Camping at Flanners Beach Campground in North Carolina
We have camped at Flanners Beach in the Croatan National Forest in North Carolina two times and enjoyed both visits immensely!
Flanners is on the Neuse River. The beach area, unfortunately, was closed at the time because of hurricane damage. The area is still beautiful! We were on site 5 the first time and site 8 the second time. We visited the campground over Labor Day weekend both times. The weather was very nice, and we got to enjoy kayaking, biking, and, of course, exploring the area.
Some sites are wooded, some with electric hookups and others are non-electric. There are water spigots around the campground with potable water to fill your fresh-water tanks. There is also a dump station.
Beautiful view of Neuse River from the campground
The back of our campsite at Flanners Beach campground
Kayaking on Newport RiverWe went kayaking on the Newport River and was able to ride our bikes around the campground. We decided to visit Beaufort, NC one day. We rode around and stopped to see the beautiful water views. We saw a pod of dolphins while we were there. They were swimming along the waterway. That is nature at its best!!
The second time we camped at Flanners, we decided to visit the North Carolina Aquarium in Pine Knoll Shores. That was lots of fun and I totally enjoyed seeing all the incredible sea creatures. In case you hadn’t noticed, I am a huge animal lover and always feel privileged to be able to see so many amazing creatures on our numerous camping excursions!
Me waving through Megalodon shark jaw
NC Aquarium
Beautiful jellyfish
View from ferry to Oriental, NCAnother fun thing to do while camping at Flanners is to take the ferry to Oriental, North Carolina. Oriental is a small coastal town situated on the Intercoastal Waterway. It is known as the sailing capital of North Carolina!
We explored the area and visited the small history museum showing the town's history as well as some interesting artifacts from the early years of the town, like the old movie projector that was used in the local theater back in the day! Definitely worth a visit!
We also went to New Bern, North Carolina. A lot of people don’t realize it, but that is where Pepsi was born! The original drug store is still there and has lots of history of the birth of Pepsi, its original recipe, and how it came to be. You can sit at a table and enjoy a bottle of Pepsi served in the authentic old-time bottles.
Historic marker in front of Bradham Drug Store
Our table in Bradham Drug Store
Original Pepsi formula
Fort in New Bern, NCWe also visited the New Bern battlefield and walked around the fort a little.
This area of North Carolina has lots of activities that anyone can enjoy. If you are in to history, there is a lot here! If you like the beach, Atlantic Beach is not far!
We loved our visit both times and may go back again to see other new places we didn’t get to explore.