Weekend Getaway: Explore New Bern

Do you want to go on a bear hunt?

Lace up your walking shoes, grab a camera, and get ready to explore New Bern. The mascot of the coastal city is the bear, and since 2010, artists and local businesses have partnered to install more than 70 whimsical bears located throughout the city. Along with the bears, you’ll discover fascinating stories, delicious food, and lots of friendly faces.

“The resiliency and charm of this small town isn’t just found in the buildings,” said Melissa Riggle, executive director of Visit New Bern.

The 1897 New Bern City Hall is on the National Register of Historic Places.

“The spirit of our community is what makes us so unique. We are all so happy and proud of where we live and work that we love sharing that with everyone we meet. Visitors are welcomed and greeted as longtime friends and family. In New Bern Southern hospitality isn’t just a metaphor, it’s our way of life.”

That hospitality will be served up, along with a delicious breakfast, if you book a room at one of New Bern’s downtown inns. At the pet-friendly Aerie Bed & Breakfast, on Pollack Street, innkeeper John Blackwelder will whip up a hearty meal like Bananas Foster French Toast, bacon, eggs and fruit — the perfect start to a busy day.

Paddle boarding on the Trent River.

Downtown historic district

It’s easy to spend several hours strolling New Bern’s walkable downtown, admiring its historic architecture, and pausing at the many independently owned stores, art galleries and coffee shops.

If the N.C. sun gets too hot, pop into Bella’s Cafe & Catering for a mocha shake, or keep going down Middle Street toward the Pepsi Store. Billed as the Birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, it is the site of Pepsi inventor Caleb Bradham’s drugstore and now sells souvenirs and ice-cold soft drinks.

Diners enjoy the outdoor Street Cafe.

More than 160 homes and buildings in downtown New Bern are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and one of the best ways to learn about all those bygone residents is to book a ride on a Trolley Tour. Well-informed guides will keep you entertained during the 90-minute tour with anecdotes of secret duels, Civil War generals, and other famous residents.

Tryon Palace and gardens

The trolley tour begins and ends at the gates of Tryon Palace, the site of North Carolina’s first capitol building. Interpreters lead visitors through daily life in the 18th century, and it’s not just stories of the governors and elite society. The popular “Life on the Lesser Stairs” tour explores the lives of those who worked behind the scenes.

Renting a bicycle and rolling around downtown is a great way to see the sights.

“The Lesser Stairs tour talks about the servants and the enslaved, who worked there and what their life was in Tryon palace. So it’s a whole different perspective,” said Nancy Figiel, director of public affairs for Tryon Palace. “Something we’re trying to move forward with too, is to tell the complete story more.”

The original structure burned down in the 1790s, but it was rebuilt in the 1950s to historic specifications on the original foundation. At the nearby North Carolina History Center, learn about the determined women who painstakingly collected period antiques, recreated Gov. William Tryon’s library, and tracked down furniture once owned by the family.

After exploring the house, make a beeline to the palace’s expansive gardens. More than a dozen gardens are laid out around Tryon Palace, each with its own character and color scheme. Hadley Cheris, gardens and greenhouse manager, says fall visitors can expect lots of asters, mums and lilies — especially ginger and formosa lilies.

Jasmine blooms in the Tryon Palace gardens.

“We also have our perennial swamp sunflowers which are a sea of tall yellow blooms,” she said.

Other highlights include classical statues abiding among trimmed hedges in the Latham Memorial Garden and the Pleached Allee, where arching yaupon holly creates a shady path perfect for bridal photos.

Firemen’s Museum

For youngsters and the young at heart, a visit to the Fireman’s Museum is an excuse to ogle antique fire trucks, pumper wagons, and firefighting equipment. Learn about the first chartered fire department in North Carolina and listen to stories of the fierce competition between the city’s two fire companies.

Visitors to the Firemen’s Museum can see antique pumpers, trucks and Fred, the famous fire horse.

The city merged the two companies in 1927, housing them in the same building, where the museum is now located. This forced togetherness resulted in two identical wings which divided the firehouse, and visitors can see duplicate dormitories, captains’ offices, and even two separate fire poles connecting the second floor to the ground.

More somber but just as interesting is the display commemorating the Great Fire of 1922, which destroyed more than 1,000 homes, roughly 40% of the houses in New Bern.

Restaurants and refreshments

On Friday and Saturday nights, downtown restaurants spill outdoors for the Street Cafe, a pandemic idea that proved too popular to end. Several streets are closed to motorized traffic, tables are set, windows are opened, and the fun begins.

Whether you’re noshing on Cider-Braised Pork Cheeks at Cypress Hall or savoring the signature oysters and crab cakes at MJ’s Raw Bar and Grille, it’s hard to beat a meal with friends in the open air.

No matter how long your stay, it doesn’t take long to appreciate the city’s easy, relaxing charm. History (and a colorful bear) might be on every corner, but the people are what make New Bern worth visiting over and over.

More From Our Oct 2021 Issue

• Cary’s Hometown Heroes
• Weekend Getaway: Explore New Bern
• Paddle the Cape Fear River
• Small Business Spotlight: Board & Brush Creative Studio
• Nonprofit Spotlight: United States Veteran Corps
• Home Tour: Bold and Beautiful
• Welcome to the Zoomtown
• How does your garden grow?
• Garden Adventurer: The Sneaky Strawberry Bush
• Restaurant Profile: Vieni Ristobar
• Liquid Assets: Fainting Goat Stiff Leg Belgian Tripel
• Liquid Assets: Fine Fall Day from Maximillian’s
• Things to Do: October 2021