When you travel, do yourself a favor and see if the town you are visiting has an actual visitor's…read morecenter. I do this when I can and usually you can find out some unique and interesting points about the location you have chosen. This time when we visited Beaufort we encountered some of the local people who gave a run down of the town. These ladies were also dressed in period outfits of the early 1800s which added to the narrative. In addition to the displays we saw a flag that was in great condition and very old. I truly appreciate the information that was given and hope you take the suggestion.

When I returned to Beaufort, NC, I knew that the Beaufort Visitor's Center would be my first stop…read more I bought a ticket for the Double Decker bus tour as that seemed like the best way to get better oriented. Seating on the bus is either on the lower level or the top level and it is possible to switch if it gets too hot up top with the sun. It is a 1967 bus. A tour guide narrates as we went along discussing Beaufort's culture and history. The tour covers a lot of areas and the bus driver did an awesome job of getting us into tight spaces. I was fascinated about the spy Emilene Pigott who was a spy for the Confederates during the Civil War. She hid items in her hoop skirts. She even ate documents so they wouldn't be found. The Josiah Bell house was a Victorian styled house built in 1825. The Leffers cottage was built in 1778 and is an example of a story and a jump. It had a demonstration of weaving. I also got to visit the Courthouse which is where people came to be entertained. It was built in 1796 and is wood framed. I saw the Old Jail where one person was hung. It has 28 inch walls and was a home as well as a jail. The building was built in 1829. It has a pillory outside. The Apothecary Shop and Doctor's Office, was built in 1859 and has various items sold in the shop and the doctor artifacts. The bus tour and the historic sights are must sees while in Beaufort.

Ok, let's bring this one up to the current…read more Since my last ramblings about SPR, what's changed? Very little and that's a good thing. I believe they bought a few more acres of land to make the preserve a solid 132 and are now closed on Mondays. coastallandtrust.org/lands/springers-point-preserve/ All of the usual goodies still apply: No parking for anything here aside from bikes. Car parking is available at the Ocracoke Assembly of God Church for a donation (the parking there is also perfect for the Lighthouse since the few spots they had are now taken with construction equipment). There is a trash receptacle at the entrance. Past that, bring out whatever you take in. Also, don't be an ass and attempt to create your own trail. Aside from possibly getting poison ivy or eaten alive by the many winged creatures here that bite, it's obviously bad for the flora and fauna. The below has a nice overview of the trail setup. Nothing is hard, long or complicated. www.alltrails.com/parks/us/north-carolina/springers-point-nature-preserve For my money, this is one of the best, if not the best place on the entire island to turn up the quiet, tune out and relax.

We took the car ferry to Ocracoke Island for a day while visiting the Outer Banks in November…read more While there, this was one of the places we stopped. We did a short .8 mile trail here. Parking is kind of weird. There's no parking at the trail, but we parked at a nearby church that had parking for a donation. The trail starts out in a wooded area that's really pretty. Then the middle portion of the trail is along the beach. The beach portion was my favorite part because of all the jelly fish we saw right on the shore. I don't know what phenomenon was going on that they were all right on the shore or if it's normal, but it was really cool. I'd definitely add this to your list of stops on Ocracoke Island.

One of our mornings while at the beach, my wife and I got up early and drove down to Fort Macon…read moreState Park. We were told this would be a good spot to find trails to go for a short run, and it was true. There was plenty of trails, to safely walk and run on, rather than along the busy road with beach bums driving by at crazy speeds. There is plenty of parking and nicely maintained trails we found. After our run, we decided to poke into the fort it self, which was free to enter, and we explored some of the space, and some of the educations exhibits. They had a little bit of something for everyone, and tried to make the visitors center exciting and fun for kids. I'd 100% visit this spot again, maybe when it's not so hot, but either way, we enjoyed our visit. The park and fort are well maintained, and preserved, with clean restrooms, and staff to answer any questions you might have.

Okay, this place is quite the gem of beaches in the area. Tons of free parking. Lots of shelters…read morewith grills. Convenient and clean bathrooms. Even a massive covered shelter with a snack bar and lockers to keep your stuff in. Oh yeah, did I mention all of this is FREE?? Even at 3:00pm, the beach wasn't over crowded and there was plenty of parking. On rainy days, you can forgo the beach and check out the Fort Macon museum. There are even trails you can walk! Not hard to spend an entire day here! There were park rangers patrolling to keep everyone safe and maintain the beauty of the park. Not much more you can ask for.

Public rest stops are so hit or miss, we have driven cost to coast and up and down many times…read more Often state or county run rest stops are poor, dirty and smelly. But some states like IN, NC, KY, WV, and OH all have very clean rest stops, many are like nice parks worth stopping at to have a picnic, some even have really nice free museums and activities for kids so everyone can stretch after a long drive. This one looks like a resort from the outside, sits in front of a boat launch and has a park like setting. Locals come and park by the water and watch boats coming and going during lunch breaks and there is a nice visitor center too. The whole place is relaxing, clean and feels safe. I have stopped here a few times and always feel relaxed when I leave. Thanks for using our taxes right!

Beautiful location! We stopped by use restroom before heading to big rock tournament and see what…read morevisitor center was. A very nice employee named Steve greeted us gave us some great info on the area happenings . The bathrooms were very clean and grounds well maintained. Outside they have covered picnic spot to grab bite enjoy the sea breezes. There's a boat ramp and dock to go down see the waterway..

This was a great place to go and see the sight. Horses and variety of homes, shops and the great…read morecounty side...a great area for right seeing while you are just drive and enjoy the view.

The staff complained during our entire encounter. We simply wanted parking passes for the beach and…read morewere unfamiliar of the new regulations enacted since last year. They acted like we were being insufferable. Acting like the customer is an inconvenience is poor business and definitely not a desirable quality in employees working in in the service industry. People are here on vacation and don't want to hear about "how hard your job is".

Coming from the North, this is the Visitor Center that you're going to want to stop at as you have…read morecrossed over onto the Outer Banks. On the bypass at Milepost 1 in Kitty Hawk (it's on the right past the Home Depot), this welcome center has help for reservations, a ton of brochures, rest rooms and a good-sized picnic area. I found it quite helpful. Don't miss the 100th anniversary of powered flight monument where they've buried a time capsule to be opened in 2103.

Great rest area with clean restrooms. You usually don't run into any sort of crowds here. It's a…read moreconvenient area for a rest stop with fast foods close by.

Nice welcome Center chock full of local info for visitors. Clean facilty and restrooms. Friendly…read moreand helpful staff! The Crystal Coast awaits you!!

Are you like me ... meaning you have never been to Emerald Isle ??? Well start here first . The…read moreCrystal Coast Welcome Center . Information overload is what you have in here . There is information about all the local areas . From Beaufort , Emerald Isle , Swansboro , MooreHead City , Salter Path and so on and so on ! Nice area to sit and look over the things you'd like to take. Husbands there is a T.V. in there as well . No beach access here those are at : Western Ocean Regional Access ( 9003 Louise Ave) Eastern Ocean Regional Access (2701 Emerald Dr) Station St (11001 Station St) 3rd Street (301 Ocean Dr) So stop by and take a minute to grab some books and pamphlets on all the great things to discover and do here on the Crystal Coast. I know it really aided me in making my short stay here count .

The people were friendly and our toddler enjoyed walking around the big room. They had plenty of…read morebrochures but we decided to just chat with the people instead. I was surprised to see the restrooms were in a separate building but that was actually nice. If we've been on the road for a while I usually don't want to need to pause to chat with someone first.

I'm back in the area and my travel needs have changed, hence the downgrade. I'm disappointed that…read morethis welcome center and rest area have a clear sign that overnight parking is not permitted. I'd have stayed longer in the Outer Banks and done more exploring but not if I have to find a place to park my RV out of town. Bummer. For a plus, this welcome center does have a very free RV dump station. It's easy to access and that was very helpful. Inside, clean restrooms and a nice air conditioned spot for a quick break. [Review 813 of 2025 - 4244 in North Carolina - 24372 overall]

If you're looking for a nice nature experience close to Nags Head, this is a great option! The…read morerefuge has several areas to look for birds and enjoy the natural marshes. You can head to a couple different areas, but the most popular is the trail right by the visitor center. Sometimes parking is difficult because people park to go to the beach, so bring some patience. The bathrooms have flush toilets but no sinks, so plan ahead if you'd like a nicer bathroom experience. The visitor's center has tons of educational information along with very informed staff. You can learn about where to go and even borrow binoculars to look for birds. There's a small gift shop as well. The path leading from the visitors center passes two large marshy fields and ends with a large tower overlooking more marshes. Bring binoculars- it's so fun to be able to watch the birds poke around in the sand, interact with each other, and sleep. The beginning of the path has a small pond filled with turtles as well that are fun to watch. Even if you're not a big bird fan, it's a beautiful area for a nice walk. You can spend time going to more of the refuge and, of course, you can go to the beach as well.

Lots of wildlife! Take bugs spray! The turtle pond was really cool because they all swim to you…read moreexpecting food. Water turtles and big snapping turtles. Jumping fish out of the water. Good nature walk. Beach was cool across the walk where you could see the top of a sunken ship. Cool little souvenir and information shop.

Traveling on a road trip always has it's raves and rants. We found that instead of just using the…read morehighway facilities, it was nicer sometimes to take a bit of time and go into various information centers. Don't get me wrong, though rest areas were well kept and very clean on this particular road trip and I have absolutely no complaints. When you go to a visitor information center, you end up finding out more history and talking to locals that have lived there for quite some time. It is very interesting and educational and adds a bit to your trip so you know where you've been a little bit more about something you maybe never even heard of before. This was located in the County of Lamar, in the state of South Carolina. We had to get off the interstate because it was closed due to weather conditions we ended up winding through the countryside. It was an unexpected diversion but hey you gotta make the best of what happens on a road trip. We saw a lot of fields of things growing and towels and farm houses, it was a much different world than we're used to living in in Tampa. I appreciate the Visitor Information Centres and really enjoy stopping there. Not only do you get clean facilities that have a bathroom break but you get to meet wonderful people and learn some history about where you are at the present time. What's a girl to do? Went out of town learn more about the locals.