Beaufort, NC

Beaufort, North Carolina is a small coastal town in Carteret County, situated on the Intracoastal Waterway along the state's central coast. With a population of roughly 4,000 residents, Beaufort is one of the oldest incorporated towns in North Carolina, tracing its settlement to 1709. The town has long served as a working fishing port and, more recently, as a popular gateway to the barrier islands of the Crystal Coast and the Cape Lookout National Seashore. It sits about three and a half hours east of Raleigh and roughly two hours northeast of Wilmington, with the larger town of Morehead City located immediately to its west across Taylor's Creek.

One of the marquee draws of the area is the Cape Lookout National Seashore, a long stretch of undeveloped barrier islands that includes Shackleford Banks and the iconic Cape Lookout Lighthouse. Passenger ferries depart from downtown Beaufort for day trips to the seashore, where visitors come for shelling, surf fishing, and viewing the wild horses that roam Shackleford. The lighthouse, with its distinctive black-and-white diamond pattern, opens seasonally for climbing tours. The seashore is roughly a 20- to 45-minute ferry ride from the Beaufort waterfront, depending on the destination island.

Just a short drive east of Beaufort, Fort Macon State Park offers a different kind of coastal experience at the eastern end of Atlantic Beach. The restored Civil War-era fort sits along the oceanfront and features exhibits on antebellum coastal defense, while the surrounding park includes swimming beaches, fishing piers, and trails through salt marsh and dune habitat. It is approximately a 15-minute drive from downtown Beaufort and provides one of the more accessible ocean beach experiences in the immediate area.

Within the town itself, the North Carolina Maritime Museum occupies a cluster of waterfront buildings and is best known as the steward of artifacts recovered from Blackbeard's flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, which ran aground just outside Beaufort Inlet in 1718. The museum, operated by the state, also covers regional boatbuilding, piracy, and the ecology of the surrounding sounds and marshes. It sits within walking distance of the Beaufort historic district, making it an easy complement to a day spent wandering the town's eighteenth- and nineteenth-century homes, the waterfront boardwalk, and locally owned restaurants and shops.

Beaufort's combination of genuine small-town historic character, a walkable harborfront, and access to nationally significant natural areas makes it a particularly compelling base for a short-term rental. Guests can spend mornings exploring centuries-old streets and the maritime museum, afternoons on a ferry to a wild barrier island, and evenings dining on fresh catch along the harbor, all without ever needing to leave the immediate vicinity.