To celebrate both National Travel & Tourism Week and Small Business Week (May 4-10), the Tourism Promotion Committee of the Elizabethtown – White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce invites interested parties to learn more about tourism and outdoor recreation in Mother Nature’s Playground on Wednesday, May 7.
The Taste of Blade Tourism Tour is a full day immersion into one of the county’s economic engines. Visitors spent approximately $56 million in Bladen County in 2023, which supported jobs in the accommodations, food services, retail, recreation, and transportation sectors. The average citizen saw savings of $144 on their taxes based on revenues from tourism-related activities.
The full-day tour will highlight the diversity of things to do in the area by travelling to numerous sites downtown Elizabethtown, Browns Creek Bike Park, Lu Mil Vineyard, Cape Fear Winery & Distillery, Jones Lake State Park, Goldston’s Beach, Camp Clearwater and Tory Hole Park. Organizers hope to make this an annual event and highlight other sites in the future. Anyone interested in attending the tour should contact the Elizabethtown – White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce at 910-862-4368 or register on the website.
The event is sponsored by the Elizabethtown-White Lake area Chamber of Commerce and the Small Business Center at Bladen Community College.
Brian and Staci Graybill opened their third business together, Market Square Pantry, in December 2025. Photo provided by Faith Hatton. For Fayetteville entrepreneurs Brian and Staci Graybill, building a business has often started when they were
The venue features two levels, two fully stocked bars, audio-video systems including projectors, and lighting solutions, an in-house culinary team, lounge space, a bistro section and private rooms, a state-of-the-art DJ booth and on-site staff to hel
Brad and Kelley McLawhorn became business partners in 2001 when they first opened a restaurant on Reilly Road. Now, their highly praised catering company continues to impress community members with flexibility, quality and personalized service. Photo
