From AZ to NC to DC, I recently took a planes, trains and automobiles trip to see parts of North Carolina for the first time and then to continue on to Washington DC via Amtrak. Read on to see tips about my journey and my NC recommended picks! And be sure to check this blog later today to see my Arizona Daily Mix morning show segment with video clips of my trip. 

First things first – Getting There…

My AZ to NC to DC on Planes, Trains & Automobiles Adventure! 

In addition to Planes, Trains & Automobiles being one of my all time favorite holiday movies, I think traveling that way is so cool! So when I was invited on a girls trip to North Carolina, I decided to extend my travels to visit Washington DC via Amtrak. Here’s how the traveling part of my journey went…

*Phoenix has two nonstop flights to Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) on American Airlines (AA) and on Southwest. Surprisingly when I checked, the AA fare was a bit less. I flew the AA 3:42pm departure that landed in RDU at 10:41pm.

I always book nonstop when I can.

*My gal pal and I rented a midsize Budget Rental car for 4 days and it only set us back $307.84, so splitting that two ways made it very economical.I recommend renting a car because NC is all about town hopping to experience the unique small town charm of each area.

*To get from NC to DC, I took the Amtrak Palmetto Train 90 from Wilson, NC to Washington DC. The 5-hour train ride was relaxing and enjoyable. I visited the Amtrak Cafe Car and enjoyed a canned Moscow Mule drink that I poured over ice along with a turkey sandwich and a box of Peanut M&Ms for dessert. The sandwich was decent and the cocktail refreshing.

I highly recommend riding in the business class section for roomier seats plus complimentary non-alcoholic beverages. And the price was only slightly more than a coach seat.

I paid $102 for my one way business class ticket.

A coach seat sold for $65 so that $37 difference was worth it! Now that I got you there, let’s talk about why I think North Carolina should be on your travel list!

Note – Stay tuned for my more detailed Amtrak article coming soon! I’ve got one more train trip to complete to finish up my train travel tips post.

Why North Carolina Is A Nice Destination

*Charming Small Towns

*Rich In Nation’s History

*The Inner & Outer Banks

*Day Trips Galore

*Wild Horses

*Great State Parks, Hiking, Boating

My North Carolina Picks

Keep in mind, that I plan to return to see more as there are so many more areas to cover in North Carolina! These are the spots I checked out starting with my favorite NC destination…

See Wild Horses At Shackleford Banks

Don’t miss this secluded island where wild horses roam free! It’s truly a remote island with only horses, birds and sealife.

We took a ferry from Beaufort, NC to get to the island and we were reminded that the island has no bathrooms, which truly makes it remote! No worries as the Island Express Ferry Service drops off and picks up every 30 minutes. I highly recommend Island Express as the ticketing process was easy and efficient. The quick 25-minute boat ride was enjoyable with a captain crew that gave us a sight-and-sea-seeing tour on the ride and shared interesting tidbits about the feral horses we were on our way to see! Watch my morning show segment above to see footage of the wild horses.

My North Carolina Charming Small Towns Tour

On this trip, my gal pal squad took me to Original Washington, New Bern, Beaufort, Atlantic Beach, Belhaven and Greenville. Let’s start with Washington.

First Up:  My Little Washington Picks

The first lesson I learned from the locals is that they dislike the “Little” in the Little Washington name. They prefer to be called the Original Washington since this friendly town was the first town in America to be named after George Washington. Founded in 1776, Original Washington (see I learn fast!) is called the Heart of the Inner Banks. You won’t find many chain businesses here. Local mom and pop shops, restaurants and the locals’ friendly demeanor all add to the welcoming charm of this town.

Here’s what to see in Original Washington…

*Visit the downtown unique boutiques and check out the cool expansive indoor farmers market called the Harbor District Market that’s open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10am to 5pm and Saturdays from 9am to 5pm.

*See a show at the historic downtown Turnage Theatre. Dating back to 1913, this iconic building is the famous Vaudeville Playhouse where Roy Rogers rode his horse, Trigger up the stairs and inside the theatre! Once silent movies took over in the 1930s, Turnage became a popular spot to take in silent cinema. After sitting vacant for decades, this lovely landmark was restored in the 1990s.

*Walk the downtown and stop to read the nicely placed markers that share the history of each particular spot. Better yet book a walking tour of the area to learn all the tidbits about the town’s history.

*Dine at the local spots like Shep’s Grill for a hearty breakfast and Giddy-Up Coffeehouse for a cup of Joe.

*Enjoy a nice dinner and/or have drinks at The Bank Bistro & Bar which houses the good stuff in the bank’s original vault for patrons to see. In addition to the building’s history, a gifted mixologist makes hand crafted cocktails that are the talk of the town.

*Head to Down On Main Street restaurant to taste some of North Carolina’s famous foods like fried dill pickles, fried green tomatoes and grilled pimento cheese. This is a super casual yummy place to taste the favorite foods of North Carolina.

*Walk around the inviting Washington Waterfront that’s part of the Pamlico River. This area is popular with both the locals and visitors alike for boating, kayaking and even paddle board yoga.

*Check out the historic homes that are current neighborhoods but date back to the late 1700s.

*There’s more I didn’t get to in Little Washington that include two hotels I am interested in staying in…The Inn at Little Washington which boasts an award-winning chef and luxury accommodations that celebrate yesteryear with a modern feel. For a more affordable and yet charming property, book The Little Inn on Main, owned by a local couple who also run the attached coffeehouse called Main Cup. Cute and centrally located in the heart of downtown.

*Stay at one of the unique Little Washington Inns or Bed & Breakfasts that are housed in historic buildings. See the list a the Visit Washington, NC site.

Next Stop – Belhaven, North Carolina

Another pretty waterfront town, Belhaven is located in the Inner Banks region of North Carolina. This town is small, but we found a lot to do during our day here. Interesting to note that The Belhaven City Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. We didn’t check that out, but we did enjoy the town.

Here are my Belhaven picks…

*Enjoy the waterfront common areas with lunch at one of the waterside picnic tables, take in a performance with the Belhaven’s brand new stage, go boating and more as this town is located on the North Shore of the Pungo River.

*Look for the colorful crab statues and take a picture with one. Our large crab photo shown above was taken in Little Washington and Belhaven also gets in on the crab sculpture fun.

*Visit the Belhaven Downtown Social District for a day of small town fun, shopping, wine tasting and more.

*Don’t miss brunch at the delicious and pretty Spoon River restaurant and then spend the afternoon at the Spoon River Artworks and Market.

*Taste wine at The Backroom Wine Shop and buy a glass to take with you on a walk through town. While you’re at it, buy a couple of bottles as the good Vino can be found here.

*Shop for stylish and unique fashions at Southern Tuck. I wasn’t the only one who left with a purchase as several of my gal pals found great outfits, too!

*Try an ice cold craft beer that’s brewed on site at ICW Brewery. I didn’t make it in there, but the brewski looked good and the customers looked happy! Next time!

Next Stop: Beaufort/Atlantic Beach

This coastal town boasts beautiful scenery with sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean and a walk back in time with the town’s historic restored homes that are donned with plaques that display the original year and name of the owner who inhabited the homes back in the day. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Beaufort and this is the town that has the ferry that took us to my beloved Shackleford Banks to see the wild horses that I mentioned above.

Here are my Beaufort picks. However the first thing I decided to share is actually in neighboring Atlantic Beach…

*DoubleTree by Hilton Atlantic Beach  – This well known hotel is a bit outdated, but the Atlantic Ocean view from the rooms can’t be beat.

*Take the Island Express Ferry Service to Shacklerford Banks, as I described above in the Shackleford Banks section.

*Take the same ferry service to explore the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. I didn’t do this, but I plan to next time.

*Pirate Treasure Cruise – For families, I’ve heard this a fun filled interactive boat cruise with an energetic crew dressed as pirates who provide an entertaining experience engaging kids with pirate themed activities as they sail along. Children receive a bandana and pirate activity lessons. Fun!

*Order the scrumptious clam chowder and tasty PainKiller cocktail at the Front Street Grill at Stillwater. Good food with pretty water views, too.

*Have pizza (many unique combo pizzas to choose from) on the patio at Black Sheep scratch kitchen restaurant and then take the popular and engaging Beaufort Ghost Walk that takes tour groups through the town’s history with a guided walk. The experience even includes a visit to the Old Burial Grounds that was founded in 1879.

New Bern

New Bern is known for a lot of things like being the second oldest town in North Carolina and the first town in the USA to celebrate George Washington’s Birthday. We had a great time walking this charming town. Here are my New Bern picks…

*Go on a photo bear hunt! New Bern is all about the bears! Bern means bear in German and reflects the first area settlers encountering a bear during a hunt. So the mighty bear is New Bern’s symbol with 100 life sized fiberglass bear sculptures to look for as folks walk through the charming downtown. We are pictured above with the Jimmy Buffet bear in the second photo.

*Tour the Birthplace of Pepsi-Cola museum. This Pepsi facility also serves the famous soda and sells Pepsi themed items since Pepsi was founded in this town in 1898.

*Wet your whistle at Michael’s Pub and Patio. The atmosphere is super casual and the drinks are good. We didn’t try the food. Next time.

*Walk the downtown and you may even get a free tour. We did when we wandered into the historic Christ Episcopal Church and Parish House. A church volunteer greeted us at the door and invited us to join the 30 minute tour that was just starting. This church was built in 1871, so the tour guide shared the holy building’s interesting beginnings.

*Check out the row of historic bed and breakfast houses. I plan to stay at one of them sometime! I’m especially interested in the Meadows Inn Bed and Breakfast that was founded in 1847!

Bonus Mention: Greenville, NC

I have to mention Greenville, NC as a town not to miss as well. It’s a quick mention here because we simply ran out of town to explore this historic town. Home to East Carolina University, this college town has a hip feel while also serving as the headquarters to multiple companies like Avian. I was there for the grand opening of the very first hotel to be built in downtown Greenville. This Hilton Garden Inn Greenville University Area is gorgeous and sports a beautiful rooftop restaurant and bar called 1717 The Rooftop for all to enjoy! I plan to stay at this hotel at some point when I return to learn more about the lovely and inviting North Carolina!

There is so much more I could cover in North Carolina as this report is just a sliver! I can’t wait to return to uncover more North Carolina gems. Have you been to this pretty state? Share your favorite picks in the comments section and travel on!