Southport Magazine

Pictured left to right:
Lisa Fosbury; Rick Pukenas, owner; Linda Pukenas, wife; with friends and Chamber Ambassadors ready to take a tour. Photo courtesy of the Southport-Oak Island Chamber of Commerce.

As the streets of Southport start filling up with more and more people, one thing being added this year is a daytime tour company to take residents and visitors through the history and beauty of the City of Southport. There will even be a special tour to highlight key location sites for the movie ‘Safe Haven.’

Southport Tours will offer 30 minute tours aboard an electric street-ready tour cart that seats six. The company’s chief tour guide is owner Rick Pukenas, a former school administrator, educator and long-time history buff. In addition, he has been running cart tours for over a year at the Robert Ruark Inn. One of the first things Rick and his wife, Linda, did when purchasing the Robert Ruark Inn at 119 N. Lord Street was add a complimentary tour to its list of amenities and guest services. The couple soon learned this added value was a huge hit. Subsequently, feedback from other business owners, visitor centers and city employees motivated Rick to start a separate company in which he could provide value to day-trippers and residents just wanting to learn more about Southport and its historic and coastal values.

Rick is offering a range of tours with varying detail. There is a detailed movie tour, a detailed historic tour, and a general Southport tour. Rick points out the worth of the tour: “We had a really nice couple stay at the inn who had been to Southport three times. After the tour, we hardly saw them. They were so busy exploring all the places they had never seen or known about until going on the tour. They had no idea how many great historic and well-known spots we have around town. It’s easy to give someone a map or tell them about it, but it helps a lot when you take them past it and give them a little history. They can then go back and explore further if they would like.”

Rick has been studying history since he was a little boy. He later earned an undergraduate degree in the subject and followed-up his education with two graduate degrees in education. “He has read so many of the wonderful local books that are filled with good, meaningful history,” Linda adds. “Every time we go out on the cart, I learn something new. Between local history books, our decade-long connection to Southport, and our love for the city, coast and people of North Carolina, we felt Southport Tours was a natural [fit]. The city has been very welcoming. We look forward to introducing everyone to the treasures of Southport’s history and coast.”

Southport Tours will originate from the Visitor’s Center on Davis Street between Moore and Bay Streets, running daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. by appointment and availability. For more information, call (910) 750-1951.