[quiet acoustic music] [insects chirping]
- I just love outside work, because it's my therapy.
I started an iris bed 47 years ago,
and I thoroughly enjoy it.
I'm Alethia Anderson; I've been living in Bath for 48 years.
I think Bath is just a quaint, lovely little town.
I have a gift shop, Pirate's Treasure, that's 47 years.
- [Narrator] The spirit of the Beaufort County town of Bath
can be felt inside Alethia Anderson's gift shop.
It's filled with simple things
that reflect the town's simple lifestyle.
- Cotton angels, tobacco-twine angels.
Okra Santas and okra angels.
Many shells, and I love for customers to come in and say
how much they enjoy the history, the quiet, peaceful area,
and it makes me feel good that we
can share it with other people.
- [Narrator] It is a place to be shared,
surrounded by water and drenched in 300 years of history.
It's our state's first town, its first port,
and home to its oldest church, St. Thomas Episcopal.
- [Alethia] And we're very proud of the fact
we never have to lock it, you can go anytime.
- [Narrator] Bath's 14-acre historic site
includes 17 structures, from the 1754 Palmer-Marsh House
to the 1830s Bonner House that sits
on Bonner Point overlooking Bath Harbor.
The state historic site offers tours of both homes,
and there's a self-guided walking tour of the town.
The 1790 Van Der Veer House is next to the visitor center.
It's an exhibit hall now, but will soon be transformed
into a living history experience for visitors.
- I want people to know and understand
that history is more than what happened 300 years ago,
that we are making history daily.
- [Narrator] The site just opened
the new Historic Bath Exhibit Center.
It's housed in the old Bath High School building.
[bell tolls]
The center is hosting a series of traveling exhibits,
like this one about the Queen Anne's Revenge,
the ship that belonged to the notorious pirate Blackbeard
who once lived in Bath.
Eventually the center will house a permanent exhibit
on the town's history.
- Instead of doing a chronological order,
we will be doing it on main themes,
and we'll be tying it in with waypoints throughout the town
so you'll be able to see things,
see artifacts here in the exhibit center,
and then you'll be able to go to various points in town
to get a further story.
- [Narrator] Another new addition to Bath
is a town park built by the Historic Bath Foundation.
It's a green space with picnic tables and a fishing pier
at the town's western entrance.
- The park was constructed to provide access
for tourists and also locals.
And to provide a spot for people to fish
who normally would not have access to the creek.
- [Narrator] Just around the corner from the park
is Lawson's Walk; it's a tree-lined path
named for the town's founding father.
- [Jerry] The project itself is designed
to honor John Lawson, and we have species of vegetation
that would have been here when he was here in the 1700s.
- [Narrator] For boaters, Harding's Landing
is a small park with a free public dock.
The Quarterdeck has a boat ramp,
fuel dock, food, ice, and other supplies.
Bath Harbor Marina and Motel provides
boat slips, rentals, and four waterfront rooms.
The Inn on Bath Creek is a four-room
bed and breakfast on Main Street; dining options include
traditional American fare at the grill,
and Italian dishes and more can be found
at Blackbeard Slices and Ices.
It's all a recipe for a great getaway.
- We want visitors to feel what we locals have all the time,
which is a little piece of Heaven.
- As a sign in Alethia Anderson's shop says,
"If you're lucky enough to be in Bath, you're lucky enough."
- [Alethia] It's a very social, friendly little town,
and you can go down to the water, sit in one of the benches,
and all of your troubles just float away.
[seabirds squawking]
- [Announcer] The Historic Bath, North Carolina
State Historic Site Visitor Center
is at 207 Carteret Street in Bath,
and it's open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information give the site a call at [252] 923-3971,
or go online to nchistoricsites.org/bath.