Plan an adventure to NC’s Crystal Coast – Visit Beaufort NC

Feeling beachy? North Carolina has lots to offer and my husband Tom and I often love to escape for a 2-3 day getaway to the Crystal Coast in North Carolina’s Carteret County. Our destination: Beaufort, NC. If you are ready for a roadtrip and a satisfying getaway that checks all the boxes, Beaufort is the place. This charming and historic town is the perfect place to get away from it all and still take in tons of fun, a bit of adventure and lots of delicious food and drink.

In addition to this post, I was delighted to share all there is to see and do in Beaufort with my friend Ken Smith at WRAL in Raleigh, NC.

In case you missed it. You can watch the interview with Ken Smith here.

Start making plans for your next trip today. Make your reservations at The Beaufort Hotel here. But first, here is a taste of all you will find…

Never Miss a Beaufort NC Sunset

No matter what time you arrive or what time you wake up in the morning; plan your day, every day of your trip, around the timing of the Beaufort sunsets.

Sunsets in Beaufort are nothing short of spectacular. Hands down, the best place to take them in is from the patio or docks at the Beaufort Hotel. You couldn’t find a better spot for photo opps. After you’ve snapped a few, put down your camera or phone, order a glass of wine or a craft cocktail from the lobby bar; breathe deep and take it all in.

The Beaufort Hotel, Beaufort NC

The Beaufort Hotel was our host for the week of our visit this month. I’ve stayed with them many times before and love the ease of the relaxed waterfront setting and the hotel’s attention to detail. Open in 2019, the hotel sits on Taylor’s Creek. The property is the original site of Beaufort’s longtime Menhaden fish processing plant; and the hotel celebrates the rich maritime history of the area.

Not officially a resort, the Beaufort Hotel doesn’t have a golf course or a spa, but iit certainly feels like a resort. It offers everything you need and then some. Enjoy the state of the art fitness center, acres of green space, hospitality suites and meeting rooms, large guest room bathrooms, imported linen and a wonderful lobby bar and restaurant called 34 Degrees North.

If you are on a working vaca, enjoy officing on the patio of your room at the Beaufort Hotel or in the large open lobby at the large double sided lobby fireplace.

Beaufort NC by land, sea and air

USA Today has named Beaufort the Best Small Town for Adventure. Additional accolades include having been named among the “South’s Best Small Towns” by Southern Living magazine and “America’s Favorite Town” by Travel and Leisure Magazine.

There is much to do and many ways to see all the sites.

While there is parasailing, paddleboarding and kayaking readily available; for those who know me well, it should come as no surprise that for this week of adventure I opted to keep my feet on the ground.

Unless that is, I was drifting down Thomas Creek on a Cruisin’ Tiki’s ! Just take a look at this cute tiki hut on the water, and be sure to watch the video that kicked off our first voyage.

Here’s how my first Cruisin’ Tiki Beaufort adventure several years ago began… watch the video as begin our voyage.

Since that first time, we’ve been back several times, just for fun and once as we celebrated our anniversary in Beaufort, NC. Here’s a pro tip: do what we did and plan a sunset cruise followed by dinner at Blue Moon Bistro. Your tiki boat captain will drop you off at the dock just a block or two away from the restaurant where it is an easy walk to this lovely, chef-driven dining destination.

Wild Horses and Lighthouses are not to be missed

While you are in the area, you simply cannot miss a 20-30 minute drive over to Harkers Island. Harkers is located Down East from Beaufort at the very most southern end of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Harkers is also home to the Core Sound Museum, well worth your time to plan a visit.

It is here that you will take a ferry over to Shackleford Banks Island, home to over 100 wild horses; and then on to Cape Lookout, for shelling and to see the historic Cape Lookout Lighthouse. Both, adventures and experiences you won’t find many other places in the world. And the Beaufort Hotel is happy to pack you a picnic lunch to take along for the ride.

But what about the food and drink

Finally here, Cheers to just one more sunset.

Heidi Billotto is the Executive Producer of the NCRLA Chef Showdown, a widely popular annual event benefiting the NCRLA and directly giving back to North Carolina’s hospitality industry. Heidi Billotto is a culinary storyteller, educator, and on-air expert who brings local food to life wherever she goes. She connects small family farmers, independent producers, and regional makers to the people, plates, and media outlets that showcase their work, then shows her readers and followers how to bring those ingredients home to their own tables. Known for her deep relationships, genuine curiosity, joyful style, and sincere passion for all she does, Heidi elevates local food culture on the regular through cooking, teaching, travel, and media.

And whenever you see these five little words “Tell Them Heidi Sent You” (with or without the hashtag), know that they are my personal seal of approval. It means I have been there, I believe in the folks behind it, and I am sending you their way with my whole heart.

So go on… make your hotel, dinner and tiki cruise reservations for your next trip to Beaufort, North Carolina on the Crystal Coast and Tell Them Heidi Sent You!