The South - Eastern USA - page 641

eral historic coastal towns, a number of sparsely populated islands, and some vacation-
friendly beaches.
An industrial and commercial stretch of US 70 goes through Morehead City , with
plenty of chain hotels and restaurants. Stop here for shrimp burgers at El's Drive-In (3706
Arendell St; mains $2-13; 10:30am-10pm Sun-Thu, to 10:30pm Fri & Sat) , a legendary seafood
spot where your food is brought to you by carhop.
Down the road, postcard-pretty Beaufort ( bow -fort), the third-oldest town in the state,
has a charming boardwalk and lots of B&Bs. Nibble chili-lime shrimp tacos beside
Taylor's Creek at stylish Front Street Grill at Stillwater
( www.frontstreetgrillatstillwater.com ; 300 Front St; brunch & lunch $11-17, dinner $19- 24;
11:30am-9pm Tue-Thu, to 10:30pm Sat & Sun) , then rest your head at the homey Beaufort Inn
( 252-728-2600; www.beaufort-inn.com ; 101 Ann St; r/ ste incl breakfast from $139/189) . The
pirate Blackbeard was a frequent visitor to the area in the early 1700s - in 1996 the
wreckage of his flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, was discovered at the bottom of
Beaufort Inlet. See artifacts from the ship at the North Carolina Maritime Museum
( www.ncmaritimemuseum.org ; 315 Front St; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat, 1-5pm Sun)
. Blackbeard himself is said to have lived in the Hammock House off Front St.
You can't go inside, but some claim you can still hear the screams of the pirate's
murdered wife at night.
Currently, small commercial ferries leave regularly from the Beaufort boardwalk for
the isolated islands of the Cape Lookout National Seashore ( www.nps.gov/calo ; ferries
$10-16) . Highlights include Shackleford Banks , an uninhabited sandbar with spectacular
seashells and herds of wild ponies, and the diamond-patterned Cape Lookout Light-
house (adult/child $8/4; mid-May-mid-Sep) . Primitive camping is allowed in some
areas - the coolest place to sleep is on Portsmouth Island , where you can wander an
abandoned 18th-century settlement and sleep on the beach. Bring plenty of bug spray -
the mosquitoes are notorious. There are also rustic multiroom cabins ( 877-444-6777;
www.nps.gov/calo ; www.reserve.com ; from $76 Jun-Aug, from $101 fall & spring) popular with
fishermen. At press time the park service was moving forward with plans to work with
one ferry operator; check the park website for the latest details.
The Bogue Banks , across the Sound from Morehead City via the Atlantic Beach
Causeway, have several well-trafficked beach communities - try Atlantic Beach if you
like the smell of coconut suntan oil and doughnuts. Pine Knoll Shores is home to the
North Carolina Aquarium ( www.ncaquariums.com ; 1 Roosevelt Blvd; adult/child $8/6;
9am-5pm; ) , with fast-moving river otters and a cool exhibit re-creating the local ship-
wreck of a U-352 German submarine. In Atlantic Beach, Fort Macon State Park