Fall & Christmas in New Bern
Out of all the places to visit around Jacksonville, our favorite is hands down New Bern which is less than an hour’s drive north. The Downtown area is so charming that we’ve already visited a couple of times and we can’t get enough of it. Our first visit was around Christmas 2019 when my family came to town, I sadly forgot to bring my DSLR camera but I was able to take some nice iPhone pics. We went back for the Mum Fest in October 2020 and I remembered to bring my camera that time, so I thought I’d include photos from both Fall and Christmas in this post.
The city of New Bern was settled in 1710 by Swiss and German immigrants and named after Berne, Switzerland. It is the second-oldest European settled colonial town in North Carolina and it served as the capital of both the North Carolina colonial government and the state. The governor built himself a palace, now known as Tryon Palace and although it burned down in 1798 it has since been rebuilt after the original plans for the palace were found. You can now tour it!
Another favorite thing about New Bern is that it’s also known as “Bear Town” and throughout the city, you can find bear statues that have been hand-painted by local artists. This totally reminds me of Japan with their love of mascots! Plan to do a little bear scavenger hunt if you ever visit Downtown New Bern, especially if you have kids!
How many bears can you find in this post? Be sure to scroll all the way down to see the amount and a map of our favorite spots in the area!
Mum Fest
^ these kombucha mocktails were a real treat in the almost 90-degree weather! ^
^^ Drool-worthy Turkey, Bacon & Raspberry sandwich and Black & Bleu burger from Morgan’s Tavern! ^^
^ Mitchell’s Hardware store was founded in 1898 and a historical treasure in Downtown New Bern! ^
Christmas 2019
^^ I got way too excited when I spotted this vintage car coming towards us! It made a perfect photo! ^^
Did you catch all 12 bear statues? Here’s a map of our Downtown New Bern favorites: