Atkinson General Store
A tiny town, an old building, and a reason to take the back road.
Atkinson is an unincorporated community about 12 miles west of Burgaw, and the general store there is one of those places that makes a short detour feel worthwhile. Nothing fancy. That is the point.
Atkinson sits on NC-53 in the longleaf pine flatwoods west of Burgaw — a small settlement with a handful of buildings and a general store that has operated, in various forms, for most of the last hundred years. The current building shows its age honestly: wide-plank floors, hand-lettered signage, the particular smell of a store that carries hardware and snacks and work gloves in the same room.
The town itself is worth the slow drive through. NC-53 between Burgaw and Atkinson runs through some of the most intact rural landscape in Pender County — farm fields and longleaf pine woodland, low ground that floods seasonally, the occasional tobacco barn visible through the tree line. It is the kind of drive that reminds you why people choose to live somewhere like this rather than closer to the interstate.
The store is not a tourist attraction and it does not present itself as one. That is precisely what makes it worth visiting. Buy something. Talk to whoever is behind the counter. Leave having had an actual interaction rather than a curated experience.
Practical tips
- Hours are informal — call ahead if you're making a special trip, especially on Sundays
- The drive on NC-53 west from Burgaw is part of the experience; don't rush it
- Combines well with a Black River paddle — the store is near the Ivanhoe put-in
- Cash is preferred and sometimes required
More photos
Worth combining with this
Black River
Ancient water. Some of the oldest trees in eastern North America.
The Black River is home to bald cypress trees that are over 1,600 years old — among the oldest living organisms east of the Rockies. It is slow, dark, and strikingly beautiful. Kayaking is the right way to see it.
Longleaf Pine Savanna
A landscape that used to cover most of the Southeast.
Open, airy, and surprisingly beautiful in the right light. The longleaf pine ecosystem is one of the most endangered in North America, and there are good examples within easy range of Burgaw.