For years, planning a getaway meant thinking about everyone else first. Where would the kids want to go? Would there be enough to keep everyone entertained? Could you work around school schedules, sports, and summer plans?
Then, almost without warning, the house gets a little quieter. The kids are back at school, off at college, or busy building lives of their own, and your weekends start to look a little different.
While we love welcoming families to our North Carolina Bed and Breakfast, we also know there is something special about the first trips you take as empty nesters. For perhaps the first time in years, you can choose a destination based entirely on what you want to see, explore, and do together.
Plan a Getaway Around What You Enjoy
When you were traveling with children, your itinerary probably had to include something for everyone. Now, you get to ask a different question: What do we actually want to do?
Maybe you’ve always wanted to spend an afternoon browsing antique shops. Maybe you’d rather be out on the water, playing a round of golf, exploring historic sites, or sitting on a porch with a good book.
Edenton is one of those North Carolina vacation spots that makes it easy to do exactly that. Our historic downtown is compact and walkable, the Albemarle Sound is right at the edge of town, and there are plenty of ways to fill a weekend without filling every minute of it.
Explore Edenton’s Historic Downtown
More than 300 years of history are woven into the streets of Edenton, from beautifully preserved homes to historic landmarks along the waterfront.
Start at the Penelope Barker House Welcome Center, where you can learn about the women of Edenton who organized what is considered the first organized women’s political protest in America. From there, continue along the Edenton Museum Trail to see grand homes dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, including the Cupola House, one of North Carolina’s oldest houses.
The waterfront has its own collection of historic landmarks. The 1886 Roanoke River Lighthouse is one of Edenton’s most recognizable sights. You can also see the Chowan County Courthouse, built in 1767 and one of the oldest courthouses in continuous use in the country.
For a guided introduction to town, take the Edenton Trolley Tour, which travels through the historic district while sharing stories about Edenton’s people, architecture, and past. Then, take some time to explore on your own. With no one rushing you to the next stop, you can read the historical markers, step inside a historic home, or stop for a closer look at something that catches your eye.
Spend an Afternoon on the Albemarle Sound
A boat tour on the Albemarle Sound is one of the things that makes an Edenton getaway feel different from a typical city weekend.
Take a narrated cruise around Edenton Bay aboard the Liber-Tea, rent kayaks or paddleboards for an afternoon on the water, or book a fishing charter and let a local captain show you the waterways around Edenton.
You don’t have to plan an elaborate excursion, either. Sometimes it’s enough to walk down to the waterfront with a coffee in hand, watch the boats come and go, and enjoy being somewhere new together.
Go Antique Shopping
If you’ve reached the point where you’re no longer required to buy souvenirs for everyone back home, an afternoon of antique shopping in Edenton might be exactly what you’ve been waiting for.
There are several antique shops, markets, and auction houses in the area where you can browse for vintage furniture, artwork, glassware, collectibles, and those wonderfully unexpected pieces you weren’t looking for until you found them.
Start with Broad Street Bazaar right here in Edenton, then venture farther out if you’re still hunting for treasures.
Play a Round of Golf
A weekend without the kids is also a good excuse to finally fit in the things you don’t always have time for at home.
Bring the clubs along and spend an afternoon playing the 18-hole course at the Chowan Golf & Country Club. Take your time on the green and enjoy the beautiful views of the Albemarle Sound along the way.
Even if you’re not both avid golfers, it’s a nice way to spend a few hours together without having to plan much beyond your tee time. And when you’re finished, you can head back into Edenton to explore the shops, waterfront, or historic district.
Make It a Romantic Getaway in NC
Your first trips as empty nesters don’t have to wait until it’s your anniversary or someone’s birthday. Sometimes the occasion is simply having a free weekend together.
At Inner Banks Inn, we offer many ways to add a little romance to your stay. Arrange an in-room couples massage, surprise your partner with chocolate-covered strawberries, or have sparkling wine and roses waiting when you arrive. Or, choose one of our thoughtfully curated romantic packages and let us take care of everything to set the mood.
After years of putting everyone else’s needs first, it’s important to take some time for yourselves.
Let Yourself Wonder, “Could We Live Here?”
There is another reason we love welcoming empty nesters to Edenton: sometimes the first visit isn’t the last.
Once you’ve spent a few days here, you may find yourself imagining what it would be like to have more time in a place like this. For some visitors, that curiosity eventually turns into something more. They’ve come for a weekend and found themselves wondering whether Edenton might be the right place for their next chapter.
If that thought crosses your mind while you’re here, our guide to retiring in North Carolina explores some of the reasons Edenton appeals to those looking for a new place to call home.
Make Time for What’s Next
The first few weeks of an empty nest can be an adjustment. Even when you’re excited to see your kids starting a new chapter, coming home to a quieter house can bring some unexpected emotions, and it can feel strange to suddenly have more freedom.
But that freedom is also an opportunity. Getting out of the house and having a change of scenery might be exactly what you need.
You can take the trip you’ve been putting off. Spend an afternoon doing something just because you enjoy it. Discover a new town together. And, perhaps most importantly, remember that you don’t have to stop having adventures just because your children have grown up.
If you’re ready to start exploring again, we’d love to welcome you to Inner Banks Inn. Edenton is waiting, and this time, you get to decide where you go.
