Destination: Oriental
The "Sailing Capitol of North Carolina"
The village of Oriental is often referred to as “the sailing capital of NC”, because there are three boats for every resident (or about 2700 boats, most of which are sailboats). This quaint little town with its Victorian homes was built where three creeks converge into the Neuse River. The town takes its name from a Union sailing ship that wrecked during the Civil War. Although there are a preponderance of sailboats, all types of boating is popular in this area, including power boating, canoes, and kayaks. The many creeks and marshes offer good fishing and opportunities to watch birds and wildlife.
Oriental’s main industry is commercial fishing and fresh fish are a mainstay at all the restaurants in town. The village is also known for its local artists and galleries. It has a quaint history museum that is open daily and there are walking tours of the historic areas of town. Folks are friendly here and people routinely wave to passers-by.
Sights Around Town:
The Harbor Entrance
"The Old Theater"
In addition to movie classics such as Casablanca and Radar Men From The Moon, musicians from all over the country perform here. Popcorn is free.
The famous Bean Coffee House
The Bean's porch overlooks the inner harbor where people like to sit and watch the boats dock up. This is the heart of Oriental. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, the Bean is packed with locals..
Time to unwind on the river
"Big Red" here was caught off the dock shown in the previous picture
Dragons lurk in the marsh
We highly recommend one of the following bed and breakfast:
The Inn at Oriental (Click for website)
For a more complete listing of available accommodations in Oriental go to:
http://www.townoforiental.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7BE1914580-ED7E-424D-96E0-76037EC77668%7D
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