Beaufort, NC: Home to Both Ghosts and Good-Spirited Adventure

Isolated beaches covered in glorious shells that have gone uncollected during the pandemic await you in Beaufort, North Carolina where visitors roam the same sands and streets the nefarious pirate Blackbeard did 300 years ago.

Sip today’s ale, nosh local seafood and produce and get away to the Preferred Destination where Waterway Guide staff have frequented and call a home-away-from-home. Travel + Leisure named Beaufort “America’s Favorite Town.”

Dock your boat downtown and walk from one charming boutique to the next. Absorb some history at the Beaufort Historic Site and NC Maritime Museum or drop your kayak in Taylor’s Creek.

Beaufort Pirates' Revenge

Join the crew of the pirate ship "REVENGE" at Beaufort Pirates' Revenge (600 Front Street) for an interactive voyage for swashbucklers of all ages. Take part in a live pirate show, and enjoy festive music guaranteed to unleash your inner pirate. But be warned; we may need to enlist your expertise to man the water cannons and help defend our ship!

Hungry Town Tours

Open year-round, visitors can pedal or walk through 300 years of Beaufort’s history with an entertaining guide who offers fascinating details, historical narratives and true stories that make up the rich history of this seaport town.

Enjoy an insider’s perspective on where the locals go to eat and play. Choose from several unique award-winning walking, bike, culinary, and history tours.

A Ride to Remember takes visitors to several locations in Beaufort as described in Nicholas Sparks bestselling novels “The Choice” and A Walk to Remember.”

Explore Beaufort’s local restaurants on our guided culinary tours, stopping at several of the best local culinary treasures in town to sample Southern dishes from restaurants offering fresh, local treats that support area fishermen and farmers. Call Hungry Town Tours for advanced reservations at 252-648-1011 from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Backstreet Pub

The Backstreet Pub has been called the friendliest, funkiest little bar from Maine to Venezuela. Housed in a century-old former bakery, it is famous among sailors who cruise the ICW and who have covered the walls with nautical memorabilia. But the Backstreet is also a local hangout. For fishermen and writers, waitresses and tugboat captains, retired spies, deep sea divers and just about anyone looking for a cold beer, a fine wine and some decent conversation. And, perhaps, a game of cribbage.

Rachel Carson Reserve Self-Guided Tours

The Rachel Carson National Estuarine Research Reserve is a nature preserve comprised of five islands and is located across from the historic Beaufort waterfront. The Reserve offers a year-round self- guided walking trail that highlights the diverse habitats found on Town Marsh. Self-guided trail brochures can be obtained by calling the Reserve office. During the spring and summer, walking nature tours and a boat cruise along Taylor’s Creek to the Carrot Island boardwalk are available to the public at no charge. Call 252-838-0883 for tour schedule and reservations.

Beaufort Ghost Walk

The Beaufort Ghost Walk is a Guided Walking Tour through the Historic District of Beaufort, North Carolina. Founded in 1709, Beaufort is the 3rd oldest town in NC, and the 12th oldest town in North America. On the Ghost Walk, you will be entertained by your Pirate Guides, as they bring history to life when they regale you with an enjoyable assortment of chilling stories, ghost ships haunted houses and interesting histories of the Beaufort area. In addition, you will hear about some of the amazing unexplainable encounters experienced by both our guests and guides during Ghost Walks of the past. All of the stories you will hear have been extensively researched and well documented and, the folklore and legends have been carefully preserved from generations of local storytellers. Returning guests will hear new stories as well as our research uncovers the treasures of the past!

Shackleford Wild Horse and Shelling Safari

A rare experience with nature that you’ll never forget! Track the Wild Horses of Shackleford Banks with your most experienced guide. Also NC’s best shells!

Take a 15-minute ferry ride over to the pristine Outer Banks Island of Shackleford Banks, part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore. There you will be introduced to the Wild Horses of Shackleford. This free roaming herd is believed to have descended from horses that were brought here roughly 400 years ago, and still survive as one of the last isolated groups of wild horses in the United States.

You will help your guide track the horses and see first-hand the fascinating behavior of horses in the wild. Bring your camera for pictures that will forever remind you of this amazing place and its inhabitants.

After the tour, you will be directed to one of the best shelling beaches in all of North Carolina where you can spend some time on your own shelling your way down the beach with the Cape Lookout Lighthouse off in the distance. Shackleford is well known as one of the best shelling destinations on the East Coast.

Hope to see you out there soon.