Washington, NC

When we first chose Washington as our September adventure, I was unsure what to expect.  I’d grown up hearing of this little town on occasion, always known as Little Washington, but had never really heard much about it other than the name, until a friend recommended giving it a try.  This is the kind of small town we are excited to check out so off we went, and we are so glad we did.

Little Washington is a small version of Beaufort which is a huge compliment to the town.  The beautiful waterfront along the Pamlico River and the way they’ve created great walking areas alongside it made the trip worthwhile within itself.  The sunsets there were amazing, and the waterfront has restaurants where you can dine outside, one of our favorite things to do, and with a view!  You’ll also find kayaking available along with taking a paddleboat over to Castle Island nearby, the Roving River boat tour, and they even offer a Little Washington Sailing School.       

Our accommodations were at an Airbnb called Apartments on Main 2 right in the heart of the little downtown which has been restored into a charming small town feel.  The apartment was above a beauty shop owned by the owner of the Airbnb which I found to be so quaint and wonderful. I have a love for people who restore old buildings and this owner has done an incredible job doing so.  The apartment was beautifully decorated shabby chic and with the old feel of downtown like the exposed brick.  There were two apartments, although we never saw the other tenants, with a walk out rooftop patio just outside our apartment door, where we enjoyed both evenings with perfect weather.  I would definitely give this accommodation a 5 star rating! 

When leaving the apartment, you walk out into the center of the restored downtown.  The main street is a block from the water and in its entirety is only about three blocks but full of great shops, local artists work, and restaurants galore, so many we didn’t have time to even try them all.  We have a list of some we want to try the next time we go back!  Below are the ones we did try and our reviews.

In addition to eating and shopping, we also ventured out to Goose Creek State Park, so peaceful with over eight miles of walking trails, mostly easy to moderate, with some along the water and some through the forest.  This was fun and relaxing!  It has places to camp and fish, even a mini-beach swim area, and is dog friendly.  The park is also close to the oldest town in North Carolina, Bath, which we drove through as well.  It was small and adorable and worth the short drive. 

To summarize, Washington is worth the trip!  It’s great for just a couple of days of relaxation, good food, and shopping, and definitely something you should put on your list of great hometowns to visit in North Carolina!

RESTAURANTS WE TRIED:

Mulberry House Brewery:  In the heart of downtown with outdoor seating on both sides of the building, one overlooking downtown and the other overlooking the water.  The food was great and the staff was wonderful!  We almost went to Mulberry’s twice because it was so good!

Parley Sip and Steam:  Probably our favorite! In an old building on the water, we sat on the front porch with a view at sunset, and had the best shrimp and grits we’ve EVER had.  The staff was great to talk to as were the visitors and our meal was simply wonderful.  A definite place to go if you are ever in Washington. 

Rachel K’s Bakery:  We went to Rachel’s for breakfast and fru-fru coffee the first morning.  We’d learned she was simply famous for her made from scratch creations and we could see why and walking in to the restored downtown historical building made it even better.  Everything was delicious and people were waiting their turn which is always a good sign.  Rachel K’s works with local farmers as much as possible too.  A must stop if you ever make it to Washington!

Down on Main Street: We had lunch here and out of all our stops, it was our least favorite, but that is not to say the food was not delicious.  We had a great meal, the staff was friendly, but it just wasn’t our favorite stop on the trip.  It was really busy and we got tucked in a back near the kitchen, but that can happen anywhere, so it could have been the time of day, the fact we were sitting inside and not out by the water, you know how that goes!  But again, the food was good, so it may be worth a visit for you. 

Ribeyes:  This was our last dinner in Washington and we sat outside again overlooking the water, had a relaxing dinner with good wine, and a great meal.  Once again, the atmosphere made the food taste better, although our meal was quite good!  The staff was also wonderful here as well and this is place we would definitely visit again.