Dismal Swamp Welcome Center - Click for Chartview

The Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR!, is located on the east shore of the Canal at Statute Mile 28.

For all of us who have visited the Dismal Swamp Visitors Center by water or by land, the Center is definitely worth fighting for. So click on the link below and register your support for continued funding for this wonderful Waterway service. Center Director, Donna Stewart, asks your support.
January 24: Captain Evans brings good news at bottom of posting!

I would like to say Happy New Year to each of you and thank you for the support you have provided to us over the past at the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center/Rest Area. As budgets continue to tighten, we are aware our state legislature is having to make hard decisions on how available funds will be used. Our facility is dependent on state funding. If you feel value in this request, would you be willing to share this link for comments to the NC Department of Transportation with your boating communities? Perhaps some of the boaters who have used this facility in the past will provide feedback to NCDOT, which we hope will help our legislators realize the value of our operations.

https://apps.dot.state.nc.us/contactus/PostComment.aspx?Unit=PIO

We love sharing the great things North Carolina has to offer with our travelers in serving both highway and waterway traffic.
Thanks for your help.
Donna Stewart, Director
Dismal Swamp Welcome Center
2356 US Hwy 17N
South Mills, NC 27976
Phone ~ 252-771-8333
www.DismalSwampWelcomeCenter.com

Sent to NCDOT

Over the past years my wife and I have always enjoyed our stops at the Dismal Swamp Visitors Center. We have made over a dozen trips into North Carolina and have always selected the Dismal route. I have taken the Coinjock route once and that was enough.
While there are no restaurants or stores convenient, the atmosphere is always friendly and the staff willing to go out of their way to be helpful. The camaraderie between the visiting boats, the staff and `sightseers from the highway make this a truly welcome stop. Please insure that the Welcome Center continues to be just that.
I will add that my concern is two fold. I see the Welcome Center and the Canal itself as intertwined and complimentary. If one shuts down, the other will also disappear. This would be a real loss due to the historic nature of the Canal, business in Elizabeth City and the warm welcome freely given by the staff.
Jim Davis

We have been thru `The Swamp’ many times and plan on many more. We have always stopped at the Welcome Center, and it is one of the highlights of the ICW. This allows us to visit the museum, walk and bike the trails, and we usually stay two days. If it were shut down, we would survive, but we sure would miss Donna and everyone there along with the use of the great dockage and museum.
John Winter

And now this good news from Captain Doyle Evans:

I did contact the State about this and here is the answer I received back:
Dyle Evans
Sent By: Contact Us Administrator Date/Time: 1/23/2014 9:15:50 PM
Comment:
Dear Mr. Evans:
Thank you for your support of the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center/Rest Area. First, let us assure you the NCDOT has no plans to close the facility.
The Department is undergoing a major change on how it determines the allocation of its funds across the state, and that involves all modes of transportation and related facilities, including rest areas. That way we can ensure we are making the most efficient use of our transportation budget to provide the maximum benefits to our state, its residents and our visitors.
With that in mind, we will continue to partner with the Camden County government, which helps operate the welcome center, to ensure the continuation of the fine service it provides to motorists and boaters.

And this response to Michael and Jane Tigar:

Sent By: Michael & Jane Tigar Date/Time: 1/16/2014 7:55:46 AM
Comment:
Keep the Dismal Swamp Visitors’ Center well-funded. We moved to NC years ago. When we lived in Annapolis and made our first trip down the ICW, the Center was our introduction to NC. Hundreds of boats and boaters come there, and enrich the economy of our state. Because it is usually impossible to transit the canal in a single day, the Center is a necessary part of the entire system — a safe, welcoming place to stop. Also, by encouraging people to use the canal, you contribute to the economic health of Elizabeth City, a place we would not have discovered without the Canal.
Thank you.

Sent By: Contact Us Administrator Date/Time: 1/23/2014 8:19:10 PM
Comment:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Tigar:

Thank you for your support of the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center/Rest Area. First, let us assure you the NCDOT has no plans to close the facility.The Department is undergoing a major change on how it determines the allocation of its funds across the state, and that involves all modes of transportation and related facilities, including rest areas. That way we can ensure we are making the most efficient use of our transportation budget to provide the maximum benefits to our state, its residents and our visitors.With that in mind, we will continue to partner with the Camden County government, which helps operate the welcome center, to ensure the continuation of the fine service it provides to motorists and boaters.

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