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Back Porch Restaurant

Gourmet food served in an enclosed, you guessed it, back porch. 252-928-6401; 110 Back Rd, Ocracoke; mains $8-36; 5-10pm

Basnight’s Lone Cedar Café

Fresh seafood caught by local fishers, vegetables grown on local farms and the on-site herb garden, with a view of the intracoastal waterway. 252-441-5405; www.lonecedarcafe.com; Nags Head-Manteo Causeway, Nags Head; mains $8-36; 11:30am-3pm Thu-Sun, 5pm to close daily;

Café Atlantic

All the fried, stuffed or baked seafood one could ever want, plus, a reputation as Ocracoke’s best restaurant. 252-928-4861; Hwy 12, Ocracoke; mains $7-22; 5-10pm daily & 11am-3pm Sun

Weeping Radish

Tour the organic farm, or imbibe at the brewery, butcher or restaurant. There’s a free brewery tour at noon on Wednesday and Saturday, and a tour and family-style meal ($20) at 10:30am Tuesday and Thursday. 252-491-5205; www.weepingradish.com; 6810 Caratoke Hwy, Jarvisburg; mains $5-13; 11am-8pm Mon-Thu, to 9pm Fri & Sat, noon-7pm Sun;

SLEEP

Blackbeard’s Lodge

Convivial village motel with a games room, pool and wraparound porch. 800-892-5314; www.blackbeardslodge.com; 111 Back Rd, Ocracoke Island; r $61-165, apt $115-297;

Colony IV by the Sea

Family-owned beachfront motel; free internet, indoor and outdoor pools, continental breakfast and YMCA privileges. 800-848-3728; www.motelbythesea.com; Hwy 12, Milepost 8.5, Kill Devil Hills; r $80-180; 9am-5pm;

Cove B&B

Quiet, historic B&B in a secluded but central location. 252-928-4192; www.thecovebb.com; 21 Loop Rd, Ocracoke Island; r $150-225;

Langdon House B&B

Almost 300 years of history with hammocks, jacuzzi tubs and huge breakfasts, blocks from the water and restaurants on Front St. 252-728-5499; www.langdonhouse.com; 135 Craven St, Beaufort; r $120-220;

USEFUL WEBSITES

www.historicbeaufort.com

www.outerbanks.org

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LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner

TRIP

8 Southeastern Beach Getaways

14 From Dirty Dancing to Dawson’s Creek

16 Cape Fear & the Carolina Coast opposite

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Return to beginning of chapter

TRIP 16

Cape Fear & the Carolina Coast

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WHY GO Wilmington is reputed to be one of America’s most haunted places. But the historic district located on the Cape Fear River rivals Charleston or Savannah in its Southern grace, and surrounding white sandy beaches, statuesque gardens and oceanfront state parks allow visitors to relax after any hair-raising activities.

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TIME

2 days

DISTANCE

48 miles

BEST TIME TO GO

Apr - Jun

START

Wilmington, NC

END

Southport, NC

ALSO GOOD FOR

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It’s not just the Cape Fear River that gives this trip its name. Carnivorous plants, venomous snakes, poison dart frogs and haunted watering holes take up the fright factor a notch. However, loafing on the beach is also a time-honored tradition around Wilmington. Beaches dot the coast to the north, south and east and lazy gardens make for a beautiful stroll.

Start a trip to the Wilmington area with a day at Wrightsville Beach, just east of the city across Hwy 76. With a decidedly smaller ratio of mega-beachwear stores than its shoreline neighbors along the Crystal Coast and several isolated sandy beaches, this stretch of coast is among North Carolina’s best. On the way over to loaf on the beach, pick up a few loaves at Sweet & Savory Bakeshop and Café. Or opt for one of the eatery’s well-loved biscuits, sandwiches or soup, all homemade of course. The café is hidden behind an office building just before the Causeway, so keep an eye out.

Wilmington is the only place on the planet where you can see the carnivorous Venus flytrap plant growing in the wild. Peaceful Airlie Gardens features the insectivores, but it’s the relaxed 0.9 mile garden tour that really impresses. The original gardens date back to a 1735 land grant from King George II, but it wasn’t until the early-20th century that the