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Why New Bern?
We flew to New Bern last minute to visit family. Most of us had never been to North Carolina and we thoroughly enjoyed the trip, with kiddos begging to go back again soon!
Flights
We found a great flight deal on Southwest that only cost us 26,233 points per person for a direct RT flight from Denver to Raleigh. We added this to our two companion passes, for a grand total of 78,699 points for the trip.
Hotels
We stayed at the Hyatt Place Raleigh-Durham Airport. I picked it because it was a Category One Hyatt hotel, and only 5,000 points per night. I also knew they had an airport shuttle, which meant we could employ the Smith Family Rental Car Savings Hack. I did not, however, account for the fact that our flight could get delayed, and we could arrive after midnight, and miss the shuttle. A little added excitement to our trip, shall we say. I’m so thankful for the Uber XL driver who picked us up in the middle of the night and got us to the hotel quickly and safely.
As far as the hotel goes, I would say it’s worth a Category One. It is one of the few non-updated Hyatt Places still around, and the breakfast was lackluster. However, it was clean and free so we will take it!
New Bern
New Bern is the birthplace of Pepsi or “Brad’s drink” as it was originally called. This town is full of rich history and honestly I wish we had more time to explore the town. What we did see of the town was adorable and held everything you would hope for a small town to give you. The highlight was obviously the soda counter where Pepsi was born. For food, our winner was Persimmons, an adorable restaurant right on the water. If you have some time in North Carolina, and you’re a history buff or even just enjoy a little history, consider this quaint town for a fun and unique outing.
Cape Lookout
The Cape Lookout National Seashore is a National Park I would add to my must-go list ASAP! You meet the boat at the Visitor’s center, and there are two stops, the boat runs on an hourly basis. We first took the boat out from Harker’s Island to Shackleford Island.
Shackleford has a herd of wild horses, that have been on the Island since a Spanish ship wrecked nearby. They were beautiful to watch and it was just mind boggling to me that they have existed here for so long and through so many storms. This Island also had the most amazing beaches for young kids. There was very low water movement and it was shallow. The seashells here were also a prize worth finding (and yes, even though it’s a National Park, they said the seashells were fair game). Our kids had the best time here, and probably would have enjoyed staying all day long.
After two hours, we grabbed the ferry over to Cape Lookout. This is where the lighthouse is. They have a nice boardwalk connecting both the Atlantic side and inland waterway side of the island. There is a little store where kids can also pick up their Junior Ranger booklets or get their badge, as well as many lighthouse souvenirs. We appreciated that they also had bathrooms available here, as those were not around on Shackleford. Our crew chose the Atlantic side, and the waves were MASSIVE. It was more of a looking at the waves beach than a playing in the water beach, but we all enjoyed the quietness of the crowds on the Atlantic side of the Island, and you still had great views of the lighthouse.
Fort Macon
We took the whole family out to Fort Macon for a beach and aquarium day. The aquarium was the first stop. We went to the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. This aquarium is small but mighty. They have a really fun otter exhibit and the otters were extremely playful. All the kids got a real kick out of watching them. We also enjoyed watching the scuba divers in the shark tank. They had a great educational program where the kids could ask the divers questions. There was also a fun touch pool to touch a variety of creatures and a nice board walk outside where you can get a great view of some wildlife. We saw frogs, fish, crabs and a crane.
After the aquarium we brought some lunch to Fort Macon Beach. This beach had some construction going on and so the water wasn’t super clear, but we had fun all the same. Some have found shark teeth here, so bring a good sifter if you plan to go! The beach was large and open, with a lot of space to play. Our kids took to the sand castle building here and endeared themselves to some seagulls (bleh!).
Would I do it again?
Absolutely! And not just because we want to see our family. This North Carolina retreat was a treat! We are so thankful that we were able to make it happen thanks to points and miles!
