A few months ago it was early spring in North Carolina, and Cheri and I decided to head down to Beaufort, NC for a long weekend. We had heard of Beaufort many times and seen it on local travel shows. A small waterfront downtown, boat rides, history, restaurants, shopping and the wild horses of the outer banks were all waiting, so why not? We picked a local inn, right off the main street along the water, and headed down for some relaxation.
Along Front Street
The waterfront in Beaufort runs along Front Street, between roughly Live Oak Street and Sunset Lane. You’ll find the aforementioned shops and restaurants both along Front Street and in the first block or two of the side streets heading away from the water. It has a throwback, small town feel. There is a marina area where you can pick up boat tours and ferries, and the island right across Taylor Creek has wild horses. Creek is a bit of a misnomer here, as Taylor Creek is quite 
wide and looks more like a river really. Either way, you can choose from many destinations. We took a small boat called the Water Bug for a fun journey along both sides of Taylor’s Creek, where amazing mussel beds exist in the inlets and where we did see wild horses! They were at a good distance, but getting two different looks at them was pretty cool. While technically on the outer banks, Beaufort is not on the ocean. There are a series of barrier islands and waterways that make up the outer banks, and Beaufort is on the mainland side of that.
Our inn was the Pecan Tree Inn, located at 116 Queen Street. This is just about a block up from Front Street and a perfect location from which to wander around town. The inn is very comfortable, with great porches made for
Our comfortable room
relaxing late in the afternoon with a glass of wine before dinner. At least that’s what we used them for. Rooms are well appointed and a full breakfast is served daily. Also important is that every room at the inn has a parking spot. This is very handy during busy seasons, as the public parking available downtown filled up early when we were there and seemed to stay that way all day. We just walked everywhere from the inn.
Clawson’s Interior
Restaurants are plentiful and we found them to be excellent in general. Our first lunch was at Clawson’s, right in the middle of Front Street. This has more of a pub atmosphere with an extensive menu, perfect for lunch but dinner seems like a good option also. We had salad, crab cakes and a rueben sandwich. Good portions and well prepared, so no complaints here. They also have an extensive beer selection.
For dinner we would recommend the Blue Moon Bistro, which is literally directly across
Short ribs at Blue Moon
the street from the Pecan Tree Inn. Only open for dinner, the restaurant is more intimate with an excellent menu. I wanted to order everything. Cheri had the lobster bisque and short ribs, I opted for a caesar salad and the shrimp etoufee. Everything was delicious.
Another good choice for dinner is 34 Degrees North, located in the Beaufort Hotel. This you wil not be able to walk to, but a short drive gets you there. They have valet parking, which is really convenient. A large space contains the bar and restaurant, with seating around the bar and an area next to it for a band to set up. They had live music starting just as were leaving.
Mussels fettucini at 34 Degrees North
For food we ordered the mussels fettucini and the grouper. Both of these dishes were extremely tasty. Service was a bit slow at times but overall this was a great experience.
If you’re in the mood for something casual then you can try Beaufort Grocery, again right across the street from the Pecan Tree Inn. They do a lot of take out here, and serve absolutely giant sandwiches. The dessert case also looked insane, but we didn’t have room for that. It is a very popular spot, with tables inside and out. This is a very good choice for lunch. On Sunday people were lined up outside waiting for brunch to begin.
You’ll also find a good number of bars around the downtown area, some of which were better than others. It will really depend on your personal taste.
The old apothecary shop
Along with the water tours mentioned earlier, there are other things to keep you busy right in town. We took several of the historical tours offered by the Beaufort Historic Site. These were all excellent, and took you through some of the older buildings in town. The apothecary shop was really fascinating. If you like a more somber tour experience they offer one of the old burial grounds. We love a good old cemetary, and this one is full of history as well. We ended up taking tours with this group on both of our days in town.
Old Burial Ground
Beaufort NC is a great place to get away for a few days, with a relaxing vibe and enough restaurants and things to do to fill up your days. The quality hour ot two we spent on the inn’s upper porch each day may be my favorite time of the trip, with the ocean breeze in our face and the sunlight filtering through the inn’s back yard. We recommend it.
A votre santé!
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