SOUTHERN PINES, NC – DECEMBER 20, 1999 – Cameron has long been famous for its beautiful and vast array of antiques. Now it seems the word is spreading even more. Our State magazine asked their readers to vote on their favorite things. Cameron was named Best Antique Shopping.
A framed certificate from the magazine to was presented to Cameron’s new mayor Mack Womble and former mayor Isabelle Thomas, who has been credited by many with successfully promoting Cameron as a hot-spot for antiques. Caleb Miles, Executive Director/CEO of the Convention & Visitors Bureau for the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area, presented the award on behalf of the magazine.
“We are very pleased and proud to have Cameron recognized by the readers of Our State magazine,” said Miles. “We’ve known for a long time how special Cameron is. It’s wonderful to see others also agreeing.”
Our State polled more than 247,000 of their readers, asking them to write-in their favorites in a variety of categories. The results brought enthusiastic responses. The winning results appear in the December 1999 edition of Our State. The magazine introduced the winners with “congratulations to the places and activities that exemplify excellence in our state and show a commitment to preserving our past, revealing our beauty, and explaining the admiration for this area we area proud to fall home.”
Another area winner was the NC Zoological Park, which was voted Best Spot for Children. Pinehurst Resort also did well. Readers gave it high marks in the Grandest Hotel or Resort and Best Public Golf Course categories.
Other winners included: Most Loved Fishing Hole — Farm ponds; More Memorable Museum — NC Maritime Museum, Beaufort; Most Enjoyable Bed & Breakfast or Historic Inn — Mast Farm Inn, Valle Crucis; Best Restaurant — Angus Barn, Raleigh; Tastiest Family/Country Cooking — Dan’l Boone Inn, Boone; Most Delicious Homegrown or Manufactured Food — Sweet potatoes; Most Exciting Annual Sporting Event — ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament; Best Public Golf Course — Tanglewood Park Golf Club — Clemmons; Grandest Hotel or Resort — Grove Park Inn, Asheville; Top Annual Festival or Event (tie) — NC State Fair, Raleigh, and NC Azalea Festival, Wilmington; Most Beautiful Public Gardens — Sarah P. Duke Memorial Gardens, Durham; Most Fascinating Historic Site — Old Salem, Winston-Salem; Most Popular State Park — Hanging Rock State Park, Danbury; Favorite Mountain Destination — Boone/Blowing Rock; Favorite Beach — Wrightsville; Favorite Vacation Spot — Outer Banks.
The Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is an economic development organization and non-profit authority of Moore County, North Carolina. The CVB mission is to promote the area as a destination for visitors, meetings, conventions and tours. The CVB is funded primarily by a three percent hotel / motel room occupancy tax paid by visitors to Moore County.