Rivers Edge Family Campground

The Great Outdoors

The campsites at the Rivers Edge Family Campground are less than an hour’s drive from the Croatan National Forest, which sprawls across 160,000 acres along the Atlantic Coast. It’s traversed by the 21-mile-long Neusiok Trail that meanders through its pine forests, salt estuaries, and bird-filled pocosins, and connects along the long-distance Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Aside from hiking, the Croatan National Forest is also a popular destination for off-roading and mountain biking, with the Black Swamp OHV Trail being the highlight.If you drive north from the Rivers Edge Family Campground, you’ll arrive in Goose Creek State Park, which hugs the north bank of Pamlico Sound. Anglers can launch their vessels from Dinah’s Landing to lure yellow perch, largemouth bass, and bluegill while hikers can explore the park’s bird-filled brackish wetlands along the Flatty Creek Trail. The Goose Creek State Park also features an Environmental Education Center where you can learn about the native wildlife and plants before stretching your legs along the Palmetto Boardwalk Trail.Continue driving east from the Goose Creek State Park to the Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses North Carolina’s largest natural lake. Aside from being home to Lake Mattamuskeet and its Heritage-listed pump station, its wetlands provide a habitat for white-tailed deer, black bears, and river otters. Birdwatchers may also be treated to sightings of migratory bird species, including tundra swans, snow geese, great blue herons, and great egrets.

Exploring the City

Bayboro campers can pick up grocery supplies in one of the local supermarkets, with gas stations also available if you need to fill up your motorhome rental. There are also a couple of restaurants in Bayboro, or you can make the 30-minute drive into New Bern, where there’s a more extensive choice of supermarkets, services, and eateries.While you’re in New Bern, don’t miss a visit to the Tryon Palace complex, a replica of the British Governor’s Palace of North Carolina during the 1770s. It’s now home to the North Carolina History Center, which comprises the Pepsi Family Center (a time machine-inspired interactive museum) and the Regional History Museum, where you can learn about the people and events that have shaped the region. Take time to explore the landscaped grounds, where you’ll find several outdoor exhibits that detail the story of naturalist John Lawson.You can visit the drugstore where Pepsi was first invented in the 1890s on the corner of Middle Street and Pollock Street in New Bern. It’s now part museum-part soda shop, with a wide selection of Pepsi memorabilia also for sale. Also nearby is the New Bern Firemen’s Museum, which details the Great Fire of 1922 and tells the story of the oldest fire company in North Carolina. It occupies the old fire department building, with 19th-century steam engines and early-20th-century trucks on display.The Rivers Edge Family Campground is just over an hour’s drive from Greenville, which serves as the seat of Pitt County. It’s home to East Carolina University and its adjacent College View Historic District, which is clustered with more than 300 buildings that date from the early 20th century to World War II. Admire St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and the Rotary Club Building, together with several American Craftsman-style residences. Also not to miss is the Greenville Museum of Art, which boasts a diverse collection of regional paintings, sculptures, and pottery works.Whether you want to explore the coastal landscapes of the Croatan National Forest or the cultural sights of New Bern and Greenville, book a travel trailer rental in Pamlico County and settle into one of the campsites at Rivers Edge Family Campground.