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Blackbeard’s Pirate Trail

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Arrr, mateys! Seek ye the treasure of Blackbeard the Pirate? Aye, then come ye along on this trail of NC’s coastal hideouts and the seafaring scalawags that made them home. Ye shall see the colonial town that the notorious Blackbeard called home, the salty waters under which his trusty Queen Anne’s Revenge still lay, and the bloody shoals where this feared pirate met his violent end.

3-Day Itinerary

Day 1
Discover ye the ways of the pirate as you travel back in time to North Carolina’s first town and Blackbeard’s last home.

Day 2
Sail ye to the island called Ocracoke, where Blackbeard faced his final battle and where modern day landlubbers can seek cool ocean waters and pristine beaches.

Day 3
Take ye another voyage to the mainland, where the Queen Anne’s Revenge sits in her watery grave. Then conclude ye the trail along the Cape Fear River, and delight in more tales of pirate treasure and ultimate capture.
 
With so much to see and do in the area, we recommend the following 3-day itinerary. Enjoy your visit by mixing and matching events to your particular interest. Be sure to check days and hours of operation for each venue.


Day One   
Start your pirate trail in Historic Bath, North Carolina’s first established town. Blackbeard arrived here in June of 1718, and immediately received the “gracious pardon” of the Royal Proclamation from colonial Governor Charles Eden. Legend has it that Blackbeard took up residence in a home on Plum’s Point, visible across the bay from the Bonner House.

Many people of colonial Bath treated their infamous pardoned pirate as somewhat of a celebrity, and when Blackbeard and his crew were in town, there were lavish dinners and wild parties. A room at the Bath State Historic Site is dedicated to Blackbeard and his men, many of whom may have been Bath residents.

There’s no historical record to indicate that Blackbeard ever ate pizza, but we’re sure that if he had, he would have loved it. So indulge yourself at Blackbeard’s Slices & Ices on Main Street. A variety of pizzas, dinners, desserts are yours for the ordering, and there’s usually entertainment provided on Friday and Saturday evenings during the warm months.

Spend the night at The Inn on Bath Creek, and prepare for a seafaring adventure in the morning!  

Day Two   
Take a scenic and leisurely drive to Swan Quarter, then catch the NC State Ferry for your journey to the Outer Banks Village of Ocracoke, the site of Blackbeard’s last battle.

Ocracoke Inlet was one of Blackbeard’s hideouts, and it was here that two small sloops hired by Virginia governor Alexander Spotswood found and cornered Blackbeard on the inner side of the island. In the battle that ensued, Blackbeard was killed on November 22, 1718. His headless body is believed to be buried in a mass grave somewhere on the island.

Today, all things Blackbeard and pirate can be found at Teach’s Hole, which operates as both a Blackbeard Museum and pirate specialty shop. Here you’ll find everything from pirate flags to pirate party supplies, but you can also see displays of pirate weapons and flags, and view a two-part documentary on Blackbeard’s life and death on Ocracoke.

Now, take a break from your pirate trail to enjoy Ocracoke’s charming village and pristine beaches. The Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach was named the 2007’s Best Beach in America by Dr. Beach. It was the first beach outside of Hawaii or Florida to be given that honor.

Get back on the NC State Ferry to Cedar Island and drive to Beaufort. Enjoy dinner at Clawson’s 1905 Restaurant & Pub and spend the night at the Inlet Inn, both on the town’s picturesque waterfront.

Day Three
Start your day at the North Carolina Maritime Museum, where you will find another fascinating permanent exhibit on Blackbeard the Pirate. You will also learn about the efforts to locate Blackbeard’s flagship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge. The presumed wreckage was found in Beaufort Inlet by a private group on November 21, 1996 and confirmed the next day… the 278th anniversary of Blackbeard’s death. The site of the wreck is under about twenty feet of water just offshore from Fort Macon State Park.

(Those who are certified SCUBA divers and who really want to get up close and personal with the QAR can even go on a charted dive of the wreckage with the Friends of the Queen Anne’s Revenge. The “Dive Down” is a scheduled, two-day program based from the group’s headquarters in Morehead City.)

Continue down the coast to Wilmington, a city on the Cape Fear River that also has plenty of pirate tales to tell. You can hear those tales by taking the Pembroke Pirate’s Plunder Tour or the Pirate and Unusual Tales Walk, both of which wind through the historic streets of downtown Wilmington. Then head out to Southport and see the historic marker on Highway 211 dedicated to Stede Bonnet, another pirate who was captured on the Cape Fear River in 1718 and later hanged in Charleston, South Carolina.

Now that you’ve completed Blackbeard’s Trail, grab yourself some pirate-themed booty at the Black Cat Shoppe in Wilmington, or enjoy a hearty seafood dinner at the King Neptune Restaurant on Wrightsville Beach. Ahoy!

Where to eat:
Blackbeard’s Slices & Ices (Bath) – lunch, dinner
Clawson’s 1905 Restaurant & Pub (Beaufort) – lunch, dinner
King Neptune Restaurant (Wrightsville Beach) – dinner

Where to stay:
The Inn On Bath Creek  (Bath)
Inlet Inn (Beaufort)

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added: May 1, 2009

updated: January 5, 2010