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When Kristen Smith Sykes was a child, she often visited her grandparents’ home on Main Street in Belhaven. She would have sleepovers there, eat dinners there and every Christmas was like magic in front of the tree, surrounded by presents and family members. She even watched weddings take place on the front steps of her grandparents’ home. To Sykes, the large, white, Edwardian-era home was “grandma’s house,” but to everyone else, it was (and still is) River Forest Manor. 

Sykes, a Belhaven native, is the granddaughter of Axson and Melba Smith. The Smiths purchased River Forest Manor in 1947. Together, they turned the once private residence into an inn, restaurant, marina and all-inclusive hunting destination in Belhaven. People who couldn’t enjoy the home before, now could eat there or stay the night. 

“Everybody who could not have been here before suddenly could. My grandparents always made a big effort to make it accessible to whoever you were. If you couldn’t afford to eat here at night, there was always Sunday brunch which was more affordable. There was always a path in,” Sykes said. 

It is Syke’s and her husband Lee’s vision to continue her grandfather’s legacy to make River Forest Manor accessible to everyone. River Forest Manor is part wedding venue, boutique hotel, and marina in addition to being the location of Bistro 1904. 

Earlier this month, they hired a new chef, Sydney White. White “Sydney is an eastern North Carolina native, a graduate of Carteret Community College’s Culinary Arts Program, and has over a decade of food service experience,” the Manor’s social media page shares. 

Sykes shared that the Manor’s popular Sunday brunches and oyster fritters will be mainstays at Bistro 1904. 

As Sykes and Lee look at River Forest Manor’s past to see what made the Manor a destination spot in Beaufort County, they are also planning its future. Their five-year goals start with establishing River Forest Manor as a stop along the Intercoastal Waterway. They plan to continue marketing the Manor as a wedding and private event space in addition to being a getaway for weekend tourists who live in nearby cities. 

But more than that, they want to re-establish River Forest Manor as a place where people can make memories. Much like Sykes has memories of her grandparents’ home, Belhaven residents and visitors have their own memories of the Manor. “Everyone has a memory here,” Sykes said. 

People have made memories at River Forest Manor since 1904. In 1899, construction on the manor began. By the end, it became the grand private home and entertaining space John A. Wilkinson envisioned. Wilkinson was the President of J.L Roper Lumber Company and Vice President of the Norfolk & Southern Railroad. 

Sykes shared that when the home was built, Wilkinson was a bachelor who loved to entertain guests at his grand, waterfront mansion. The mansion featured carved oak mantels, ornate ceiling medallions by Italian designers and glittering chandeliers – all of which have been preserved. 

Under Smith’s ownership and direction, celebrities made memories at River Forest Manor including, “James Cagney, Tallulah Bankhead, Robert Ripley, Harvey Firestone, Burl Ives, Twiggy, Roy Clark, Neal Sedaka, and Walter Cronkite,” River Forest Manor’s website shares. 

The Smith family owned River Forest Manor for 66 years. In 2013, it was sold to a group of local investors who renovated the home then reopened it as an events venue and marina. 

In October of 2024, the Sykes purchased the manor from previous owners Gina and Larry Holbrook. Sykes has experience in financial management in the nonprofit sector. Later, she sold marine insurance. Lee worked for TowBoatUS, managing ports in multiple states. Together, they owned and operated a large marina in Carteret County. Three businesses and two children later, Sykes said she and Lee were feeling “burnt out.” They sold all three businesses and at that time River Forest Manor was listed for sale. 

“We really never saw it coming,” Sykes said. “[We] started thinking on it and our children and wanting them to have a legacy…and it was up our alley in the marine world, because that’s what we have done for many, many years. I just felt like it was the right move.”

Sykes said it was a “gratifying experience” to see the manor return to her family. “But it’s also more of a service project for us, a labor of love. We want to see the town succeed. We want to see the businesses succeed.” 

Sykes wants to see River Forest Manor become self-sustainting and remain open to the public. “You don’t see someone in town who doesn’t have a memory here. People will tell you ‘I went here for a wedding, or I had my graduation party here or I worked there. Everybody has a memory. And we didn’t want to see that die. We want to keep it going.” 

“I want to make sure that my generation has that and my children’s generation has that and beyond,” she said.