Perquiman's Crossing

Perquiman's Crossing winds through North Carolina's Albemarle region, crossing into Hertford, one of the state's oldest towns, over a historic swing bridge. The byway passes rolling farmland and ancient cypress swamps before reaching the Perquimans River, where mist often rises off the still water among moss-draped trees in the early morning. The route drops into Hertford by way of an S-shaped swing bridge over the river, a distinctive crossing that doubles as one of the town's best-known landmarks. Along the way, the Newbold-White House, a brick dwelling built around 1730, stands as one of North Carolina's oldest surviving homes, while weathered tobacco barns and roadside produce stands along the byway speak to generations of farming in this corner of the Albemarle. The surrounding wetlands draw great blue herons, ospreys, and migrating waterfowl, giving birdwatchers reason to slow down even where the road itself runs straight through open country.

• Albemarle region, NE North Carolina
• Hertford's S-shaped swing bridge
• Perquimans River
• Newbold-White House (c. 1730)
• tobacco barns and farmland
• great blue herons and ospreys