29 June 2023
Last year and this year, John and I were grateful to have a three-day weekend in honor of Juneteenth. In 2022, we used it to venture to Swansboro and Hammocks Beach, and this year, we explored Beaufort, NC. Exploring a corner of the North Carolina coast shortly after school wraps up has been a delight the last few years; I think it just might become an annual tradition. I’d love to share a few photos and details of what we did, if you’d like to see! It’s just under three hours from our house to Beaufort, which for our fam is a short trip. Because of this, we let the kids pack their own car bags, and they did a… questionable job, ha. To tide them over for the last 45 minutes I whipped up these road trip scavenger hunts on the back of a coloring sheet. They were a hit! Before checking in at our Airbnb we stopped at a Viv’s Fridge right around the corner. Vivian Howard is an acclaimed NC chef (her flagship restaurant is Chef & the Farmer in Kinston) and these fridges are her newest invention: restaurant-quality goodies stocked in a grab-and-go vending machine! We got her signature saltines and beach essentials for our Saturday adventures. Our Airbnb was in a new development about a five minutes’ car ride from downtown. We could, however, walk to dinner at the Beaufort Hotel, which is what we did (it took about 15-20 minutes). The weather was perfection. The walk along Front Street was beautiful, right along the water with live oaks to climb and beautiful homes to enjoy (that’s my pick on the left and June’s on the right!). There is plenty of space to walk along the side of the road but there were more cars
4 May 2012
Whew, it is hot, hot, hot here in NC all of a sudden! The soaring temps outside make me even happier to revisit about our last destination in Beaufort, SC: Hunting Island! Hunting Island is one of the most popular state parks in South Carolina, attracting more than one million visitors a year. Thankfully, it didn’t seem that crowded at all when we visited! Our first stop was at the Marshwalk, a boardwalk that extends across the tidal flats, through a few tiny islands, and out onto a platform perfect for viewing marsh wildlife. We saw egrets, some sort of gecko, and tons of fiddler crabs on our walk, but alas, no dolphins! The Marshwalk is less than a mile long, so it was a quick out and back. Our second and final destination on Hunting Island was the beach and lighthouse area. There is a $5 per person fee to enter this part of the park, but both John and I would say it was well worth the price. As we drove past the gate house, we both agreed it felt like we were entering Jurassic Park – so lush, green, and tropical! This might sound strange, but we were both a little bit obsessed with the parking lot! It’s hard to describe, but instead of being one large area, it twisted and turned between the trees, and each spot felt like it was tucked away. Once we finished oohing over our parking space, we took another boardwalk out to the beach. Turning left, we walked along the water’s edge until we got to an entirely new section of beach, which looked like this: Children’s book lover that I am, my immediate thought was that it reminded me of the post-hurricane illustrations in Robert McCloskey’s Time of Wonder. Anyone
1 May 2012
After stopping at the Old Sheldon Church Ruins, it was on to Beaufort, proper! Our first agenda item was to check into our accommodations, the City Loft Hotel. CLH is a boutique hotel in Beaufort’s historic district. John found it on Trip Advisor, and I’m so glad he did! The hotel is really neat on the outside – it’s an old-school motel-type place that’s been completely remodeled, but they kept intact some of the more charming features. I loved the sun umbrellas, louvered shutters, and breezy curtains! The inside furnishings, too, are modern, both in style and features. We loved the slick tub, awesome shower, and iPod lamp! One of our favorite features of the City Loft Hotel was the cruiser bikes provided for guest use, free of charge! We happily took them for a spin, making our way through the beautiful historic neighborhoods surrounding the hotel and downtown area. I would highly recommend a trip to Beaufort, SC, and if you do go, the City Loft Hotel, too! Up next: where we ate! All photos by moi