This weekend, my husband and I will be heading down to Beaufort, North Carolina for a much-needed vacation. We’ve never been there before, but we picked it because it’s on the coast and, more importantly, we’ve got a free place to stay. Anybody have any thoughts on the area? Fun things to do? Good places to eat? Places to avoid eating? Our two goals for the week are idleness and good seafood.
If you’re into idleness, Beaufort is a good place. There ain’t much there. You could walk around their waterfront park area. That’ll be about 15 minutes. I suspect there are some restaurants in Beaufort, but I’ve never been to any. I’ve always stopped in Emerald Isle or Atlantic Beach since that’s where I always arrive first (on my way to the Outer Banks). I can’t recommend a specific restaurant, since I’m always traveling that way in the off-season, and a lot of them have closed shop by then. But, I don’t recall ever having had a bad experience.
There ain’t much in Morehead, either (across the bridge from Beaufort). It’s mainly a fishing village, but the Island across the way has miles of beachfront (and that’s where most of the restaurants are, too).
If you’re up for a little adventure, I’ll just mention this: Go up the road a bit and take a ferry to Cape Lookout or Portsmouth Island. There normally aren’t many people on Cape Lookout, and Portsmouth is even more desolate (it’s a ghost town, with no–and I mean NO–facilities). Well, in Portsmouth Village, there is a ranger station, but once you leave that you’re on your own. Anything you eat or drink will be what you carry onto the island with you. But if you survive the mosquito attacks (at least one can of Deep Woods OFF is essential)–and no description I can give can adequately describe the intensity–your reward will be a beach where you might walk for miles and never see another soul.
Sorry I couldn’t help you out more on Beaufort. Nothing bad about it, but it’s not a place I would ever consider for a vacation destination.
We discovered Beaufort while we were driving from one place to another so we didn’t get to know it well. But it is so charming that I demanded to be let out onto one of it residential streets just so that I could walk and absorb how pretty it is.
Take along some Pat Conroy to read. Maybe Beach Music. Watch The Big Chill. It was filmed there.
Thanks, **Earl ** and Zoe! Portsmouth Island sounds very cool.
It’s not our first choice for a vacation spot, but as I wrote, we have a free place to stay. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be going on vacation at all this year.
I went to Beuafort for a wedding at Paris Island (Parris?).
There’s a nice restaurant away from downtown that’s in a big white house with big huge willows out front. You can get frog legs there. It’s nice and fancy and I don’t think it’s too expensive. There’s not too many places like that there, so if you ask around, I’m sure someone will know what you’re talking about.
Also, there’s this Gullah culture down there, and I’d recommend stopping into a Gullah place to eat.
I also recall some nice beaches a little ways out of town. Sandy beaches, at some State Park.
I’ll vouch for the Beaufort Grocery, which is actually a pretty good restaurant. If you’re in an inexpensive-seafood mood, the Sanitary Fish Market and Restaurant, across the inlet in Morehead City, is a local institution and well worth it. But there are plenty of fine establishments right on the waterfront, with a nice view of all the yachts (it’s a regular stop on the Trust Fund Babies’ Tour).
I haven’t visited Blackbeard the Pirate’s house in Beaufort, so I can’t recommend it, but it’s there.
I had the worst meal of my life (not exaggerating either) at the Sanitary Fish Market and Restaurant, so YMM definitely V.
If you are interested in getting out on the water, there are tour companies that will take you from Beaufort to Cape Lookout (here’s one: Red White And Blue - mysteryboattours.com). There are sailing tours, too, but I seem to recall those are more expensive.
Beaufort also has a maritime museum if you are into that.
I was actually at a wedding in Beaufort, South Carolina last weekend. Lovely place. The double Beauforts are confusing, even for those of us who grew up in the Carolinas.
Thanks for the suggestions and warnings, Elvis and romansperson. I hope to get to the maritime museum. My beach reading includes a couple of O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin novels, so I know I’ll be itching to see old ships.
The Sanitary is the only place around there I know of that cooks their hush puppies fresh, not by microwaving frozen processed cornmeal chunks. It’s worth a visit just to find out how good they really can be. And they keep 'em coming while your dinner cooks, just like the bread at other restaurants.
Their hush puppies are certainly very good, but I never found the seafood anything to get excited about. A lot of greasy fried stuff, so the kids liked it. We always went there after going to the public beach at Fort Macon State Park (at Atlantic Beach).
The shrimp I was served was mushy and on the verge of going bad. I asked for milk as my beverage and they gave me a little carton and a glass. I poured the milk in the glass and took a big swig - only to find out the milk was spoiled. Eeew.
Nope, not going there again. Ever. Sanitary, my butt!
Thanks for the advice, folks! My plan is to do nothing, or very nearly nothing, for the course of a week–it’s been forever since I got to do that on a vacation. Lots of books, lots of sitting on the porch with a rum drink. Apparently the house we’ll be staying at looks across an inlet onto an island with wild horses running on it, and we’ll be close to Emerald Isle. I’m really looking forward to it.
Beaufort is a good place to relax. I’ve only been there for a day or two, but I like it. Definitely go on a cruise–Lookout Cruises is my favorite. They have dolphin cruises. I haven’t been on a dolphin cruise, but we did see some dolphins on our cruise.
If you’re interested in boat building, the Maritime Museum has a boatbuilding workshop across the street from the main museum.
If you want to get a taste of coastal history and culture, head on over to Harker’s Island (close to Cape Lookout) and check out the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum. They have some very interesting exhibits on coastal life. If you’re lucky, you might be there when they’re having a community potluck–I think they’re usually on Tuesdays. I went to a potluck there once, and the food was fabulous. Last time I was there, I had to leave before the potluck, and I wasn’t happy.
I think the aquarium is open now–it’s not quite in Beaufort, but it’s not too far away.