A VISIT TO BEAUFORT BY BOAT
Hello and happy 4th of July weekend! I hope you are enjoying a wonderful, relaxing and fun time celebrating our nation’s independence. I’m doing something really special with my family and will be reporting back on our exciting adventure soon. In the meantime I’ve been reminiscing about a visit to Beaufort by boat. Beaufort, North Carolina that is. Beaufort is located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, just across the Intracoastal Waterway from my future home of River Dunes, North Carolina.
Beaufort, North Carolina
River Dunes
If you’ve been following along lately you know that I recently made a trip to River Dunes. I traveled there with my DC dwelling son and 2 grandchildren for a lovely long weekend.
Located at the mouth of the Neuse River, just inside the Intracoastal Waterway, River Dunes is a water-oriented, boating community. The property we purchased is located on the main channel that leads into Grace Harbor, River Dunes’ 400 slip marina. Brad and I are looking forward to our future when we will be able to sit on the front porch of our future home and watch the boats enter and depart the harbor. It is a beautiful sight to behold.
I had not yet had a chance to visit nearby Beaufort, but had heard so much about it and was just dying to visit. I was especially intrigued ever since reading my friend, Kristy Woodson Harvey’s, Peachtree Bluff series of books.
Kristy hails from Beaufort, North Carolina, and it’s her own hometown that was the inspirational setting for her latest novel, The Southern Side of Paradise. This book is the 3rd and final book in a wonderful, can’t-put-down book trilogy. In fact it’s on the Best-Seller’s list right now. No surprise!
Renting A Boat
So, while on my recent visit to River Dunes we rented a boat for a day and headed to Beaufort. The nearby town of Oriental is the sailing capital of North Carolina, and it was there that we were able to find a great boat rental company called Bow to Stern Boating Center.
My son, with the help of my grandson, skippered the boat, and off we went for the 2 hour passage across the Intracoastal Waterway for a visit to Beaufort by boat.
It was a perfect day to be on the water, sunny and bright, not too hot and most importantly, not even too humid. Along the way we encountered many different types of vessels, including this pirate-inspired boat that appeared to be a private sailboat.
We also encountered a few boats that apparently fell victim to a hurricane. But the great thing about River Dunes is it was engineered to be a “Safe Harbor”, and proved itself to be just that in recent hurricane Florence. So, as future residents of River Dunes, we don’t have too much concern about leaving California earthquakes behind in exchange for North Carolina hurricanes.
Arriving In Beaufort
As we entered Beaufort harbor we saw a colorful fleet of shrimp boats. I tell you, until I tasted North Carolina shrimp fresh-off-the-boat, I never really knew just how good shrimp could taste!
It was exciting to reach downtown Beaufort, where the waterfront was lined with pretty white homes.
Then this fancy sailboat came into view, presumedly visiting from a British territory. Anybody know from where? I’m curious.
Our plan had been to arrive in Beaufort in time to enjoy lunch at a waterfront restaurant. Moonrakers had been recommended by friends and it was hard to miss as we motored into town.
Moonrakers does not have boat moorings for diners so we continued on to some town docks where we were able to tie up.
I couldn’t believe how pretty the docks were, decorated with planters overflowing with flowering plants. What a charming start to our visit to Beaufort.
We made our way on foot back to Moonrakers Restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious lunch on their outdoor patio overlooking the water. I can’t get enough of shrimp when I’m in North Carolina, so I ordered a grilled shrimp salad with grilled goat cheese on top. It was outstanding.
Some other dishes my family enjoyed were shrimp tacos and a fried shrimp burger.
Are you getting hungry yet?
After lunch we took a stroll around town. We only got to see as much as we could take in walking, so I look forward to going back by car. Then we can drive around a see much more.
But the downtown shopping district is full of a variety of shops and restaurants. We popped into a kite store and purchased a kite for my grandkids to fly. My grandson was happy about that!
The Return Journey
On the return trip we decided that we would pay a visit to River Dunes before returning the boat to its home in Oriental. I wanted to see what our land looked like from the water. Here we are entering the channel to River Dunes.
And here’s a little video I shot of our arrival into the channel showing our property.
That’s the charming little River Dunes Chapel where weddings take place.
And finally the Harbor Club came into view.
My son dropped me off with the grandkids so we could enjoy the remainder of the afternoon by the lovely pool while he returned the rental boat.
We had a simply wonderful day and I look forward with much anticipation to our next visit. I hope you’ll visit both River Dunes and Beaufort, North Carolina one day too. I promise you’ll be glad you did!
So there you have it: A VISIT TO BEAUFORT BY BOAT
Thanks so much for dropping in!
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