Fayetteville, North Carolina, nature venue is situated northwest of where Cross Creek and the Cape Fear River meet, and its gazebo and surrounding grounds are excellent for things to do like picnicking. The onsite Heritage Garden complex contains an authentic 1886 farmhouse (which serves as a gift shop and administrative offices), a general store (used for children's workshops), a corncrib, a smokehouse from the 1930's, and a log tobacco barn.

The Cape Fear River Trail contains roughly four miles of walking, running, and biking trails on flat to slightly elevated terrain. It is part of the East Coast Greenway that is to run from Maine to Key West, Florida, when this ambitious project is completed for more things to do involving nature. Over 700 species of plants and trees thrive here as well as bluebirds, which make up part of the 150 species of birds that have been spotted here in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Clark Park and its Nature Center is at the south end of the Cape Fear River Trail and contains 76 acres, some of which overlook the Cape Fear River. One of its three trails, called the Bear Trail, contains Fayetteville's largest Loblolly Pine. Inside the center, the things to do include being educated via the various displays that focus on North Carolina geology, wildlife, and plant life.

Cape Fear Botanical Garden: 536 N. Eastern Blvd., Fayetteville, North Carolina 28305. 910-486-0221. Admission charge.

Cape Fear River Trail: Entry via 2 entrances off Ramsey St./Highway 401 in Fayetteville, North Carolina 28301. 910-433-1547.

ClarkPark & Nature Center: 631 Sherman Dr., Fayetteville, North Carolina 28301. 910-433-1579. Admission charge.