The Bonner House was not open for tours while I was in Bath, but I did get to see the outside. The…read moremost impressive part was the view from the house. The house faces, what is now Bonner's Point, and is right on the water. The house has a front and back porch and a large yard. I will try to get back to take a tour of the inside.

Certainly worth spending an afternoon visiting the oldest town in North Carolina. You can visit two…read moreold homes on guided tours and a visitor center that is informative. There is also a self guided walking tour. Information staff. If you visit in the winter be certain to visit nearby Lake Matamaskeet where the Tundra Swans over winter.

Bath, NC, became the first town in the state as European settlers came to the Pamlico River in the…read more1690s. Bath holds many firsts, the first port as well as the first church; first library; and first shipyard. At the Visitor's Center/Museum, there is free parking either on the street or in the parking lot. the Visitor's Center is now located in a former high school that was built in 1922. Admission is free to view the exhibits. when you arrive there is a short film of Bath's history that you can view at your own pace. The exhibits are thorough and nicely done so give yourself enough time to read all the information. Early on, Bath had some turmoil with Cary's Rebellion and then with the Tuscarora Indians. Yellow Fever took more lives. Some of the exhibits cover slavery at the time. Blackbeard even lived in Bath. He got a pardon; married a teenager; and lived at Plum's Point. Bath has a big history in North Carolina so the exhibit center is worth checking out.

The only screw-pile lighthouse still standing in North Carolina is the Roanoke River Lighthouse…read morenear Edenton, a unique and durable piece of maritime history. It was constructed in 1886 and lit in 1887 with the intention of directing ships into the Roanoke River from the Albemarle Sound. An inventive answer to the delicate, changing soils of coastal rivers was its distinctive screw-pile foundation, which consisted of steel pilings that were physically screwed into the riverbed. In contrast to the majority of lighthouses of its type, this one was two floors tall and had a lantern tower with a fourth-order Fresnel lens positioned on a corner of the roof instead of in the middle. The Coast Guard sold the lighthouse to Elijah Tate in 1955 after it was discontinued in 1941 because of dwindling river traffic. The building was severely damaged by Hurricane Isabel in 2003, which led to a preservation effort. With the help of the public and private sectors, the Edenton Historical Commission bought it in 2007, relocated it to Colonial Waterfront Park, and repaired it. It now proudly sits on Edenton's port as a museum and a testament to the tenacity of the local community and historical preservation. The lighthouse is free to tour and the "grounds" are accessible 24 hours. It is well worth a stop. I'm only bummed that I wasn't here to see it at sunrise or at sunset as I am sure it is quite magical. [Round number review 24000 overall - 841 of 2025 - 4271 in North Carolina]

Very cute and quaint lighthouse in an amazing part of North Carolina! The history is fascinating,…read morethe building is well-preserved, and the surrounding waterfront views make it a great stop to explore and take photos.

Really unique, awesome little museum with an array of different items. As a fan of the macabre I…read moreespecially enjoyed their jars of snakes and animals, skeleton and the hodgepodge collection of military memorabilia. The women I met running the museum were very friendly and provided an interesting conversation. So glad I stopped!

We live about an hour from New Bern. My wife and I like to get away for nearby weekend coastal…read moredestinations every couple of months to loosen up the grind of work. New Bern has become a regular favorite out of our visits to Beaufort, Edenton, Oriental and Wilmington (used to live there). All of those places are worth a visit. Don't get me wrong. We have stayed at neighboring B&Bs near The Jarvis. So far, there is no comparison. We have also stayed at the chain hotels there. If you go to New Bern, The Jarvis is a place you should consider first. You'll get extremely personalized service from Ian, the innkeeper. He slightly reprimanded me for fetching my own coffee on our last morning there. The Jarvis is a destination venue for wedding parties. We expected the sleeping hours might get a little loud and we were prepared for it. However, it was remarkably quiet in the wee hours and the bed may be the most comfortable I have ever slept on. We both came home well rested. I won't go into the cool amenities, but you need to check out 'The Cellar Door' in the basement. We spent a couple of fun hours there during the rain storm that hit while we were there. Highly recommended! We will definitely return.

Lovely quiet place very accessible to all the shopping and dining nearby…read more The downside was that there was no one on duty to ask question about the area! No breakfast either!

The Battle of Newport Barracks Civil War Memorial in Downtown Newport represents the life at a…read moremilitary barracks during the Civil War. Admission is free but they do accept donations. A parking lot is available as well. The Newport Barracks was a Civil War Outpost that guarded a railroad trestle bridge. The railroad was used as a supply line to get supplies and equipment to New Bern. 900 Union soldiers tried to hold off 2500 Confederate soldiers who were there from Wilmington trying to regain control over New Bern. They fought for over ten hours before retreating but set fire to the depot and the railroad and bridges to destroy equipment and supplies. .

This is a great representation of a Civil War Confederate Camp. They have a cannon, several tents…read moreand other items from camp life. I especially like the cooking examples as well as the wash area and blacksmith shop. They have buildings there made of local materials and with craftmanship which has withstood the test of time. I will take some of these ideas home to put into practice in my own yard. The demonstration camp is a sobering reminder of the hard work and ultimate sacrifice Americans gave during this turbulent time in our history. Remembering is important. This camp provides and opportunity for Americans and visitors of all ages to see back in time and reflect. Well worth the time while in Newport, whose old town has other treasures to discover!

What a unique experience I had finding this place…read more I had posted on Facebook that I was in town from LA and a friend from 30 years ago, then at first met at my first job in California randomly responded about the Old Burying Ground and said I should visit it. We were downtown and hitting a couple spots, and I was mentioning to my friend that lives locally about her response and it came right at the same exact moment that we were passing the cemetery and she pointed it out, so we quickly stopped and backed up and parked, and took a venture inside, mainly to see the girl that was buried in a barrel of rum, holy cow when you see the age of some of these graves and realize how extremely old they are, and you really quickly getting a sense of the magnitude of the history of the place. It is well worth your time to visit and explore.

Beautiful , historic graveyard . If you love history this burying ground is definitely worth a stop…read more. Plan to spend around 30 minutes here , maybe longer if you take your time to read the tombstones . It's a well kept graveyard but be sure to watch your step as the terrain is uneven in some areas . If you really want to learn more about the town's oldest graveyard , you can take a tour offered by the Beaufort Historical Association . Go to the website or visit the Beaufort Historical Center on Turner Street for more info . It's a peaceful final resting place for hundreds of notable people , soldiers , seaman and most notably , the Rum Girl .

Immensely beautiful park! The dunes are giant! We went a few times at sunset and things were pretty…read morequiet. The park is well maintained and the scenery is just stunning. We plan to return and spend more time there in the future.

Very cool place to see a small fort that contains a lot of history as well as display items to…read morelearn about the life of a solider during the civil war and World War I Make sure to get your Junior ranger badge if you are a fan! It's super cute and different than the NPS version.

I really enjoyed my visit to Tryon Palace! I learned a lot about the history of New Bern, which was…read morevery cool. This house is a very nice reconstruction, as the original one burned down. The guide was very knowledgeable, and they even had fake food set out in the dining room! The gardens were lovely, and you could wander in them for a while (we didn't, just because it was so hot). Definitely a reasonable price to pay for a 45-minute history lesson.

I enjoyed the history of this Palace and thought that the docent giving the tour was quite…read moreknowledgeable. The history was so interesting and I asked a lot questions as well - she didn't seem to kind! And I actually stumped bet on one of the equations. Make sure you walk around the grounds and the gardens as well. They have a pretend military camp based in 1774, so that was very interesting. Well worth it! If you are a senior make sure you ask for the discount - not advertised!

This stuff is phenomenal! It is beautiful, well deserved, well maintained, and well staffed. The…read moreRoanoke River is absolutely gorgeous and the accompanying grounds are immaculate. There is the Welcome Center there that we went into and the women were total sweethearts. It didn't appear that they got much business because they were very glad to hear that the three of us were all from different cities in Florida so when we signed the register book it was three different cities along with three different names. These women were totally in character for this part of the country and you could feel the butter melt with their warmth and kindness. The National refuge was really unexpected and quite beautiful. It was informational and educational. This was one of the best stops we unexpectedly made on our road trip. Just goes to show you never know what you're going to find when you pull over and stop in to someplace new, no matter where it is in the country. What's a girl to do? Hey, when you're on a road trip you want to stop and see and do everything so take your time and see as much as you can.

The Cashie River Center at the Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge is an amazing, little-known…read moreresource in the area. I live just 20 miles away and had overlooked the place. I didn't know what I was missing! It has a nice little museum-type display inside with info about local wildlife--animals and plants. The carry all the science type of stuff that you'd expect, and it fascinated my daughter. The people who work there are volunteers, and they are absolutely knowledgable about the area. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, I discovered that they give free nature boat rides in the summer. I will def come back for that when it starts for the season.