Offering dining, lodging, a full service shipyard & marina, the River Forest Manor is definitely the place to stop along the intracoastal waterway. The manor itself has a long and interesting history, and is located in Belhaven, North Carolina. Full of Victorian charm from days gone by, the manor has been visited by a string of famous sailors throughout the years, including Walter Cronkite. The fabulous buffet is reason enough to make a visit if you are passing by, but you will certainly enjoy the modern facilities set in a rich historic atmosphere.

Captain Sam Stokes of the Fight-N-Lady has over 40 years of experience charter fishing at Oregon Inlet. Captain Stokes started in the charter fishing business in his teen years working as a mate on a charter fishing vessel. He began captaining his own boat at the age of 21, and has fished out of the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center ever since. Captain Sam Stokes and the Fight-N-Lady have many notable catches over the course of his fishing career. The Fight-N-Lady is a custom built 50 foot Carolina sportfisher, and is powered by a 1000 horsepower Caterpillar diesel. Her comfortable cruise speed of 25 knots will have you on the fish fast. You'll find a clean, well organized boat and a knowledgeable and helpful crew. On board you'll find all the latest electronic fishing and safety equipment.

Reel Adventure Fishing Charters offers saltwater fishing charters in the Wilmington and Cape Fear area. If you wish to fish Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Wilmington, Topsail Island, Bald Head Island or Southport, give Captain Matt Wirt a call today. With over 20 years of fishing the Cape Fear area, Captain Wirt has the experience it takes to get you to the fish on the day of your trip. Personalized trips are available for everyone from the beginner to the experienced angler seeking inshore and near-shore fishing, using live bait and artificial lures. Learn lure selection, knot tying and other skills under the supervision of Captain Matt Wirt aboard one of his professionally rigged charter boats.

The Morehead City Waterfront has just become host to one of my new favorite restaurants, The Ruddy Duck Tavern. Located just down by Sanitary Fish Market and the charter boats, sits this water front addition at 509 Evans Street. You might remember the location was formerly the Key West Seafood Co. The Ruddy Duck Tavern is open for lunch and dinner and for waterfront dining they are quite reasonably priced. Most lunch items are priced at 7.95 for burgers, salads, and fish. On the higher side are their entrees for 12.95 or so, and they also look great. I had the blackened Jamaican tuna and it was fantastic.

North Carolina's oldest town, Bath was established in 1705 and once served as the home of Blackbeard the Pirate. The town is also the home of the state's first library and the state's oldest church. It's a town full of history and mystery, with a few haunting images mixed in. Bath started as a thriving community, 50 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, and by the early eighteenth century seemed to be destined to become North Carolina's greatest seaport early in it's history. The town was even once considered as a potential capital for the colony, but in the mid to late 1700s Bath seemingly failed to prosper.

July 18th to July 20th 2008, you'll find sailboat and dinghy racing, dinner, dancing, and music in Belhaven, NC, all to benefit the Pungo District Hospital Foundation. Offering racing for sailors of every skill level, Pirate On The Pungo includes classes for sailing dinghys, PHRF spinnaker, non-spinnaker and recreational non-spinnaker boats. Even if you don't normally race, you can participate in the fun race for cruisers. River Forest Manor will serve as the anchor site for the event, providing dockage, accomodations, and keel boat launches at reduced rates to participants. Free boat launching and trailer storage for the event is available at the NC Wildlife boat ramp. All boats whose captains and crew members are under the age of 18 get free boat registration.

The North Carolina Estuarium located on the banks of the Pamlico River in Washington, North Carolina, features over 200 scientific and educational exhibits that demonstrate the importance of North Carolinas estuaries. The Estuarium houses aquariums and terrariums featuring live species native to the area, as well as artwork, displays, programs and classes about ecology of Eastern North Carolina's estuaries. While the estuarium is similar to other North Carolina aquariums, it's the only place focused entirely on the unique environment of our estuaries.

Fort Macon is a 398 acre state park that is home to a Civil War fort with a unique history. Visit Fort Macon to enjoy a spectacular view of the area's natural beauty and learn about history at the same time. In addition to providing public access to sand, sun and surf of the Crystal Coast, you may also look into the past with a tour of a historic landmark. The park offers swimming, fishing, nature trails, tours, and a museum. Bogue Banks is one of a series of barrier islands along the North Carolina Coast, and the park is located at the eastern end of Bogue Banks. The park is surrounded on three sides by water--the Atlantic Ocean, Beaufort Inlet and Bogue Sound. Explore salt marshes and estuaries or stroll along the open beach.