Fun Things to do in Morehead City, NC

Unique small towns can be found in every state across the United States. Many times we just drive through them on our way to somewhere else. If you would take time to stop, shop, and eat in these towns, I think you would be pleasantly surprised! Small towns are “hidden gems” among the big, bustling, more popular cities.

In this series, I will highlight unique small towns from each state. You may be interested in reading about another great small town in North Carolina, Murphy.

Morehead City

Newport RIver — A Barge on the Newport River

The town of Morehead City is located on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina. It’s a beautiful town bordered by two bodies of water, the Bogue Sound to the south and the Newport River to the north and east. The town has a population of about 8700. It’s a fisherman’s paradise. The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament is held every year at Big Rock Landing in Morehead City.

History

In the 1850s a group of investors formed a land development project known as the “Shepard Point Land Company”. They purchased 600 acres of land on the eastern tip of the peninsula bordering the Newport River known then as “Shepard’s Point” which is the present-day location of Morehead City. Their purpose was to take advantage of the deep channel of the topsail inlet known today as the Beaufort inlet. They were trying to develop another access point for North Carolina’s timber products to relieve the pressure at the port around the city of Wilmington further south.

Governor John Motley Morehead was a member of the “Shepard Point Land Company”, the city was eventually named after him. The city was officially incorporated in 1860. The town prospered until the Civil War began and in 1862 it was occupied by Federal Troops. This greatly disrupted the progress of the town and it wasn’t until 1880 with the construction of the Atlantic Hotel and promoting the railroad, that they fully recovered and prospered once again. With this grand hotel, the railroad, and the natural beauty of the area, it became a premier summer destination.

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Best of Spring Camping & Discounts

18 Comments / Camping / Cathy

Are you ready to get the camper out? How about some Spring Camping? It really depends on what part of the country you live in. If you are in a warmer, southern state, you may be camping now. If you live in a colder, northern state, your camper is probably locked up tight with a tarp on top.

NOTE: When I use the term camper, I am talking about RVs, travel trailers, pop-ups, and motor homes.

I know some die-hard campers who continue camping, rain or shine, Winter or Summer. They even camp in the snow! We prefer it a little warmer, so Spring is a great time to camp! Although, some campgrounds are not open year-round. This post will give you information on where to find campgrounds that are open for Spring camping. Even though we have a travel trailer, a lot of this information will be useful to tent campers as well.

Be aware that the statistics say that camping is up about 39% from last Spring, so book early!

NOTE: While COVID is still with us, some campgrounds may have limited capacity, activities, and facilities.

Good Sam Club benefits

Mama Gertie's Sign — Mama Gertie’s Hideaway Campground – A Good Sam’s Camp

Mama Gertie's Hideaway Campground — Mama Gertie’s Hideaway Campground – A Good Sam’s Camp

There are a few good resources to help you find the perfect campground. If you join the Good Sam Club, not only will you get a discount on camping fees and gas, you will receive the annual Good Sam Campground Guide. This Guide has thousands of campgrounds listed and it’s divided by state. They provide a rating for each campground, as well as valuable campground information. I think if you use this book alone, you will have an endless supply of camping opportunities Nationwide! Good Sam Club also has an app. that you can download which works great!

Good Sam offers many benefits to its members;

Discounts – at Camping World and Gander Outdoors, free shipping when purchasing online
Member-only coupons – dining, shopping, travel, and entertainment
Camping World – Free RV & Boat Dump stations, Free annual RV inspection
Discount on Fuel & Camping fees(At Good Sam Campgrounds)
Online Trip Planner
Good Sam Mail Service

Passport America

With Passport America, for a small annual fee, you will receive 50% off on your camping fees at specific campgrounds Nationwide. This works great if you are traveling and need a campsite for a night or two. We used this while traveling back from Wisconsin to North Carolina. Our camping fees have been as low as $15/night! I downloaded the Passport America app., then searched by the city to find a campground. When you find the campground, you need to pay attention to the individual rules for Passport America. Some will only let you stay a few nights, and others limit your stay during certain times of the year. All in all, we love Passport America, it has saved us a ton of money.

KOA Value Kard

KOA office — The office at KOA Lynchburg campground

The KOA Value Kard gives you a 10% discount off your campground fees at KOA campgrounds, and reward points that accumulate for cash off future stays. They also provide free camping during Value Kard Rewards Appreciation Weekend. It’s a good value at only $33/annually. You will also receive the KOA campground directory, which is a valuable source to locate KOA campgrounds Nationwide. You may enjoy reading about the KOA in Lynchburg, VA

Phone apps

If you download a few good phone apps, that will be all you need to locate the perfect campground.

Good Sam Campgrounds
KOA Campgrounds
Passport America
Park Advisor

Park Advisor

I think Park Advisor is my favorite app for finding a campground. You can look at the United States map and zoom in on an area you are interested in, then you will find red stick pins indicating a campground or RV resort. When you click on the red stick pin, you will see details about the campground, including their name, address, phone number, amenities, photos, and access to their website(if they have one). You will even see the campground rating and reviews. If you zoom in further, you can find gas stations, rest areas, stores, and more!

NOTE: We tow a Travel Trailer so I am usually looking for campgrounds and RV resorts. Although, most of these will accommodate tent campers as well. I use an android phone so these apps are compatible with android phones.

If you don’t own a camper or RV, why not consider renting one from RV Share. They have a variety to choose from and you can find one where you live. COVID is still with us, and traveling can be risky, but in a camper, you have more control over safety precautions.

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Travel Wish List – 2021

18 Comments / Travel / Cathy

It’s hard to have hope that we will travel this year. But, if we don’t have hope, what do we have? A little dreaming is good for the soul! As we all know, COVID-19 is still with us. We don’t really know at this time what kind of traveling will be possible later in the year. Will the cruise lines be back in business? Will every state remove its travel restrictions? Will foreign travel be back? Unfortunately, I don’t have answers to these questions, only time will tell.

My husband is calling this, “The Year of Miracles”. He is definitely a glass-half-full kind of guy, but, I hope he is right! Here is my Travel wish list. These are destinations that we are hoping to visit this year(and maybe into the next). Even though we don’t know what will happen in the months to come, I’m still going to dream big!

This is an unusual and diverse list. I wanted to give you some interesting places to consider when planning your 2021 Travel plans. In 2020, we had to stay close to home and only travel within our own state of North Carolina. With the vaccine right around the corner, we are hopeful that we will be traveling by summer or fall.

As I’m sure it is with most couples and families, there are destinations and attractions that my husband would like to see and others that I would like to see. I will attempt to include places that most people would enjoy.

We will start from our home in North Carolina and head in each direction.

Famous Hwy 42 leading to Gills Rock, Dasparag / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Travel Wish List by Direction

I believe that every state has something to offer the traveler. My Travel wish list includes places my husband and I have not visited, but are planning to visit this year. You might just find your dream vacation at one of these destinations!

*If you want to check off the states one by one, click HERE to join our email list. You will receive several free printables that will list each of the 50 states and 3 great destinations within each state.*

Traveling North

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is a state with a lot of great destinations. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are the 2 largest cities in PA and great places to visit. However, I prefer to visit more “out of the way” locations, places that maybe you have never heard of. Some of my favorite places are small towns, like Punxsutawney, these towns are sometimes overlooked as we travel through them on our way to bigger cities.

There are 45,000 square miles to explore in Pennsylvania. It has been split up into 11 different regions. Each one has something different to offer, check them out HERE. We have already been to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and the Pocono Mountains so we wanted to see something different.

Dutch Country Roads
Laurel Highlands
Lehigh Valley
Great Lakes Region
Philadelphia & surrounding area
Pittsburgh & surrounding area
Pocono Mountains
The Alleghenies
Upstate PA
Valleys Of Susquehanna
Pennsylvania Wilds

Elk — Largest free-roaming herd of elk in the Eastern US

Pennsylvania Wilds

Pennsylvania Wilds region takes up most of northern PA. This area of the state has millions of acres of unspoiled forests and mountains. It’s a great area for outdoor activity, hiking, kayaking, fishing and so much more! It is divided into 6 Landscapes for you to explore;

Elk Country – home to one of the largest herd of elk east of the Mississippi
Cook Forest and the Ancients – known as the land of giants due to the ancient & very tall trees
Dark Skies – this is one of the best areas in the US to stargaze
Allegheny National Forest – it covers over 500,000 acres and is PA’s only National Forest
I-80 Frontier – so many small towns and attractions to explore including Punxsutawney!
Pine Creek Valley and PA Grand Canyon – the eastern gateway to the PA Wilds

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Things to do in Punxsutawney, PA

6 Comments / Travel / Cathy

Small Town Series – Pennsylvania

There are many unique small towns across the United States. Many times we just drive right through them on our way to somewhere else. In this series, I will highlight small towns in each state. If you take the time to stop, shop, and eat in these towns, I think you will be pleasantly surprised! Small towns are “hidden gems” among the big, bustling cities!

Punxsutawney

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania is a small town located 84 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Their claim to fame is the Groundhog day Celebration held there every February 2nd. The most recent census shows the population is about 6000.

Have you heard of Punxsutawney Phil? He’s a famous Groundhog! He lives in Punxsutawney, PA. On February 2nd, he becomes very popular because he can predict the weather! Although, sometimes we don’t like his predictions!

History

The first settlement was in 1772 when Rev. John Ettwein, a Moravian church missionary, arrived with 241 Delaware Native Americans. Swarms of gnats plagued the early settlers and their livestock. The name, Punxsutawney, comes from the Native language and translates to “town of the sandflies”. These gnats eventually drove the Native Americans away.

Punxsutawney is situated halfway between the Allegheny and Susquehanna rivers.

Settlers were drawn to the town by lumbering and mining opportunities. To make this land more inhabitable, they drained the swamps in the area and exterminated the insects. The Borough of Punxsutawney was incorporated in 1850. When the mines were active, the Town was bustling, with a population of over 10,000 people, but eventually, the coal mines closed down and the people left.

Today, it’s a quiet little tourist town except for once a year, on Groundhog Day, when as many as 40,000 people make the trek to Gobbler’s Knob to see what Phil has to say!

Things to do in Punxsutawney, PA

Mahoning Shadow Trail
Gobbler’s Knob & Trail
Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center
Phantastic Phils
Phil’s Burrow
Punxsutawney Historical & Genealogical Society
The GHC Headquarters
Groundhog Festival

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