Oriental, N.C.

This town receives so many good comments from other cruisers that we thought it deserved a stop.  It was a nice, working waterfront town.  Everyone we met was so friendly.  We decided to walk to the local West Marine and grocery store and see the town.  On the way we had several offers for a ride.  The store, Piggly Wiggly, offered free rides back to the marina and we took advantage of that to load up with heavy items.  I think the marketing strategy was a win-win for the store and the boaters!  In true cruising style, we met up with another sailor that we had first met in Boot Key then run into again in St. Augustine and now Oriental.  We spent an evening catching up and hearing of his adventures in the Bahamas.  Always a pleasant surprise to run into folks you know.  The town is small but full of things to look at.  Just a few blocks from the marina was a unique store.  You could buy boat parts, used and new, clothes, household items, souvenirs, collectibles, snacks and exchange your old book for a new one.  One-stop shopping at it's best. 

The marina was small and in the heart of the area where the fishing boats docked.
Two slips down was a huge boat and behind it was some type of process plant.
Amazing to us was that it didn't smell too fishy.

Our marina for the night.  The number of rooms available definitely
outnumbered the slips but they cater to the boater with nice showers, even
providing the towels.  There was also a tiki bar and restaurant on the grounds. 

How can you not love a town with this logo!  The story of how the town got
it's name was unusual.  The small community was  getting a post office for the first time
and needed a name.  One of the women had seen a nice schooner wrecked in the
shallows named Oriental and that seemed as good a name as any so it stuck.
To honor the exotic Asian name, years later they adopted the dragon as the town
emblem and every New Year's the parade includes a dragon dancing in the streets.

This was such a whimsical looking place that we had to walk down the street
for a better look.  It is a well kept old house (circa 1800) with touches of
color added to the towers on either side of the drive with matching shingles and
colors on various parts of the house.

These towers are what caught my eye in the first place.  I'm not really
sure what their purpose was or is but they certainly add visual interest.

The town really likes boats to stop in and visit.  This is a free city
dock that you can tie up to for 48 hours.  It has no power or water but
if you only need a secure place to tie up and rest  or reprovision, it's perfect.