Swansboro



Swansboro, sometimes called the "Friendly City by the Sea", is a town of 3,700 people (as of 2020) in Onslow County, North Carolina, between the White Oak River and the Intracoastal Waterway. The town was incorporated in 1783, and named for Samuel Swann, a former Speaker in the North Carolina legislature. It's on the western border of the popular Crystal Coast tourist region, and is often considered to be unofficially part of the region. The town's main attractions are its beautiful waterfront views and its quaint downtown, filled with boutiques, shops and delicious restaurants.

Get in
Swansboro is on NC-24, about half an hour east of Jacksonville and just across the White Oak River from Cape Carteret. If you're coming from Raleigh, the quickest route is to take I-40 to Kenansville (exit 373) and then follow US-258/NC-24 past Jacksonville.

Get around
Parking in town is free, and many people enjoy walking or biking through the downtown area.

See

 * Bicentennial Park, at the base of the Highway 24 bridge, gives visitors a chance to fish in the White Oak River or relax and watch the water. There's also a statue of Otway Burns, a local privateer who built the first steamboat in North Carolina.

Do

 * The main downtown area is along Front Street, which features numerous shops, restaurants and historic buildings.
 * Aquaculture Dude Ranch, 334 Journey's End Lane, +1 910-326-5106. Offers ecology tours into the Croatan National Forest, and has a dock where you can dig for clams, dip for crabs, catch shrimp and oysters, and set fish traps.
 * If you want to bring your own boat for fishing or cruising, Swansboro has three marinas:
 * Casper's Marine Service, 301 South Water Street, +1 910-326-4462. 150 slips.
 * Dudley's Marina, Highway 24 East, +1 252-393-2204. 25 slips. Also has hot showers and a store for fishing equipment.
 * Swansboro Yacht Basin, Highway 24, +1 252-393-2416. 90 feet of dockage. Also has three restaurants, including the Flying Bridge.
 * There are two fishing piers in the area, a small city-maintained pier by the bridge and one pay pier.
 * The 25-mile Bicentennial Bicycle Trail loops through downtown historic Swansboro and into the Croatan National Forest.

Festivals
Swansboro is a town that loves its festivals. Among the highlights:


 * One Saturday in mid-March, the Rotary Civic Center puts on the Swansboro Rotary Oyster Roast with all-you-can-eat steamed oysters, flounder, clam chowder, sides (hush puppies and coleslaw) and beverages, as well as a traditional North Carolina pig pickin'. Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 at the door.
 * At the end of May, Swansboro hosts the King Mackerel Blue Water Tournament with prizes up to $25,000, and a barbecue cookout for participants. Advance entry fee is $300 per boat.
 * One Saturday in mid-June, downtown Swansboro hosts Arts by the Sea, where local artists display their arts and crafts amid lots of food booths. Admission and parking are free.
 * On July 4th, be sure to watch the fireworks show over the river at 9PM, with popcorn and funnel cakes to munch, and entertainment before dusk.
 * The Mullet Festival, held during the second weekend in October, began as a celebratory event when the bridge over the White Oak River was completed in 1954. Since that year, Swansboro has had an annual celebration with parades, a street carnival, live entertainment, arts and crafts, and lots of seafood, with an emphasis on mullet: grilled, fried, smoked and stewed!
 * The Friendly City Speckled Trout Tournament is held in early November at Casper's Marina; fishermen are encouraged to weigh their trout alive and release them back into the water.
 * On Thanksgiving weekend, pull your car up to the riverfront early to watch the Christmas flotilla, as a parade of boats decorated in lights pulls into the harbor after dark.

Buy
Many people come to Swansboro for the express purpose of meandering through its quiet lanes and browsing the quaint shops. Parking is free, so take your time.

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

Further afield, there are some interesting destinations for daytrips:
 * Havelock, about 40 minutes north on US-70.
 * New Bern, about 1 hour north on NC-58.
 * Jacksonville, about 30 minutes west on US-24.
 * Bath, about 2 hours north.
 * Ocracoke Island, about 3.5 hours east.