In honor of my father-in-law’s 84th birthday we set out on a little road trip to his hometown of New Bern, North Carolina. For several years he continuously mentioned that he would enjoy showing his grandchildren around his hometown. Finally, the stars aligned and all five of us adults blocked our calendars for a long weekend of road tripping, touring, family history and fun.

New Bern is a quaint, waterfront, North Carolina Town. Not only is it the Birth Place of my Father-in-Love, who happens to be a local celebrity himself but it also has bragging rights as being the Birth Place of Pepsi-Cola.

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We enjoyed a walking tour of the City, Papa Joe as our guide, showing us all of the important stops along his childhood memory lane. We saw the site of his old homeplace, where he had his first job, where he attended elementary school and church, where he graduated from high school, buried his parents and went on his first date. His stories of this lovely town were very special and something none of us are bound to forget for years to come. https://www.visitnewbern.com/

We enjoyed lunch at https://captainrattys.com/ and a lovely waterfront dinner at http://www.persimmonsrestaurant.net/ Ice Cream from https://www.bearcityfudge.com/ and you just cannot leave town without visiting http://www.pollockstreetpub.com/ where you can pick your wiener. The entire crew may or may not have picked up hilarious t-shirts from the last spot mentioned. Don’t judge, every trip deserves a fantastic souviner. All mentioned above offer outdoor seating when the weather is just right.

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A Cruise along the Neuse was a must while in town https://www.cruisetheneuse.com/ We happened to be on a cruise that got caught in a horendous thunder storm but man were those views worth the few minutes that our lives flashed before our eyes. Seriously, the storm was massive and was documented on the companies social media site later.

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There was so much more to this trip, delicious meals, a stop at Atlantic Beach and a visit to Moorehead City, Beaufort, NC, and Harkers Island, all places definitely worth visiting again. We laughed and made many new memories but for now I leave you with these thoughts. Visit New Bern, NC – you’ll love it. Take someone you love to visit a spot on their bucket list, like we did for my father-in-law, you won’t regret it. Spend time with a senior in your life, real quality time, even if it’s in their home. Allow them to walk down memory lane, pick their brain about your family history. Write it down as soon as you as you hear it. You will not regret the time spent as time is the best gift we can give anyone.