The Carolinas
North and South Carolina...we spent almost a month cruising through the these two states, and the common theme was warm hospitality and great southern accents! Our main destinations were Hilton Head, Charleston, Georgetown, Bald Head Island, Wrightsville Beach, Beaufort, Oriental, Belhaven, Manteo and Coinjock.
It all starts with Hilton Head Island. The island is beautiful, full of golf courses, bike paths, resorts and retirement condos. It is only 12 miles long and 5 miles wide. We stayed in a marina that was right off the main boardwalk which has a multitude of restaurants and shops. It is always buzzing with people and even had live music both nights we were there. What we loved most however were the bike paths and walking paths. We spent a lot of time walking and biking through the dense forests. Hilton Head isn't historic like many of the towns up the coast, but it definitely has its own modern charm and beauty. One significant landmark is the Harbour Town Lighthouse...see pic below.
Harbour Town Lighthouse - Hilton Head
Next stop was Charleston, a port city known for it's southern hospitality, history, architecture and amazing food. It is one of the oldest cities in the U.S., founded in 1670. It was a hub for southern trade including indigo, cotton, rice and unfortunately slavery. Battles were fought here in the Revolutionary and Civil wars. We stayed at Ashley marina which was walking distance from King St., the main Street where all the shops and restaurants are located. On the walk up to King St. we passed some old row house style homes. They were two story, long and narrow and most with side porches and gas lamps. We learned that Bill Murray lives right on King St. (at least one of his houses is here). This town is known for their food, and it didn't disappoint! The restaurant scene is expansive and we ate at some really great places. It is also known for breweries, shopping and hospitality.
Bill Murray has a home on King St.
Charleston is known for its hospitality, which is symbolized here in the pineapple fountain at the Riley Waterfront Park
A typical southern house with the front porch and big oak tree
Darryn walking down the sidewalk of Rainbow Row, a series of thirteen colorful historic houses representing the longest cluster of Georgian row houses in the United States.
A typical courtyard in Charleston off King St.
One of many historic buildings in Charleston (there are 2500 historical buildings)
Our marina at sunset
Scary weather coming in over the Ashley marina
On the last day in Charleston it was my birthday. We got dressed to go to brunch on our bikes and we both show up in matching outfits! No joke, we didn't plan this! The pic was taken at a store we stopped in after brunch. Why didn't we change? Ahhh who cares, nobody knows us here anyway! And its pretty hilarious!
The matching outfits were not planned!
Three days just wasn't enough for our favorite stop along the east coast thus far. We agreed we must go back on the way back down later this year. The rest of our Carolina travels will be small towns which are summarized below...
Georgetown, less than 60 miles north of Charleston. We had one night to experience its charm. It is a small town with a history. It used to be the commercial hub for rice and indigo, and British troops occupied the area in 1780-81. It is now known for its scenic Harborwalk, antique stores, shops and waterfront parks. The Harborwalk was charming, with waterside restaurants with small town flare. The main street was cute with quirky shops and businesses. We ended up eating at a local bar/restaurant with a server who's name was Oil and he had a strong southern accent! We are definitely in the south!
A typical bridge opening on the way to Georgetown on the intracoastal waterway
The Big Tuna, Georgetown
Curandera in Georgetown at sunset
Bald Head Island... another one night trip and well worth it. A cute touristy town.
Bald Head Island was our first North Carolina stop, and is two miles across the Cape Fear River from Southport, North Carolina and the site of Old Baldy, the state’s oldest standing lighthouse, established in 1817. You can only reach this island by passenger ferry or private vessel. It is a small island (12,000 acres) but much of it is untouched beach, marsh and forest preserves with charming neighborhoods. Golf carts and bikes are the only transportation around the island. We cruised around on our bikes and enjoyed the tranquility of the island. Stopped for pizza on the waterfront and ran the next morning through the neighborhoods. A pleasant and beautiful stop!
Bald Head Island, NC
Bald Head, NC...Beautiful beaches
Bald Head Island, NC
Wrightsville Beach....A major beach town. Dubbed one of the top surfing towns in the world by National Geographic. Wrightsville is on the ocean and it's neighbor, Wilmington, is a significant port city. Wilmington is a cool mid size city, and very walkable with shops and restaurants near the water. We noticed lots of breweries, so we decided to partake! We went to Edward Teach's Brewery, named after Blackbeard, the famous English pirate. We sampled some Teach's Peaches beer which is a wheat ale with a hint of peach. We also made it to Flytrap brewing, a patio brewery buzzing with people and dogs. So if you like beer, you would like Wilmington! Fun fact...Darryn helped a friend bring a yacht from Wilmington, NC to Jacksonville, FL over a decade ago! We spent the remaining time in Wrightsville Beach roaming around and enjoying the beach and the sites.
Anchored in Wrightsville Beach, NC
Fitting that an old VW van is in this famous beach town!
Darryn's cool black and white photo at our anchorage in Wrightsville
Our last 5 towns were Beaufort, Oriental, Belhaven, Manteo and Coinjock. All were small towns right off the ICW and all had their own charm. Beaufort was especially historical and cute, with old homes from as far back as the early 1700's. Manteo was also a charm, with a waterfront marina lined with interesting local shops, antique stores, book stores, and restaurants. It looks like a storybook old fashioned town.
Manteo requires a mention because it is so darn cute! It wraps around Shallowbag Bay on the eastern side of Roanoke Island. I learned that in the town’s early days, every store lining the waterfront had two doors – one dockside for those coming by boat and the other streetside for those coming from the courthouse or one of the inns on Water Street. How cool is that? It is part of the Outer Banks, which are barrier islands off the coast of NC, separating the Atlantic Ocean from the mainland. We drove to the Outer Banks to see the Wright Brother's museum. It was the actual site where the brothers got their first plane to fly! It was really cool to see the big sand hill where they would run uphill carrying their airplane to test run. Can you imagine how hard that would be? We also saw the markers where they had their first 4 flights, each one getting a bit farther.
Beaufort, NC...an old house from 1732!
Beaufort, NC...Old burying ground of Revolutionary and Civil War soldiers
Murf waiting patiently on the dock in Beaufort, NC
A beautiful sailboat scene in Oriental, NC
Manteo, NC sunset
Manteo, NC
Manteo, NC
Outer Banks, NC
Outer Banks, NC
Wrights brother's museum, marker 1 (first flight at marker 4)
Manteo, NC sunset
We loved our cruising in the Carolinas. We traveled through rather quickly as we needed to get up north of Cape Hateras by June 1st to avoid hurricane season (and more importantly honor our insurance policy). So much to see and do. Next stop will be Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay. Let the adventures continue!