For a lot of families, vacation time means a trip to the North Carolina coast. It’s a tradition. Waiting in line for a parking spot at your favorite beach access. Stocking up on cheap t-shirts and shark tooth necklaces. Filling a plate all-you-can-eat seafood buffet -getting your money’s worth one crab leg crack at a time. But what happens when the kids are older and what you want from a vacation shifts to something more laid back?
You start a new tradition. You still head East toward the coast. You’ll just stop in Washington, NC. If you’ve never heard of it, that’s part of its charm. This port city located on the banks of the Pamlico and Tar Rivers was a well-kept secret for Blackbeard and his pirate friends. And it remains a place for those "in the know" today.
Washington is a waterfront community that offers a welcome respite from the typical family vacation. Sailboats and yachts line the boardwalk while locals and visitors browse through shops and lazily dine or take a craft beer outdoors. The breeze is cool with the smell of salt and the vibe feels easy and relaxed. It’s a feeling visitors and locals pick up on quickly in all they do.
On the water
If you want to spend time on the water in Washington, there are no lines for parking. In fact, there are no crowded beaches to get up early and stake your claim with heavy lounge chairs and tents. Here, a day on the water consists of activities that are less about lying on the sand and more about exploring the coastline. You can rent a deck boat or pontoon to lazily float up the river and find a quiet place for a swim, kayak, or paddleboard. You can grab a chair, some bait, and a trap to go searching the tidewater for some blue crabs. Mind those pinchers. If you prefer the thrill of the open water, you can set up a local charter. Fish IBX will pair you with an experienced guide to fish for red drum and speckled trout. It may be a battle to reel them in. But in what other sport do you get to eat your opponent?
Shopping Downtown
If you want to spend time shopping in Washington, you won’t find those tacky souvenir shops dotting the sides of the roads. You know the ones with neon signs, salt-water taffy so hard you break your teeth, and tchotchkes that everyone already has shoved in a drawer somewhere at home. On this vacation, shopping is a cultural event. The main street in Washington is dotted with specialty shops and one-of-a-kind galleries. The keywords for this shopping adventure are local and unique.
Harbor District Market is a great community hub. Saturdays are busy with live music playing from 10 to 12 and chefs in the demonstration kitchen. Everything sold here, from the rustic woodwork, turned into furniture to the goat milk lotions, is locally grown or locally made.
Just down the street is Flying Pig Provisions. Owners Jeff and Linda Furst only stock the store with items they love. You’ll find Washington-themed gifts, fancy totes, and giggle-inducing soaps. "People come in and then we just hear them laughing," says Jeff. He’s referring to the display of sassy soaps with names like "Smells Like It’s Only Frickin’ Tuesday" and "Smells Like Being Awesome," and a few others that visitors are hard-pressed to pass up.
Just a stone’s throw from the waterfront is the Wander Company. Even the most avid window shoppers end up on the inside of this shop and usually emerge with a present or two for themselves. This inviting shop displays a thoughtfully curated selection of eclectic jewelry, clothing, cards, pet accessories, and more, all made by North Carolina artisans. Step inside and calm your senses with Wild Rose candles made in nearby Belhaven. Discover the bright wall of jewelry–leather, wooden, metal, beaded–that lines the right side of the store. Run your hand through the racks of cheerful prints and find cute fashions for children and breezy dresses for women.
Throughout downtown, local artisans and craftspeople are accessible in-shop or in-studio and are constantly turning out new creations. So get your shopping shoes on and prepare to find the rare, the unique, and the entertaining. Just not the usual.
Grabbing a drink or grabbing a bite
When you feel a rumble in your stomach, get ready for a meal that is less buffet and more James Beard-nominated. And by that, we mean globally award-winning. Washington at its heart is a seafood town. For centuries, fishermen have baited and trapped along its shorelines, bringing in their catch to sell to local restaurants. It is a tradition that is very much alive today. Local chefs have elevated it and turned it into an art form.
Diners sitting on the patio at Down on Main swear by the shrimp and grits. "You don’t have to always look up to see heaven," one man claims as he eyes his empty plate and pats his stomach.
At the Mulberry House, seasonal ingredients are on full display with a six-course tasting menu created by the chef. Tonight’s dinner includes Japanese charcoal grilled skewers and Yakitori, local crawfish, or ginger braised pork belly. For those who believe the atmosphere is as much a part of the meal as the food, The Mulberry offers the area’s only rooftop bar with the best view of the Pamlico at sunset.
Then there is the Hackney Restaurant and Gin Distillery. With James Beard nominated Chef Justin Davis leading the kitchen, this is more than a meal, it’s a memory in the making. Chef Davis changes the Hackney menu almost daily to use the freshest of seafood and locally grown produce. From tuna and grouper to shrimp, oysters, and the sweetest blue crabs, Chef Davis ensures that his guests get their fill of the freshest food available from the sea. Each dish is prepared with bold flavors, using different techniques to llet the ingredients shine and speak for themselves. "I love the satisfaction of getting a perfect crispy sear on a piece of fish or creating a mouthwatering sauce that ties a whole dish together," says Davis.
New traditions
Amidst historic streets and riverfront vistas, Washington offers a retreat where time seems to slow down. The art of the perfect summer vacation here is not in the hustle and bustle of its crowded shorelines and modern-day escapism, but it’s in the upholding of the luxury of the little things that make true leisure a reality. Enjoying the shoreline from the privacy of a sailboat anchored in the harbor. Dining at restaurants that are helping redefine global gastronomy. Or tossing a line and catching your next meal. Washington allows you to savor each experience fully. You spend more time with your family and less time waiting in traffic, looking for parking, or heading back for thirds at the buffet. You actually get to relax and enjoy yourself on vacation.
Now, that’s a tradition worth starting.