Craven County, North Carolina

 On October 30, 2022, George and I had the fun of visiting Craven County. This was the final county visit of our late-October vacation week. Craven County's county seat is New Bern, and was first created in 1705 as Archdale Precinct. In 1712, it was renamed Craven Precinct, and became a county in 1739. It was named after William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven.

I've been to/through Craven County before, so we focused on the city of New Bern. New Bern (formerly Newbern) was founded by Swiss and Palantine in 1710, and named for the Bern region in Switzerland. New Bern was the former site of the former Tuscarora village of Chattoka. This caused conflicts between the settlers and the Tuscaroras in the area.

New Bern served as the capital of North Carolina from 1770-1792. (Bath was the first capital of North Carolina.) Tryon Palace was where the British governors of New Bern lived from 1770-1775. I've visited Tryon Palace before, so we didn't got back during this day trip. It's an interesting place to visit, if you're in the area!

Here's an interesting video about Tryon Palace:

 

Also in Craven County is the city of Havelock, which is home to Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, one of the largest Marine Corps air stations in the United States. MCAS Cherry Point is home to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and the Navy's Fleet Readiness Center-Wast, among other units, making it the largest employer in eastern North Carolina. I'm proud to say that my father was stationed at Cherry Point after college and officer training, and my sister was born on the base. (There's a very cute story there; if you know me in person, you can ask!)

Here's an interesting video about MCAS Cherry Point:

 

Neuse River, Union Point Pk

Once we arrived in the city of New Bern, we decided to order takeout from a local restaurant called Baker's Kitchen, and we took it to eat in Union Point Park. This is a popular park in the area, and when we arrived, it was easy to see why! It's on the riverfront, near where the Neuse River and Trent River meet. (The Trent River actually empties into the Neuse River here.) It's very pretty!

 

 

                                                  We enjoyed walking long the riverfront, checking out the gazebo, and watching the nearby drawbridge. We also found a geocache in the

Union Point Park Gazebo

park.

We'd made reservations to go on a 90-minute river tour by boat, but unfortunately, the boat captain was a no-show, so disappointing! (Fortunately, we were able to get a refund.) I loved the idea of this boat ride, with a tour of New Bern highlights from the water. Maybe another time.

 

Craven Co. Courthouse

On the way out of New Bern, we stopped for photos of the Craven County Courthouse. It's one of the prettiest North Carolina courthouses I've seen, and a great example of Second Empire architecture. We also stopped at Bradham's Pharmacy, birthplace of Pepsi! 

The rest of my Craven County photos are here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lesleylooper/albums/72177720303887367

Bradham's Pharmacy