Camping

Camping is a popular pastime in New Bern, N.C. The area offers several tent and RV campground options for those looking to get out closer to nature and sleep under the stars.  Many have excellent water access and great facilties.

New Bern KOA, on the banks of the wide Neuse River 5 miles north of New Bern, offers a fishing or strolling pier with 10 boat slips and a ramp, and a swimming pool is available too. The campground can accommodate full and partial hookups for RVs; has long, level patio sites with special amenities; and has tent sites with or without electric hookups. Kabins, lodges and Kottages featuring heat, air conditioning and beds with soft mattresses may be rented as available. Site amenities include clean restrooms, hot showers, laundry facilities, a full-service camp store, propane, cable TV, a playground, storage and broadband or wireless Internet access at no extra charge. Pets are welcome at KOA, with the exception of tent areas, and a Bark Park provides comfort and company for canines. Reservations may be made by phone or online with a deposit using Visa, MasterCard and American Express for Value Season, Adventure Season and holiday rates, along with monthly rates based on availability. Children younger than 6 accompanied by adults camp for free.

Croatan National Forest is made up of 159,866 acres spread between Morehead City and New Bern. Recreational areas are available for a day's outing or for overnight camping. The forest's planned campsites include Cedar Point, Neuse River (Flanners Beach) and Fishers Landing, where you will find drinking water, bathhouse facilities and picnic areas. Primitive camping is permitted all year, and campfires are usually permitted (check with the ranger office during the dry season).

In the Croatan National Forest but offering campsites a short walk from the communal parking lot, Fishers Landing has a wheelchair accessible sand beach and a view from the bluff above the Neuse River. Those enjoying a walk can take the wooden stairs set into the cliff, watching for sea birds, deer, rabbits and late-to-bed raccoons and foxes. About 8 miles south of New Bern, the left turn from Highway U.S. 70 E. at the Riverdale Mini-Mart leads to parking for tent-camping and picnics, with non-flush toilets, grills and drinking water. Open year-round, the wide grassy area between trees and parking lot at the foot of the bluff provides a swimming area for the hardy, where thirsty wildlife may arrive evenings or early mornings to delight nature lovers. For waders and swimmers, shoes are recommended for protection against rocks and river-bottom tree roots

By the day, week, month or year, camping at Moonlight Lake RV Park, 10 minutes from historic downtown New Bern, is as primitive or civilized as the visitor chooses. With electrical hookup, water, sewer and garbage services, laundry facilities and a bath house, along with horseshoe pits and picnic tables in common areas for sharing stories and fun, the park is tailored to fit each camper's pleasure. A 550-square-foot guest house, with accommodations for four, offers several amenities. Primitive rates vary; RV sites run from $30 daily to $3,900 yearly, with the options of electricity, cable TV, phone service and wireless Internet at extra charges. Cable TV is free for monthly or annual rentals. Passport America and Camp Club USA receive a 50 percent discount Sunday through Thursday.

Neuse River Recreation Area, called Flanners Beach by locals, gives the camper wanting some of the pleasures of civilization a happy medium. Trails include two paved loops for bikers and strollers, with no motorized vehicles allowed, and one short unpaved mile including a boardwalk across the small swamp and up and down fairly steep hills. From March 1 to November 30, overnight campsites start at $12 ($17 with electrical hook-up) and offer flush toilets, warm showers, drinking water and a dump station. There are free public swimming areas, toilets, cold showers, drinking fountains and picnic tables for day-trippers. The facility is 10 miles south of New Bern off U.S. Highway 70 East and is marked with a sign.