Beaufort is home to the Legend of Blackbeard, the most feared pirate on the high seas, whose shipwreck, 'The Queen Anne's Revenge,' lies in about 30 feet of water just outside Beaufort Inlet. Many of the relics are on display at the NC Maritime Museum in downtown Beaufort. There are many fine restaurants with great wine lists, as well as local fish houses in Beaufort. Visit Taylor's Big Mug for coffee or latte and wireless Internet service. Other coffee houses offer local folk musicians and dockside live music. Atlantic Beach offers pier and surf fishing, ocean, sand, amusement park, mini golf, go-carts, shopping and dining. Morehead City offers deep-sea charter fishing, waterfront dining and shopping. Visit Fort Macon State Park, a fascinating historic fort built below ground level that also has a wonderful public beach access with pier and bathrooms.
Visit the newly renovated NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores! Visit Cape Lookout National Seashore Lighthouse via ferry boats on Harkers Island and The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum on Harkers Island. Here you will discover the world of decoy carving, boat building, storytelling, oral histories, local writers and journalists, traditional music, food ways, hunting and fishing practices and skills passed down by generations of locals. Visit the first Colonial and state capitol building of North Carolina at Tryon Palace in New Bern. This reconstructed Georgian-style mansion was completed in 1770 and contains one of the finest collections of 18th and 19th century English and American antiques in the US and is one of the most visited sites in the state. Throughout history, Beaufort has been a seaport for whalers, fishermen, merchants and pirates!!!!
For information on the Beaufort historic site and garden tours, contact the Beaufort Historic Association at (252) 728-5225. There are wonderfully unique shops for antiques, clothing, art and pottery, jewelry and nautical gifts. There are numerous outdoor activities, too. Take a sightseeing dolphin or sunset cruise on a motorized or sailboat or on an antique double-decker bus. Rent a kayak or canoe, go on a charter fishing boat or take a ride to the outer barrier islands on one of the ferry boats (10 min ride), or go scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing, wind surfing, and parasailing. Go bicycling or walking along the waterfront and see all the beautiful yachts and sailboats from all over the world that lay over at the Beaufort docks. Beaufort is the perfect place to begin your exploration of the Cape Lookout National Seashore.
Enjoy Beaufort! A quaint little town rich in history, established in 1709, Beaufort is the third oldest town in North Carolina.