Historic homes along tree-lined streets, a picturesque downtown with a scenic waterfront, friendly people and few traffic jams Elizabeth City offers the best of small-town Southern living within an hour of both southeastern Virginia's bustling Hampton Roads area and North Carolina's famous Outer Banks.

Elizabeth City's "streetscape" project has created a pedestrian friendly downtown area with wide sidewalks, marked crosswalks and period streetlamps. The historic downtown area features an assortment of architectural styles, including the Italianate Revival style Lowry Building, c. 1897, which is undergoing renovations to become the Pasquotank Arts Council Visual and Performing Arts Center.

You won't find any fast food restaurants in downtown EC (head over to Ehringhaus Street or U.S. 17 north of town for those), but there are several good places to eat, with offerings that range from an inexpensive burger or sandwich to a full-course gourmet meal. Need suggestions? Just ask a local. You can get a good cup of coffee as well; Muddy Waters, at the intersection of Main and Road streets, offers coffee and tea, along with dozens of coffee concoctions in a funky, homelike atmosphere. For dinner and a movie, check out the Carolina Theatre and Grill, where you can enjoy both at the same time in the refurbished 1940s-era theater.