This leg of our journey up the ICW from Key West to Norfolk captures North Carolina coastal magic: a string of sleepy little fishing and boating towns, from Beaufort to Oriental and Belhaven. (Look out; you may decide to stay forever.) Meanwhile, just offshore lies the wild and windswept Cape Lookout National Seashore, with its breathtaking views, wild horses, and untrammeled shorelines.

MILE 229
Mullet Mania
Swansboro, NC

We're talking fish, not hairstyles. Plan your cruise to line up with this friendly little city's annual festival (the second weekend in October this year) named for the local catch. Raft up with friends and dinghy in for mullet served fried, broiled, grilled, smoked, and stewed. Admission is free.

TIE UP: Dockage at Church St. Town Dock, Casper's Marina, or Dudley's Marina.

Browse the Swansboro, NC area in Waterway Guide Explorer.

MILE 202
Wooden-Boat Wonders
Beaufort, NC

Get to know the state's rich wooden-boatbuilding heritage at the North Carolina Maritime Museum's Watercraft Center. Watch shipwrights at work as boats take shape and consider staying for the center's one- and two-day boatbuilding courses.

TIE UP: Dockage at Beaufort Docks Marina, Homer Smith Docks, or Town Creek Marina

Browse the Beaufort, NC area in Waterway Guide Explorer.

MILE 202 (+ 10 Nautical Miles Southwest)
Shell-seeking + Wild Horses
Cape Lookout, NC

Anchor for up to 14 days within the boundaries of Cape Lookout National Seashore, watching the wild horses, fishing, and looking for shells. For a grand view, climb to the top of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse (open through late September).

MILE 182
Water Ways
Oriental, NC

Overnight in the "sailing capital of North Carolina" on the broad Neuse River. Rent bikes to pedal past historic
homes or kayaks to explore the five creeks that converge here.

TIE UP: Dockage at Oriental Marina & Inn, Grace Harbor at River Dunes, or Oriental Town Dock - Free Dock.

Browse the Oriental, NC area in Waterway Guide Explorer.

MILE 136
Birthplace of the Intracoastal
Belhaven, NC

The waterway's final connections were completed here, and the nearby River Forest Manor is a landmark for
all ICW cruisers. Toast that history at Spoon River Artworks & Market, an acclaimed farm-to-fork restaurant in
town.

TIE UP: Dockage at Belhaven Marina, Grand Manor Marina, or Dowry Creek Marina 

Browse the Belhaven, NC area in Waterway Guide Explorer.

Get all of the information you need for cruising the Atlantic ICW and the Swansboro, NC to Belhaven, NC area with a Print Waterway Guide Atlantic ICW 2023 Edition or a Print + Digital Subscription.