In New Bern, NC we found a dog-friendly camp store, a historical experience, delicious food, and more. Even better: it’s all within a 10-minute drive!
Table of Contents
Where We Stayed
New Bern KOA Holiday
When you pull up to this campground, try not to jump to conclusions. It’s a pretty scenic spot. Once you’re in the campground, you’d never guess you’re just off a US highway.
The campground backs up to the Neuse River. They have a pier and boat launch at the back of the campground and have kayaks and boats for rent.
Jesse and I agree that this is probably one of the nicer KOAs we’ve been to. They have a pretty decent pool and a lovely camp store.
You can even bring dogs inside! Jesse and I were walking the dogs around the campground when we decided it would be a good time to stop in and look for a campground sticker (we have a collection on the back of the RV). Jesse sat on a bench with Aiken and Corona while I went in to look. A few minutes after I got inside, an employee asked if those were my dogs outside. When I said yes, he said they were allowed to come in.
| Campground Name | New Bern KOA Holiday |
| Location | New Bern, NC |
| Dates | June 27-29, 2025 |
| Site Number | Site 93 |
| Site Surface | gravel for parking, mostly level |
| Hook-ups | Full hookups |
| Cost | $150.40 per night (including taxes and fees) |
| Water Pressure | 70 psi |
| Voltage | 120-122 V |
Our site was next to the fishing pond. That meant we had a little extra space, but a little less privacy when we sat outside. The dogs enjoyed the easy access to the forest of cattails.
What We Did
Martin Marietta Park
Martin Marietta Park opened in 2022 and is the site of a former quarry previously owned by the Martin Marietta Corporation. With more than 7 miles of hiking and biking trails, it’s a good place to take your furry travel companions.
We walked pieces of several different trails.
Dragonfly Trail was aptly named! There were dragonflies everywhere!!
Storybook Trail has stations with activities for kids.
There are a few places with picnic tables, trash cans, restrooms, and water fountains.
There’s also a pretty impressive playground, so the kids will enjoy this park too.
Does anyone know what crazy tree with loooong seed pods is?
Tryon Palace
New Bern was North Carolina’s first colonial and state capital. Tryon Palace, built in 1770, is the home of Royal Governor Willian Tryon. We took a guided tour of the palace and learned that Governor Tryon only lived there for 13 months before he was promoted and made the governor of New York. Josiah Martin then took his position and lived in the palace for several years.
The tour was much more interesting than I expected. I think having a guide explain all of the history makes a difference. It’s a better experience than reading a bunch of signage.
I’m sure my photos and short description won’t do the tour justice. Their website has so much information! Be sure to have a look if you’re thinking about visiting.
The rooms are all furnished with pieces from the 1700s, and some are actual pieces that were used by Josiah Martin and his family.
Tryon Palace Accessibility Travel Tip
Be aware that the location to check in and the location of the tour are not the same. You check in for your tour at the North Carolina History Center. From there it’s a short walk to the palace. The woman who checked us in said it was about a 10-minute walk. We were running late, so we hurried and made it in 5 or 6 minutes. It’s a short walk, but if anyone in your party needs to walk slowly, just be aware to leave extra time for that.
It’s also worth noting that you will encounter stairs during the tour. There are stairs up to the front door, then a staircase to the second floor, and finally a different staircase down to the cellar level.
If you like history, antiques, or architecture, there’s a lot of interesting things to see during the tour. I am not particularly interested in any of that, but these two pieces of furniture. This little table made of triangles was so different! And this chair–have you ever seen anything like it?
My favorite part of Tryon Palace has to be the gardens. According to the brochure, there are 13 gardens. I don’t think we saw them all, but we walked through several. Some had perfectly trimmed bushes planted in ornate designs.
Others were slightly more natural, with a gravel path lined with trees.
If you’ve read our other blog posts, you know about my obsession with “good trees,” and these gardens did not disappoint! Two of them had massive trunks that were almost 6 feet in diameter!
They also had several small gingko trees. I have a fascination with gingko trees, so I was particularly excited to find these.
We also saw all kinds of flowers–hydrangeas, roses, cone flowers, and this interesting flower I’ve never seen before.
The gift shop in the North Carolina History Center has some cute things. There’s a whole section about Outlander, since Governor Tryon played a big part in the Outlander series. They have some young reader books about historical topics as well as a bunch of non-historical gifts. It seems like there’s something for everyone there.
There’s also several shelves with things made by local artists.
In the North Carolina History Center, there was someone demonstrating weaving with looms. I was really impressed with variety of patterns that can be produced!
Downtown New Bern
After our tour, we wandered through the farmer’s market on our way back to the car. It was about 1:45 on a Saturday, and many of the vendors were already in the process of packing up. If you’re able to go earlier, I’d say it’s worth it. There was someone selling earrings, some of which were hand-painted and so lovely. Someone had produce, someone sold ceramics, while someone else sold notebooks with beautiful cut-out designs on the covers. There was something for everyone. I don’t know if they always pack up at that time or if it had something to do with the heat.
Later, we spent some time wandering around the rest of downtown New Bern. It was much more charming than I expected.
Birthplace of Pepsi Cola
On one side of the building you have a cute soda shop. I think you can get water, popcorn, and maybe a Pepsi float as well. On the other side, there’s a gift shop and several displays with all things Pepsi. We didn’t stay long, but it’s fun for a quick stop and a break from the heat.
Bear City Fudge & Ice Cream
If you have a sweet tooth, be sure to stop at Bear City Fudge & Ice Cream. They sell fudge, ice cream, and candy.
I always like it when an ice cream shop has more than the standard flavors. Bear City had two interesting choices. I am not a risk taker, but they said I could sample anything I wasn’t sure about. I ended up getting Cowie-O, which was brownie batter and cookie dough. They also had a flavor that was chocolate, chocolate chips, and peanut butter cups.
We did get some fudge. I’m happy to report that the chocolate fudge is really good (much better than the Kilwin’s fudge we bought in Rhode Island).
Dog-friendly New Bern Stores
Tryon Palace is not dog-friendly, understandably so, and I’m sure there are many stores that aren’t, but if you’re in downtown New Bern with your pup, check out Made in NC and Bern Bear gifts. While driving through town, I saw a sign in each of their windows that indicated the stores are dog-friendly.
We didn’t go in either of these, so I can’t confirm, but it seems worth a try.
Where We Ate
Lawson’s Creek
Lawson’s Creek is a cute cafe within the North Carolina History Center. It was perfect for a quick bite to eat to tide us over between our tour and visiting the Birthplace of Pepsi. The menu is mostly sandwiches and hot dogs. Instead of fries, since they don’t have a frier, they make “panini tots.” They put tater tots in a panini press and make a potato pancake of sorts. I wouldn’t get it again, but it worked for a quick snack. Jesse said the hot dog was good.
The Chelsea
The Chelsea has several things going for it. First, the restaurant is conveniently located in downtown New Bern, so it’s within walking distance to ice cream, shops, and more.
Second, they have very reasonable prices for the caliber of restaurant. A burger, including cheese and bacon, was $13. Our total before tip was $31 before tip for 2 burgers (one with bacon, one with extra cheese) and 1 soda.
And third, everything was delicious. They brought out warm rolls with butter before our food. The burgers were flavorful and juicy (though perhaps cooked slightly more than requested), and the fries were delicious. We would absolutely come here again.
The menu doesn’t have the variety that some places have, but I get the sense they are very good at the items they do offer. If you’re in the mood for a steak, I suspect this would be a good place to get one.
We went early on Saturday and are very happy we did, because we didn’t think to make reservations. Shortly after we sat down, a waitress walked around and put menus and “Reserved” cards on several tables around the room. It seems like a popular place, so it’s probably a good idea to make reservations if you can.
More Photos
Happy travels!
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