The coastal destinations of North and South Carolina are one of our specialties at Southern Girl Travel.
We refer to these areas simply as Coastal Carolinas.
From Corolla in the north to Hilton Head in the south, the coast of North and South Carolina has an incredible climate, and with a few exceptions just the right balance of development and isolation. On the southern end of things we’ll occasionally claim Savannah, GA as part of Coastal Carolinas, too.
Near the center of the North Carolina coast is a small town named Beaufort.
There’s also a town in South Carolina by the same name, though the name of each town is pronounced differently. The folks in South Carolina pronounce Beaufort “bew-fort,” while the folks of North Carolina pronounce Beaufort “bow-fort.”
In this post, we will give you 3 great reasons to visit Beaufort, North Carolina.
Beaufort is one of the oldest towns in North Carolina, and it sits at the end of a peninsula-like strip of land between the Newport and North Rivers, near the eastern half of Carteret County, North Carolina.
Beaufort is just to the east of Morehead City, North Carolina very near the end of US Highway 70, a road that stretches all the way from Arizona to the coast of North Carolina. Beaufort’s waterfront is protected by Carrot Island, one of a collection of small islands and sandbars known as the Rachel Carson Reserve.
Between Carrot Island and Beaufort’s historic district and waterfront area is a harbor and stretch of water known as Taylor’s Creek. You’ll be looking out over Taylor’s Creek for the bulk of a visit to Beaufort.
The historic district is a wonderful mix of commercial and residential with lovely homes, many dating from the 19th century and enough restaurants, bars, and shops to keep visitors busy for weeks.
Click here for another visual.
The destination beaches of Bogue Banks (Atlantic Beach, Pine Knoll Shores, Salter Path, Indian Beach, and Emerald Isle) are a short drive from town, and both Shackleford Banks and the rest of Cape Lookout National Seashore are a short boat ride away.
While many, many reasons exist to visit Beaufort, following are three of the important ones!
First, Beaufort is one of the most pedestrian friendly towns in North Carolina.
Whether you are staying in one of the two small hotels in the downtown historic district at the heart of Beaufort, the Beaufort Inn or the Inlet Inn; one of the group of bed and breakfasts; or renting home or condo, you can park your car on arrival and never need it again until it’s time to go home.
Everything you need is a short walk or boat ride away.
If you need the beach, you can take the 10 minute boat ride from the docks over to Shackleford Banks. Downtown has restaurants to meet every price point. And the Taylor’s Creek Grocery has all the supplies you need, from fishing rods to fine wines.
Less driving = less stress.
Less stress, more relaxation, more leisure…those are the things we strive to give you at Southern Girl Travel.
Amazing sunsets are the second reason to visit Beaufort.
The coastline around Beaufort runs east to west as opposed to north to south like most of the rest of the east coast of the US. Along this stretch of North Carolina coast, from Cape Lookout to Bogue Inlet that is simply not the case.
Another part of the North Carolina coast that runs east to west is that stretch from Cape Fear to the North Carolina – South Carolina border, so that if you are driving from Wilmington, NC to Myrtle Beach, SC, the first 30 miles or so of the drive is due west, as opposed to due south as you might imagine.
What does this weird geography do for Beaufort?
Other than making directions a bit confusing, it makes for amazing sunsets.
Sunset from the 3rd floor of Beaufort’s Inlet Inn
Beaufort’s Front Street which borders Taylor’s Creek runs just slightly off a east-west axis, and while the sunrises are a bit behind you in Beaufort, the sunsets are absolutely perfect.
Make a point of walking around town near sunset.
The third reason to visit Beaufort is the FOOD!
As we mentioned above, Beaufort has a wealth of great restaurants, and while there are many to chose from we’re gonna keep this simple and concentrate on one of our favorite restaurants in the world, Beaufort’s Blue Moon Bistro.
Like many of the establishments in Beaufort, Blue Moon often features very fresh seafood.
We have had Yellow-Fin Tuna many times at Blue Moon that tasted as if it was caught the very same day. The location just off the water on Queen Street is perfect, and the staff is always amazing and will treat you like an old friend after just a visit or two.
One of North Carolina’s public TV stations did a great video review of Blue Moon and we’ll refer you to it for more info:
Know you will experience more food and service of the same caliber at many of Beaufort’s restaurants!
Visit Beaufort!
To find out more about this great town, which by the way was voted the Coolest Small Town in Ameriuca by Budget Travel Magazine. Check out the online travel guide Bringing Home Beaufort (and yes, we do like to keep it in the family).
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Our goal is to help you relax and get back in touch with leisure.
Our site, southerngirltravel.com, is designed to be a resource for those planning that relaxing getaway. So, please read all you can and don’t hesitate to contact us to book that trip or simply to ask a question or two. We look forward to hearing from you.
Hi! I'm Jennifer Newsome and I own and operate Southern Girl Travel with some help from my husband, Mark, and our three kids. This shot was taken in beautiful 