N.C. coastal town's offerings

BEAUFORT, N.C. -- Some weekenders love nothing more than a relaxing stroll down a historic street or two, with a little fancy shopping topped by a visit to a fine restaurant.

Others prefer wildlife, a preserve where animals and weather can be iffy, and comfort is whatever fits into a knapsack.

You can have either here. Or both. It's easy, in fact, to have it both ways in one day: The different agendas are separated only by a 1 1/4-mile sound stocked with frolicking dolphins and high-end pleasure craft.

Beaufort is on the coast, beyond the eastern end of Interstate 40, strapped to the southern edge of Carteret County. The industrial port of Morehead City is on the west side of Gallants Channel from sleepy Beaufort, the third-oldest settlement in North Carolina. For 150 years, Beaufort's Queen Anne clapboard homes were lost in the shuffle as progress headed west.

"BO-fert" was given a second, and rarified, life with the rise of boat vacationing: Core Sound, protected from ocean roughness by the Cape Lookout barrier islands, is less than 10 miles east. And the Intracoastal Waterway sliced down from the Neuse River to Beaufort. As a result, yachtsmen heading along the seaboard come bobbing past this picturesque waterfront. They anchor at the marina, among the fishing boats, and go ashore.

They wander a community of 4,200 that in the 1970s made a Savannah-like choice to restrict development and point up its past. Industrial buildings that backed up to the water were weeded out or spruced up. From the sound now, you can see Beaufort's elegant three-story Victorians, many topped with widow's walks. Driving into Beaufort across the U.S. 70 bridge from Morehead City, make a right on Turner Street, cross the tracks and you're in the town's 14-block tree-lined heart.

Get a free Walk Through History map at the welcome center (130 Turner St.). Restored residences hold yard markers bearing a couple of lines about the homes' origins. Older doesn't necessarily mean grander. Those dating to Colonial times are often small and simple survivors. The oldest, Hammock House (1709), allegedly was where Blackbeard hung his hat.

Many have stories, of course, and Beaufort Historic Site Tours offers several bus and walking tours that go inside select houses.

Front Street? That's where you head for shops and dining. There's also a portside boardwalk between Turner and Queen streets; the Somerset Square building holds a collection of cool shops.

You'll notice the souvenir places have lots of pirate items. Whether Blackbeard actually lived here, his Queen Anne's Revenge was sunk near Beaufort Inlet in 1718. He got away -- but not for long.

What researchers believe to be the wreck of the QAR was discovered in 1996. You'll find some salvaged items, including cannonballs, at the N.C. Maritime Museum at 315 Front St. Admission is free.

Front Street today is plunder-ready, lined with boutiques, galleries and the like. Don't miss the art and jewelry at Handscapes Gallery (415 Front St.), where more than 200 artists are represented. The tiny downtown fields a small though remarkable independent bookstore (Rocking Chair Books, 400 Front St.) as well as a store offering nautical curiosities and books (Scuttlebutt, 433 Front St.).

And great food is in the air. The most famous eatery is Clawson's 1905, a sprawling place at 425 Front St. Dinner reservations are essential. The menu is wide-ranging, but seafood rules and the prices are reasonable (Shackleford scallops, $17.95; the locally hooked Carteret County Catch: $16.95).

There's more extraordinary dining close at hand. Stillwater overlooks the waterfront and you can dine outside. The dishes are great (seafood taco plate, $13) and the $8.95 pimento cheese appetizer raises regional favorite to a fine art.

It's right next to The Spouter Inn, whose seafood-laden menuboard is displayed outside its bakery. You could spend several days trying the town's assorted eateries.

The booth and docks are shared by Water Bug Tours (dolphin, harbor and other cruises, starting at $15 a person) and Outer Banks Ferry Service, where you pay $15 for round-trip passage to Shackleford Banks. You're advised to be at the ticket booth at the bottom half of the hour; the first ferry leaves for Shackleford at 9 a.m.

You're required to schedule your pickup time, to avoid accidental marooning. That said, you can overnight on Shackleford Banks -- and some roost out there for a week at a time.

Board the launch and head out to sea, passing low-lying Carrot Island on the left, watching the dolphins at play, and noticing the enormous freighters and residential development to the right at Morehead City. You're heading for the uninhabited barrier island ahead.

Shackleford is the southernmost publicly owned/protected island in the Outer Banks chain; unlike those farther up the coast, this one faces south and gets the Banks' famous winds crosswise. One upshot is that the maritime forest is protected from salt breezes.

The 9-mile-long island's notable residents today are several bands of wild horses, 110 to 130 Banker horses, descended from shipwrecked Spanish steeds or 19th-century Carolinians.

Several points are hammered home by the time the ferry beaches on Shackleford's northwest corner. You want shells? Head east on the oceanside. Want to see horses? They're up on the hills.

Then you're on your own on what looks like a desert island, ocean gusts whistling through your teeth. We made for the high ground, a desolate meadow of sand, sea oats and wind-whipped bushes, trudging up and down hill after hill, topping out at maybe 30 feet above the beach. Look up occasionally and you'll eventually see a brown pony or two.

Approach them slowly, with caution and from downwind; when you're getting too close for their comfort, they'll bolt. We managed to get within 30 feet and were amazed by their feral appearance, their untended manes and tails matted into dreadlocks by Mother Nature.

They are the masters of this 9-mile barrier island.

Most all have been branded by the government so staffers monitor their individual health and control the population.

Clamber down the hills to the ocean and start heading east on shell patrol. For the best results, get to Shackleford early and plan on spending the day. We were there as the tide was out at midday, but 9 a.m. shell seekers got the best pickings.