Owner Sam Kosik used to drive across the state once a week to pick up just-caught fish from the coast. Today, Mother Ocean supplies loyal customers with the freshest seafood every day.
640 Merrimon Avenue
(828) 231-5607
momavl.com
What started out as a small fish stand on the side of a mountain road is now a favorite market and restaurant in the west. Enjoy a classic shrimp po’ boy at a picnic table.
215 Beaver Creek School Road
(336) 977-1827
highcountryseafoodco.net
Piedmont-based seafood connoisseurs know that this market sells the freshest fish and shellfish they can get without catching it themselves.
Open Fridays at 2301 Sandy Ridge Road; visit theshrimpconnection.com for more hours and locations.
This landlocked crew drives to the coast three to four times a week to buy super-fresh seafood straight from the source. Be sure to pick up a peck of oysters.
1209 Farmers Market Drive
(919) 675-2722
localsseafood.com
At this market and café founded by Beaufort natives — who know a thing about seafood — just pick a fish, and the chef will cook it up for you right then and there.
108 North Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
(336) 748-0793
forsythseafood.com
Whether you’re eating in or taking home a steamer pot for a Low Country boil, the owners keep things as fresh as possible.
415 Atlantic Beach Causeway
(252) 247-2430
facebook.com/atlanticbeachseafood
This family-owned market and restaurant within sight of the Pasquotank River sells local fish and shellfish alongside a full menu of homestyle dinners.
309 East Ehringhaus Street
(252) 335-7648
qualityseafoodco.com
Since opening its doors in 1960, this distinctive market near the Neuse River has become a destination for a wide variety of seafood.
336 North Herritage Street
(252) 523-3474
facebook.com/reynoldsseafood
This Outer Banks retailer and restaurant offers a variety of options like fried lunch favorites on the porch and wild-caught fish for your dinner.
3711 South Croatan Highway
(252) 441-7412
austinseafoodco.com
This decades-old mainstay, located where the White Oak River splits, has sent many a snapper, flounder, pound of shrimp, and bushel of oysters out the door.
104 East Corbett Avenue
(910) 326-4468
facebook.com/clydephillipsseafoodmarket
Download a PDF of this checklist and others at ourstate.com/checklists.
Why does this Haywood County town have some of the cleanest water in the state? It’s the result of the community’s efforts to keep the forests in its watershed pristine.
The spectacular views in North Carolina’s High Country aren’t just inspiration for writers, painters, and sculptors. Those landscapes — the rugged gray face of Grandfather Mountain, the vibrant fall leaves, the deep green meadows — are brushstrokes on Earth’s own canvas.
The sprawling vineyards and wide-open skies that stretch for miles across seven North Carolina counties offer relaxing getaways — not to mention some of the state’s finest wines — for Sunday drivers aching to escape the rush of city life.
Nothing lasts forever — and that’s what makes many of our cherished moments so special.
