Waterfront
The historic waterfront
Beaufort's boardwalk runs along Taylor's Creek with sailboats moored a stone's throw away and Carrot Island opposite — where wild horses graze in plain view. Start here, walk the length, then turn inland.
Explore
Beaufort
Twenty minutes from both properties: a 1709 waterfront town of historic homes, independent boutiques, wild horses across the creek and the best dinner on the Crystal Coast.
Day trip
How to spend a day in Beaufort
Beaufort is the third-oldest town in North Carolina and the natural counterweight to a beach week. Drive over mid-morning, park once near the waterfront and walk everything: boardwalk, Front Street, the Maritime Museum, lunch, the Old Burying Ground, then a boat out to see the horses before dinner.
It is also the launching point for Cape Lookout and Shackleford Banks, so many visitors combine the town with a ferry morning and come back for dinner.
Local knowledge
Beaufort, section by section
Front Street
Front Street
One of the most complete historic streetscapes in North Carolina, lined with 18th- and 19th-century homes, restaurants and shops. It is flat, shaded and entirely walkable — park once and leave the car.
Restaurants
Where to eat
Beaufort is the grown-up dinner on the Crystal Coast. Moonrakers is the upscale waterfront pick with real views; the Front Street blocks add wine lists, small plates and coffee for the morning after.
Shopping
Boutiques
Independent clothing, book, art and home shops fill the blocks behind the waterfront — the best non-beach shopping between Wilmington and the northern Outer Banks.
Museum
NC Maritime Museum
Free to enter and genuinely good: Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge artifacts recovered from the inlet, boatbuilding exhibits and coastal natural history. Budget an hour, more with older children.
Wild horses
Wild horse tours
Small-boat tours run from the waterfront to Shackleford Banks and Carrot Island to see the wild horses. Book ahead in summer, and keep the required distance — these are protected wild animals, not petting stock.
Ferries
Ferries and boat trips
Passenger ferries leave Beaufort for Shackleford Banks and Cape Lookout through the season. Check the return schedule before you sail — the last boat is not negotiable.
History
Historic homes & Old Burying Ground
The Beaufort Historic Site runs guided walking tours of restored homes and the Old Burying Ground, a shaded 18th-century graveyard that is the most atmospheric ten minutes in town.
Practical
Tips that make the day work
- Park once. Waterfront spaces go first; the streets a block inland almost always have room.
- Book tours ahead. Horse tours and ferries sell out in July and August, particularly the morning departures.
- Bring water and a hat. The waterfront is beautiful and almost entirely unshaded.
- Stay for sunset. Taylor's Creek at golden hour is the photograph people take home from this coast.
Book direct
Two rentals. One very easy beach week.
Island Beach & Racquet Club B302 in Atlantic Beach and Coral Shores 12 in Pine Knoll Shores both pair direct pool access with a short, flat walk to the sand — the two things that make a family trip effortless.