Morehead City



Morehead City is the largest town in the Crystal Coast region of North Carolina, with a population of 7,691 (as of 2000). Morehead (as it is usually called) is not actually in the Outer Banks, being situated on the opposite shore of the Bogue Sound from Atlantic Beach, and is the main gateway to the island of Bogue Banks.

Get in
Visitors will enter the city by car via US-70, which runs directly through downtown Morehead. It's a straight shot from Greensboro or Raleigh. you can also get here using Hwy-24.

Get around
There is no public transportation system in Morehead City; you'll need a car to get much of anywhere, although there are a number of reliable taxi companies in the area. The main downtown thoroughfare is Arendell Street (pronounced "uh-REN-dull"; IPA [.'rn.dl]).

If you want to catch a ride to other towns in the area; you'll need to call the Carteret County Area Transportation System at 252-240-1043 for a reservation ahead of time. Tickets start at $2.50.

See

 * The Morehead City waterfront is a pleasant promenade of gift shops and restaurants by the harbor where the fishing boats come to dock. Naturally, some of the freshest seafood can be found at the adjacent fish market, but if you'd rather have someone else prepare it for you, there are plenty of places here where you can find that too.
 * The area visitors' center is the Crystal Coast Tourism Authority, 3409 Arendell St, +1 252-726-8148 or +1-800-SUNNY-NC (786-6962).
 * The area visitors' center is the Crystal Coast Tourism Authority, 3409 Arendell St, +1 252-726-8148 or +1-800-SUNNY-NC (786-6962).

Do

 * Visit the Carteret County Curb Market, the oldest continuously-operating curb market in North Carolina. Open Saturdays from 7:30AM-11:30AM from May through Labor Day. Local farmers and fishermen bring fruits and vegetables, seafood, baked goods and flowers for sale.

Morehead also hosts several festivals during the year:
 * The Carolina Chocolate Festival, +1-877-848-4976, is held in the Crystal Coast Civic Center for three days during early February. Includes chocolate demonstrations from expert chefs, fondue, a baking contest, a champagne and truffles party, a chocolate Sunday brunch, and live entertainment.

Buy
There's nothing especially unique to Morehead City; if you want beach souvenirs, you'd be better off trying Atlantic Beach or Emerald Isle. However, there are quite a few nice gift shops and galleries around town.



Eat

 * Luigi's Pizzia, 5167 Hwy 70 W #120, +1 252-240-3125. New York Style Pizza done right - if you don't want to spend a fortune every night eating fresh seafood, you can't miss with anything on their menu. Great Calzones and Meatball subs.
 * Luigi's Pizzia, 5167 Hwy 70 W #120, +1 252-240-3125. New York Style Pizza done right - if you don't want to spend a fortune every night eating fresh seafood, you can't miss with anything on their menu. Great Calzones and Meatball subs.
 * Luigi's Pizzia, 5167 Hwy 70 W #120, +1 252-240-3125. New York Style Pizza done right - if you don't want to spend a fortune every night eating fresh seafood, you can't miss with anything on their menu. Great Calzones and Meatball subs.
 * Luigi's Pizzia, 5167 Hwy 70 W #120, +1 252-240-3125. New York Style Pizza done right - if you don't want to spend a fortune every night eating fresh seafood, you can't miss with anything on their menu. Great Calzones and Meatball subs.

Sleep


A bed-and-breakfasts is also located in Morehead:



Go next
The Crystal Coast area has a variety of other areas to visit:
 * Atlantic Beach
 * Emerald Isle
 * Beaufort
 * Harkers Island
 * Swansboro

Further afield, there are some interesting destinations for daytrips:
 * Havelock, about 30 minutes north on US-70.
 * New Bern, about 1 hour north on US-70.
 * Jacksonville, about 1 hour west on US-24.
 * Bath, about 3 hours north.
 * Ocracoke Island, about 3 hours east.