A Nice Break From the Road in Sweet Beaufort

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The Ocracoke / Cedar Island Ferry took us to North Carolina where, after a bit of a trip on a narrow road through salt marsh, we pulled into Beaufort.



I was so sure we had been to Beaufort on a past trip. Wrong! We had gone through Beaufort, South Carolina. The two have much in common. Picturesque harbor side towns with historic links to things coastal and southern.



It was hard to find a place to park the RV, especially since we didn’t want to unhook the Jeep. We found a row of parallel parking spaces near the harbor but a very unfriendly sign warning that RVs parked here would be towed was enough to discourage us. Along came the County Supervisor on his daily lunch-time walk. He directed us to the Court House – where his office is – and told us that since court wasn’t in session, we might find a place to land in front of the Carteret County building. We lucked out, found the Court House and took up 4+ parking spaces squarely in front. Wes rigged up a barricade from a laundry basket and rope to keep other vehicles from parking in front of us (we don’t go into reverse when the Jeep is in tow).



A short stroll along the main street – one side is the harbor; the other several blocks of typical “Main Street” storefronts. People near our home would be reminded of Ballston Spa or Scotia. Nice restaurants, shops, galleries and our destination, The Beaufort Maritime Museum! This is a sibling to the Shipwrecks Museum we explored on the Outer Banks a day earlier. The museum was being decorated for a Halloween event to benefit the local drama club.



We learned even more about pirating and the fearsome Black Beard who plied these waters back in his day. Pirates might be fun Halloween fantasy in 2013; but they were rightly feared. Raise your hand if you want to see a human head hanging all bloody from a ship’s mast!



We grabbed a seafood lunch at Crowley’s right across from the pier! Wes had seafood bisque and thoughtfully ordered an extra spoon for me. My crab cake sandwich was perfect; Wes had a shrimp burger and ordered grits as his “saahhd” which is how I hear servers say “side.” More than half of the generous portion came back to the RV in Styrofoam to augment Rusty’s Shrimp & Grits for Saturday’s dinner.







We missed the one hour double decker bus tour of the historic district and could have explored the Old Burial Grounds (deeded 1731), but the clock was turning and we wanted to get to Mont Pleasant (north of Charleston) by dark. Photos of the cemetery and some of the lovely homes that make Beaufort almost the Cape May of the South are attached. It is just so nice to veer off the interstate and take an “explore” for a few hours to break up the ride. After all, it is a road trip! BTW (according to the AAA book, this Beaufort is pronounced “Bo Fort” whereas the one in South Carolina is called "Bew Fort."

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Photos

Gingerbread
Beaufort is the Cape May of North Carolina!

Model Ships
Lots of beautiful models at the North Carolina Maritime Museums Beaufort campus.

Saving a Parking Space
A laundry basket and a bit of rope - or should I call it "line" in this coastal town - holding a place so the RV can exit without being blocked in. We're big, man...we need room to navigate!

Comments

[NanaKat]

laundry basket
What a riot! I am so glad you posted a picture of this; much better than my mental image. One of my Pet Peeves is parking in an RV spot at Cracker Barrel only to have the entitled Handicapped Hangtag Senior park next to me, either so close to my entry door that I can't get back in, or so far forward in the space that I can't make the turn to get out. I don't park my RV in their handicapped spot, could they PULLLEASE not park in my RV spot. Some people.

[Silver Back Cuda]

Orange Cones for Christmas
We really think we could use a pair of orange traffic cones for such situations! Thanks for reinforcing the concept!

[D MJ Binkley]

Beaufort
High on the cute factor and full of history.