WORTH the drive
courtesy Dana Jo Photography
A HAVEN reborn by SAMANTHA THOMPSON HATEM
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YOU CAN SEE THE TEMPTATION PULLING AT KATE TILLMAN BROWN AS SHE stands on the dock looking out over the glassy Pungo River. Years ago, she would have rounded up her friends, suited up, and headed out in her dad’s Boston Whaler for a long day of skiing on some of North Carolina’s prettiest waters. But today, Brown has different plans for this river. She hopes it can help lure people to Belhaven not just to water ski, but to fish, hunt, relax, go antiquing, have a great meal, or, most importantly, stay a night or two at her family’s newly renovated River Forest Manor and Marina. “It’s a gorgeous house,” Brown says. “It’s meant to celebrate life’s more important occasions.”
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If you’ve been to Belhaven, about two hours east of Raleigh, you’ve no doubt seen this majestic beauty on the edge of town with its sweeping views of the Pungo, Pantego Creek and, way out in the distance, the Pamlico River and Sound. Built on four acres along the Pantego Creek in 1904, the 13,000 square-foot historic manor has nine bedrooms, 11 fireplaces, and dramatic ionic columns on the wide front porch, making it a stunning backdrop for brides seeking the quintessential, picturesque Southern wedding. Brown’s father, Brantley Tillman, a Raleigh developer best known for the Food Lion shopping centers he’s developed throughout the Mid-Atlantic, bought River
