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We will be driving from Michigan in April for a family road trip. We want to end up in Beaufort, NC and have a few days to spend there at a rental and use it as our home base to explore some other points of interest. Any ideas of things to check out? We have school-age kids who enjoys fishing, hiking, trying new foods, museums, swimming and just hanging out together as a family. Also, any places in eastern North Carolina we should make a point to see? I am thinking we will break up the drive into parts. Make a stop somewhere in West Virginia maybe or maybe western North Carolina for an overnight then head to New Bern or Beaufort for the rest of the trip. Also, any barbeque suggestions would be wonderful. Just in the brainstorming phase at the moment...
Obviously, stop in Asheville, and Hendersonville while in Western NC. The Black Mountains, Mt. Mitchell, the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi, are right there with the Eastern Continental Divide. Wilmington, in Eastern NC, has the Battleship USS NC. April will be a great time to come through.
The aquarium in Pine Knoll Shores is worth a visit. For barbecue, we like Big Oak in Salter Path. Both are near-ish your final destination of Beaufort. Oh, and have lunch at Beaufort Grocery.
We will be coming in via Winston-Salem area so we won't be able to visit the Asheville area. We have been to NC before and primarily stayed in the western part of the state. Any suggestions about indoor water parks or hotels with great pools on our way in to NC? I am looking at areas northeast of Winston-Salem area for a one night stopover.
Any suggestions about indoor water parks or hotels with great pools on our way in to NC? I am looking at areas northeast of Winston-Salem area for a one night stopover.
The Charlotte area has a Great Wolf Lodge indoor waterpark in Concord. Otherwise, unless you find a hotel with an indoor pool in Winston-Salem, it will be too early for an outdoor pool.
+1 on Beaufort Grocery. And you should be able to take a boat to Shackleford Banks to see the ponies - should be a good time of year for that and some shell hunting there (not too hot/buggy yet). The Maritime museum is worth checking out too, and won't take up too much time.
Beaufort is a great choice for a shoulder-season beach getaway. Still feels very authentic and isn't too far from other sites like the aquarium on the Crystal Coast. You could also visit Fort Macon.
-- the nifty hike at Ft. Macon that's a 3.5 loop taking you through a maritime forest as well as dunes.
--the Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores (there's also a sweet hike off the parking lot there)
--the Blackbeard exhibit at the Maritime Museum in Beaufort
--buying a kite at the kite shop in Atlantic Beach and flying it on the beach
--if your kids are old enough to bicycle, you could rent bikes in Beaufort and ride along Front St. and through the historic district on Broad and Ann streets. Hungry Town Tours, on the boardwalk in B'fort, also has some fun tours via bike
--take a great sail on the Lookout catamaran--the sunset cruise is especially wonderful (Boardwalk, B'fort)
--take a dolphin watch boat trip from Island Ferry Adventures or one of their seashell or wild horse excursions (Boardwalk, Beaufort)
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