Related: Click here to read about historic Front Street in Beaufort.
In the late 1800s, three houses near the turntable were joined to accommodate guests. The two-story boarding house — now condominiums — was one of the most popular places to stay, and at the time, a white shell road was the only thing between the longest porch in town and Taylor’s Creek.
More than a century ago, the earliest version of this museum displayed curiosities from a fisheries collection. Today, find restored artifacts from Blackbeard’s ship, study a Fresnel lens, walk under a 33-and-a-half-foot whale skeleton, and learn about Beaufort’s rich menhaden fishery history.
ncmaritimemuseumbeaufort.com
(252) 504-7740
High-back wooden booths welcome diners beneath antique signs and eclectic trinkets, each adornment a nod to yesteryear. Time-honored photos — including one from the building’s days as a grocery store and, later, a Roses five-and-dime store — climb the stairway wall.
clawsonsrestaurant.com
(252) 728-2133
It’s easy to stand on the sidewalk beside this private home with a weather vane atop a green roof and imagine young students traveling here to attend Beaufort Female Institute in the mid-1800s.
Once home to the owner of a distillery, Angel’s Share Inn & Café takes its name from the term for the portion of spirits lost to evaporation during the aging process. photograph by Charles Harris
Rocking chairs on the porch and a leg lamp inspired by A Christmas Story in the window of this boutique hotel draw visitors into the restored circa-1856 Thomas Duncan house. The café and Tap the Admiral Rum Bar — where a distillery owner lived — are open to all.
angelsshareinn.com
(252) 499-2296
Sip a namesake Rhumbar Punch on the patio. photograph by Charles Harris
Aside from packing up your food and boarding a skiff, dining doesn’t get more waterfront than this restaurant on the site of a former Texaco station and fuel dock. Picture windows line the front wall of the dining room like square snapshots of Taylor’s Creek, and the restaurant’s open-air bar serves a variety of signature cocktails on the patio.
beaufortrhumbar.com
(252) 728-4956
Stop by the Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center to see boatbuilding demonstrations. photograph by Charles Harris
Opposite the museum, volunteers have skillfully restored and preserved wooden vessels in this working boat shop since the early 1990s. Take a peek at their traditional techniques from a viewing platform or learn some woodworking skills with their single-day boatbuilding course.
thewatercraftcenter.com
(252) 504-7740
Plan a boat ride or kayak trip to this nature reserve named after renowned marine biologist Rachel Carson. Explore its four islands — Carrot Island, Town Marsh, Horse Island, and Bird Shoal — to share the wonder that Carson felt while studying Beaufort’s waters in the late 1930s.
deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/nc-coastal-reserve/reserve-sites/rachel-carson-reserve
A blooming rose graces the entrance of this pub and former bakery that is housed in a century-old brick building.
124 Middle Lane
(252) 728-7108
facebook.com/thebackstreetpub
Formerly Owens Grocery Store, this homey eatery has been a mainstay since the early 1990s.
117 Queen Street
(252) 728-3899
beaufortgrocery.com
Shop for locally made pieces at Mattie King Davis Art Gallery at Beaufort Historic Site. photograph by Charles Harris
Find the oldest wood-framed courthouse in the state, a circa-1859 apothecary suspended in time, and historic homes kept by the Beaufort Historical Association.
130 Turner Street
(252) 728-5225
beauforthistoricsite.org
Learn the stories behind hundreds of marked graves sheltered by live oaks in this cemetery established in the early 1700s.
411 Ann Street
(252) 728-5225
beauforthistoricsite.org
Five decades since boyhood summers at White Lake, a writer returns to see what time has changed — and what the water remembers.
At both the turn of the century and today, Beaufort’s waterfront has attracted a hum of commerce and community. At its heart, a historic avenue tells that history, from the stately double-porched homes to the sound of ships announcing their arrival at port.
Grab your goggles and dive into historic pools and nostalgic swimming holes, where cool relief and summer traditions have stood the test of time.
The smoky signature on our summer dinners isn’t the only lingering effect of an evening spent around the grates.
