A Pirate City Of Many Treasures

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Beaufort in North Carolina needs to be one of many coolest small cities in America I’ve ever visited. The historic buildings, the waterfront views, and the laid-back neighborhood vibes, make it the right spot for a weekend getaway.

Now there isn’t lots of issues to do in Beaufort NC, however that’s a part of its allure.

Right here it’s all about letting metropolis life wash off you, having fun with some farm-to-table eating, and paddling across the waterways and having fun with a spectacular sundown.

A recognized pirate city, Beaufort, NC was excessive on our checklist of place to see on our East Coast street journey.

My Dad joined us, and he knew all of the rumors of Captain Blackbeard’s jaunts – probably the most feared renegades of the seas –  who used to remain on this sleepy village off the Atlantic Ocean.

However pirate historical past isn’t all there may be to supply in Beaufort. Right here’s a few of the issues we loved doing on our go to!

A Transient Historical past of Beaufort, NC

With its uncooked edge and historic allure, Beaufort shortly turned certainly one of our new favourite North Carolina cities.

The city has an extended historical past in fishing, whaling, and extra notoriously, piracy, incomes it many ‘Pirate City’ accolades, and “America’s finest small city”.

Based in 1709, Beaufort is the third oldest city in NC, and the twelfth oldest city in North America! 

With lots of the houses nonetheless owned by authentic households, it is a neighborhood that’s joyful to maintain Beaufort’s conventional spirit passing down by the ages.

Drop your pretenses on the drive in and simply come as you’re.

Beaufort is a small city situated on the Crystal Coast on the southern finish close to the Outer Banks in North Carolina.

Issues to do in Beaufort NC

1. Discover Entrance St & Beaufort Waterfront

Entrance Avenue is the principle avenue working alongside Taylor Creek and is the place you’ll discover native boutique shops, lovely outdated buildings and houses, and museums.

There’s a good brief boardwalk alongside the creek with a number of waterfront eating places and views throughout the inlet to Carrot Island.

As Beaufort has such a wealthy historical past, a guided tour is one of the simplest ways to study its trials and tribulations, together with the tales of those that have wandered out and in, swords in hand or not.

It should show you how to hook up with the distinctiveness of this North Carolina coastal tow

2. Do a self-guided strolling tour of Beaufort, NC

Probably the greatest issues to do in Beaufort is do a self-guided historic strolling tour. You possibly can both be part of a tour or decide up a self-guided map from the Beaufort Historic Website welcome heart.

There’s additionally a double-decker bus tour, however we felt the historic district wasn’t sufficiently big to warrant a bus.

A retiree from New York, volunteering within the customer’s heart, talked to us of her gradual and peaceable life in Beaufort.

She recounted tales of Blackbeard and the found ‘fact’ that he was certainly a local North Carolinian and never English, as most individuals know him to be. My dad was not satisfied of those findings.

She handed us a map and identified some historic houses to understand on our self-guided strolling tour of the city.

On the map, you’ll discover 30 listed historic homes that vary in kinds from cottages to elaborate Queen Anne and Greek Revival kinds.

Select an ambling tempo as you wander down the tree-lined streets over six blocks to see houses that after belonged to sea captains, seafarers, generals, and retailers (perhaps the odd pirate customer.)

What is going to shortly turn into obvious to you is that each house within the downtown space is historic – 150 of those restored houses bear plaques on the outside partitions noting the names of the earliest recognized homeowners and the 12 months it was constructed.

There on the finish of our tour sat Hammock Home, the oldest within the city, which as soon as served as a pirate inn and the place the place Blackbeard is documented to have stayed when on the town.

Rumors converse of the treasure that’s hidden someplace inside the home or property and I used to be prepared to begin digging underneath the oldest tree.

My dad, a Blackbeard scholar, stays satisfied it’s buried on an island on the Caribbean someplace.

Dad exterior Blackbeard’s place.

We additionally noticed the Carteret County Courthouse, the oldest wooden-framed courthouse within the nation.

The warmth of the day lastly zapped us of all vitality, so we discovered the closest native pub to masquerade as pirates in and wash our thirst down with an ice-cold beer.

All of the pirates had disappeared nonetheless, and it was simply our little group to grab the second and lift our glasses in a toast to ‘Bow-fort”

Plan for about one hour to do that self-guided stroll, relying on how a lot pictures you do.

3. Get Spooked on a Downtown Beaufort Ghost Tour

For a novel expertise, take into account doing a Ghosts Stroll, and listen to all concerning the legends and tales of the city’s ghostly inhabitants.

It’s certainly one of Beaufort’s hottest points of interest (deservedly so). The Beaufort Terrors Ghost Stroll is a strolling tour by the historic district at evening with a pirate information.

Our pirate information purchased the historical past of the city to life with entertaining (and barely chilling) tales of murders, haunted houses, ghost ships, civil conflict heroes and villains, pirate shenanigans, and a younger woman buried in a barrel of rum.

Keep to the top for a little bit backbone chilling expertise exterior the iron gates of the Outdated Burying Floor.

I don’t know the way our information made it occur, however after we arrived the streetlights began flickering and the pinwheel madly started spinning on the grave of the woman buried in a barrel of rum. There wasn’t even a breath of wind and I couldn’t see him urgent any begin buttons!

The Beaufort ghost tour was certainly one of our favourite issues to do in Beaufort.

4. Go to the Outdated Burying Floor

Listed on the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations, the Outdated Burying Floor in downtown Beaufort is a cemetery to not miss!

Wandering across the moss-draped dwell oak bushes, you’ll discover 200 graves from the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. You might even get fortunate and listen to (and see) an owl hooting excessive within the bushes.

It was an ideal expertise for this fascinating, spooky, and gorgeous graveyard.

The burial floor was established in 1724 and is bordered on 4 corners by church buildings from totally different denominations.

The northwest nook is the oldest a part of the cemetery. Whereas it could look empty, an archeological survey exhibits many graves within the space, regarded as victims of the Indian Wars.

Most graves are dealing with east for these departed to face the solar after they arose on Judgment Morn.

The Uniguide Excursions app has a free audio tour of the Outdated Burying Floor. The Beaufort Historic Website additionally affords guided excursions.

5. View Pirate Artifacts on the North Carolina Maritime Museum

The free NC Maritime Museum on Entrance Avenue in Beaufort tells the story of this area’s reference to the ocean.

It’s certainly one of three state Maritime Museums, with the others in Hatteras and Southport, all with the aim of preserving, gathering, and deciphering coastal life and historical past. 

Reveals characteristic the state’s wealthy seafood business, life-saving stations and lighthouses, and sailboats and motorboats. Guide lovers will benefit from the outdated feeling library room – crammed with all of your maritime historical past and tales.

Most original concerning the museum is the show of artifacts excavated and preserved from the Queen Anne’s Revenge, Blackbeard’s pirate ship that was run aground simply exterior Beaufort Inlet.

It is a good spot to spend 30 – 60 minutes on a chilly or wet day, or any day should you love historical past! 

After we requested the women what their favourite expertise on the Crystal Coast was, Savannah stated the NC Maritime Museum. She beloved the scavenger hunt, which helped her look extra carefully on the reveals and so interact higher with the expertise.

6. See the Wild ponies at Shackleford Island

I breathed within the contemporary sea air as we sped alongside within the boat over to Shackleford Island to spend the morning chasing wild horses and gathering shells. 

The solar beat intensely down and I knew the primary burn of the summer time was on its means, carrying off the softness of winter and hardening me up in preparation for the seasonal sun-worshiping that was to come back.

My love for the seashore deepened because the acquainted feeling of exhausting sand on my toes fleetingly imprinted the proof of my being.

We have been pointed within the path of the ponies by a gaggle of profitable explorers on their means again to the mainland.

An hour was spent trekking by the sand dunes and wild shrub with a view to uncover a herd grazing on the seashore. Though, the journey was small, I felt the acquainted rush that comes with residing totally for the second.

This time I had the added pleasure of watching Kalyra’s face as she walked up near the stately mustangs.

We picnicked on the seashore, and performed within the light Sound waters, the Atlantic Ocean aspect being far too wild for our daughter’s two-year-old sense of braveness.

The refreshingly cool water relieved us from the scorching solar, whereas the horses rolled round within the sand within the distance of their try to chill off.

Earlier than we knew it time arrived for us to return, not with out first looking for shells on the ripping curve round to the Atlantic aspect, “The most effective place on the East Coast to seek out them”, as advised by our skipper.

I used to be stunned to seek out they weren’t totally different to what we’d discover on our seashores at house.

The golden sand on this aspect of the island crunched underneath my toes and introduced the attention to me of why our seashores are golden and East Coast seashores are not- all of it comes right down to the Shells.

The magic of our morning in nature was heightened by a pod of dolphins passing by us within the channel, on their means again out to sea.

I breathed within the pleasure with complete gratitude for the alternatives to expertise the perfection of life again and again by journey. (we swam just lately close to dolphins at Looking Island State Park in Beaufort, South Carolina)

Ferry to Shackleford: Leaves approx each 45 minutes. 15 min journey. $15 spherical journey. Should guide your return time. There are not any facilities there and little shade so pack nicely.

7. Take a day journey to Cape Lookout Nationwide Seashore

The pristine magnificence doesn’t finish with Shackleford Island. Proper close to right here you’ll discover extra undeveloped stretches of gorgeous tender sand seashores with nobody on them?

Cape Lookout Nationwide Seashore is one other brief 20-minute ferry journey from beaufort and is ideal for a day journey tour.

It’s most recognized for shelling, shore fishing, and broad sandy seashores. Right here is the place you’ll discover a few of the finest seashores in North Carolina.

This pristine area stretches fifty-six miles from Ocracoke to Beaufort Inlet. It contains three barrier islands (North Core Banks, South Core Banks, and Shackleford Banks) and is solely accessible by boat.

If fortunate, you might even see dolphins, or wild horses on Shackleford Island as you go by (we noticed horses within the distance). Your driver will decelerate to see them.

Barefoot and in t-shirts, we wandered up and down the gorgeous seashore, shelling and soaking within the views on a beautiful 73-degree winters day. We discovered the biggest shells we’ve ever collected washing up with the waves. (You possibly can take them house provided that nothing resides in it).

You have to to take all provides with you because it’s an undeveloped island. You possibly can keep so long as you want – make sure to know the final ferry return time as should you miss it you’re marooned!

The 20-minute Islands Specific Ferry journey to Cape Lookout departs from Harkers Island (or Beaufort).

8. Go to Cape Lookout Lighthouse

The very first thing you’ll see as you arrive to the Cape Lookout Nationwide seashore is its major attraction, the Cape Lookout Lighthouse.

This towering black and white diamond lighthouse (nicknamed Diamond Girl) was inbuilt 1859 to warn ships of shoaling sands.

The diamond patterns function directional instruments, with the black diamonds pointing to north and south and the white diamonds, east and west.

The realm incorporates a restored lighthouse keeper’s quarter, which now serves as a museum with reveals on lighthouse historical past and early shipwrecks and rescues.

Comply with the boardwalk over to the ocean dealing with seashore and benefit from the views of the lighthouse alongside the way in which. There may be additionally a seashore right here on the sound aspect you may keep on, however we discovered the ocean aspect to be higher.

The lighthouse is open through the summer time season. You possibly can climb the 163ft lighthouse for extraordinary 360-degree views. We climbed the Oak Island Lighthouse on our journey to the Brunswick Islands and beloved it.

9. Hike the Elliott Coues Path to Fort Macon

Fact: I kinda rolled my eyes like a belligerent teen once I noticed Fort Macon State Park. Why would a fort be one of North Carolina’s most visited state parks?

However, then we determined to method it through the sand dunes of the three.3 mile Elliott Coues Nature Path, and the aha lights went on.

The halfway level of the loop path will likely be the place the fort is, and the place you may cease for some time to discover and relaxation!

The seashore aspect of the path has nice views of dunes, seashores, and ocean. The loop path again follows the sound aspect, which has lovely, canopied pathways, boardwalks, and views of the marshes.

This hike will present you that Fort Macon State Park is extra than simply the superbly reconstructed nineteenth century Civil War pentagonal brick fort.

This free North Carolina state park encompasses 385 acres of seashore, dunes, and maritime forest and is surrounded by three sides of water – the Atlantic Ocean, Beaufort Inlet and Bogue Sound.

The fort itself is a historic landmark the place a reconstructed fort stands guard over Beaufort Harbor because it as soon as did through the Civil Battle.

Take a guided tour of the restored fort or conduct your individual like we did to see bunks, cannons, a rations storage room, Civil Battle artifacts and extra. It affords a fantastic perception into Civil Battle historical past and its WWII occupation.

Within the state park discover mountaineering trails, picnic areas, and a lifeguard-protected and pristine swimming seashore.

Fort Macon State Park is about 20 minutes from Beaufort on the northern finish of Atlantic Seashore. The Elliott Coues Pure Path begins on the seashore car parking zone and encircles the state park.

READ MORE: The 13 finest issues to do on the North Carolina seashores (consists of the wild ponies!) and 3 day Winter Trip to the Crystal Coast (what to see and do)

10. Paddle over to Rachel Carson Reserve

Lease a kayak from Beaufort Paddle and kayak over the waterway to Rachel Carson Reserve to see the wild horses there.

In addition they run excursions, should you don’t really feel assured going by your self. We did this on our current couple’s getaway to Beaufort. It was improbable!

Locations to eat in Beaufort

Beaufort has fairly a vigorous eating scene, particularly on the waterfront. You should definitely reserve forward of time as it could possibly get fairly busy.

Test opening occasions, as some eating places have been closed after we wished to go to. I feel Beaufort has the perfect eating choices alongside the Crystal Coast.

• Queen Anne’s Revenge, Beaufort: scrumptious pizzas (gluten free) on the water with water views
• 34° North Restaurant, Beaufort Lodge: is a elaborate waterfront restaurant with domestically impressed East Carolina delicacies. It’s within the Beaufort Inn. Whereas we didn’t eat there, we did take pleasure in a cocktail of their cozy lounge.
• Mezcalito Grill, Beaufort: Our favourite restaurant on the Crystal Coast. Vibrant on the within, the Tex Mex, Latin infused dishes danced with equal quantities of flavors and the mezcal margaritas that appeared like a bit of artwork. Alambre ACP was scrumptious and Craig raved about his King Burrito for days.
• Beaufort Creamery: the traces are lengthy for this ice cream store in Beaufort! You should definitely go to early within the day to keep away from the queues!

The place to remain in Beaufort, NC

There are lots of low cost chain resorts within the areas surrounding Beaufort on the Crystal Coast. However if you wish to benefit from the historic downtown space, our suggestion is a trip rental in Beaufort, which you’ll be able to see choices on VRBO right here, or keep at The Beaufort Lodge.

That is the place we’d keep if we have been to go to once more. We didn’t keep the evening however we did go to the bar for drinks. It was essentially the most charming resort in Beaufort.

Though it’s location shouldn’t be within the downtown space, however solely a 15 minute stroll away in a tranquil spot on the water simply out of city. See costs and evaluations right here.

On our couple’s getaway we stayed on the Inlet Inn, which was improbable. We beloved the spacious rooms, patio overlooking the waterfont, and the walkability to all over the place in Historic Beaufort.

We completely LOVED our keep on the Grande Villas condos with gorgeous ocean views at close by Indian Seashore. Watching dolphins swim by every dawn with my cup of espresso was unbelievable. See extra right here.

Should you’re in search of different lodging in Beaufort NC, you need to use the map under to match resorts and short-term rental choices.

Why we love Beaufort NC

Driving into city, the historic houses greeted us from underneath the shade of the overhanging oak bushes, and waved us right down to the waterfront to catch our ferry over to the Outer Financial institution islands.

We ambled alongside to the dock, retaining in tune with the sleepy vibe of the city. I favored the peace it radiated and felt I used to be in the precise place for some much-needed rejuvenation.

My dad and mom nonetheless speak about their journey to Beaufort almost each time we chat over Skype.

We first visited Beaufort with my dad and mom and a couple of 12 months outdated Kalyra again in 2010, and have revisited years later when Kalyra was 14 12 months outdated and Savannah 10 on a visit exploring the Crystal Coast.

Regardless of these two journeys being 10+ years aside, little has modified. The buildings look the identical, the vibe continues to be the identical, and the meals nonetheless tastes as contemporary because it was the primary time.

The one factor that’s modified is extra persons are studying to pronounce its identify accurately, because the gray-haired woman carrying a blue apron overlaying her flowered costume introduced as she sat in her chair within the nook of the Buccaneer Inn’s breakfast room:

“Did you hear they’ve lastly obtained the identify proper, Hal? Callin’ it by it correct identify now ‘Bow-fort’ as a substitute of ‘Bew-fort’ like they do down there in South Carolina.”

This monotonous stream of phrase’s flowed from her mouth to all our bodies that walked by the door, and I wasn’t even positive if there actually was a Hal, within the room, however I delighted in it nonetheless.

I couldn’t have seen a greater Southern character in any of the Hollywood films that had romanticized them for years. That is Beaufort alright, the place time stands nonetheless and Southern allure nonetheless authentically exists.

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