Meet Your New Crush: It’s a Place, Not a Person

Sponsored by Visit New Bern

At its core is a picture-perfect riverfront laced with wide, inviting sidewalks. Walking them feels easy and familiar, yet thrilling. Whether you’re heading out on the water, following a trail of architectural wonders, or diving into the lively arts and culinary scenes, the current of this city sweeps you off your feet fast.

If it all sounds like something out of a storybook, well, North Carolina’s second-oldest city is the setting for four novels by New Bern’s own Nicholas Sparks. You may know him as the acclaimed author of The Notebook, which inspired a romantic Ryan Gosling flick and a new Broadway musical.

New Bern’s getting its own star turn thanks to the launch of new direct flights. Only fools wouldn’t rush in now that Breeze Airways offers non-stop, low-cost runs from Hartford’s Bradley International Airport. One-way fares for as little as $50 have you touching down merely 90 minutes after taking off. Even better: Coastal Carolina Regional Airport is as easy an airport to navigate as you’re going to experience. You’re in, you’re out, and then it’s a mere 10-minute ride to downtown.

Now, it’s not that New Bern is playing hard to get, but you may not be able to see all of its alluring features in a long weekend or even a week. Still, it sure is fun to try, and as the city is nestled into the confluence of the Trent and Neuse rivers, the water is the place to start. New Bern is a playground for boaters, anglers, and paddleboarders. Start your day with an early dawn stroll along the mile-plus Riverwalk; finish with a two-hour sunset cruise.

Here in the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, you’ll be enticed by an effervescent restaurant-and-bar scene. There’s traditional pub fare at local favorite Morgan’s Tavern & Grill, upscale seafood at Persimmons, and fresh sushi at Kuma. At the recently opened Baxter’s 1892 you’ll find classic cocktails and Jazz Age ambiance. In the 1912 building first occupied by Pepsi’s concoctor Caleb Bradham, restaurateur Ron McHugh is bringing his Boston ties to the menu at The Chelsea. “I’m going to teach people how to pronounce the word ‘quahog,’” he says.

Everyone has a past. For New Bern, that means there’s amazing history around every corner. Grand gardens and even grander architecture await at Tryon Palace, a faithful recreation of North Carolina’s original state capitol. Just a few blocks away, enjoy a Pepsi at the same counter where Bradham formulated the original cola recipe. And on a 90-minute trolley tour, you can swoon over a bevy of architectural styles embellishing this captivating city, including a white-steepled 1880 church you’ll swear was lifted straight from a classic New England green.

Intrigued? It’s time to fall in love at first sight at visitnewbern.com/ct.