Beaufort is the easternmost town in the Crystal Coast region of Carteret County, North Carolina; the county seat; and the third-oldest town in the state. Established in 1713 on the Newport River, Beaufort was named after Henry Somerset, the Duke of Beaufort. Beaufort's two main claims to fame are its intact historical homes and its connection with the dreaded pirate Blackbeard. The town's name is pronounced differently than that of its South Carolina namesake; this Beaufort is "BO-furt" (IPA ).

Get in

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As with practically every other town in the area, you'll reach Beaufort via US-70, which runs through the middle of the town before turning north toward Atlantic.

See

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Beaufort became big news when the Queen Anne's Revenge, the pirate ship belonging to Blackbeard, was discovered under 20 feet of water in the Beaufort Inlet in 1996. It's still underwater, but retrieval and restoration processes are underway. Until it rises above the waves, there are various Blackbeard-related activities around town, including a walking tour around town and a display highlighting his ship in the Maritime Museum.

Beaufort is renowned for its dozens of restored historic homes. The Beaufort Historical Association, founded in 1960, mounts plaques on the outside of homes that are over 80 years old and which have not been greatly altered. The oldest is considered to be the Hammock House of 1698, which was once an inn that regularly served Blackbeard. The Beaufort Historic Site offers tours of ten of these buildings, clustered in two acres of the downtown area.

There's also a picturesque old cemetery, the Old Burying Ground on Ann Street, dating from 1709. Many of the gravestones are unmarked, the earliest inscriptions being from 1756. Tours are given June through September, from Tuesday through Thursday at 2:30PM, for $6 (adults).

In fact, if you're interested in all things historical, the best thing to do would be to stop by the Beaufort Historical Association at 138 Turner Street, +1-252-728-5225.

The Beaufort waterfront was revitalized in the 1970s, and now boasts a wooden boardwalk by the water's edge, and lots of gift shops and restaurants. Across the waterfront, you can often see wild ponies roaming Carrot Island.

The North Carolina Maritime Museum, 315 Front Street, +1-252-728-7317, . Open M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 1PM-5PM; closed around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. Features exhibits on the area's maritime history, artefacts recovered from the wreck of Blackbearks Queen Anne's Revenge, local fossils, various types of watercraft, commercial fishing, waterfowl hunting and decoys, coastal marine life including venomous snakes, a model-ship-making shop, and much more. Boatbuilding classes are offered throughout the year.

Do

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Go for a tour of historic Beaufort; specialties include the Ghost Walk, the Legend of Blackbeard tour, the Dolphin Adventure and airplane tours of the Crystal Coast.

Take a relaxing harbor tour along the historic waterfront in a covered Captains Launch.

The Beaufort Old Homes and Gardens Tour is held annually during the last weekend in June. Narrated tours take visitors through restored and under-restoration private homes, gardens and other...