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Come enjoy their educational, humorous, entertaining, and diverse event while learning. Bear Fest has over 30 constantly-changing activities each year. It is situated on the banks of the Roanoke River. It is a combination of a river festival and a bear festival.
Their goal is to raise awareness of these magnificent animals. All while celebrating the fact that ENC is home to the largest and densest population of black bears. And that's in the world!
Since it began, the NC Black Bear Festival has garnered significant honors. More than any other event in the state. They are humbled by the recognition they have gotten. Gotten from their colleagues in the festival and events industry and in such a short amount of time!
There are over 39 completely different types of activities at this event! This 3-day event is unbeatable! Let me name my favorite activities below.
Why a pontoon boat ride? A pontoon boat is designed with a level deck. It has furnishings positioned around the edges. You have a ton of seating options and can make use of a lot of surface space with this kind of construction. There is plenty of space to move around, in addition to enough seating for everyone on board. The deck area outside the boat is excellent for:
The seats are designed to be versatile and comfortable. Compared to other boat types, pontoons ride higher. The higher profile and being further from the water will ensure that you stay dry. Much more than you would on a boat that rides lower and closer to the surface of the water. The boat can plane out more quickly thanks to lifting strakes integrated into the toons. This results in the boat cruising on top of the water. Children, families with pets, and the list goes on, all benefit greatly from pontoons. This is why it is one of my favorites. I can take along my entire family for this boat ride. Be warned though, the boat rides are usually only for 3 hours and you will need to sign up. The great part is it’s absolutely free! Find the sign-up link on their website.
So here’s a secret: I’m afraid of heights! Hot air balloons reaching the clouds have always scared me. And then, a few years ago, I attended my first ever Black Bear Festival. That’s where I saw it! A tethered hot air balloon! This is for those of you who don’t know. A tethered hot air balloon is a balloon that rises from the ground and floats 20 to 30 feet in the air. It floats for several minutes before failing to take off and fly away. I knew this ride would just be perfect! My fear of heights would not be an issue and neither would everyone’s fear of randomly flying away. Rides are only 3-5 minutes long and is located near the Port O'Plymouth Museum parking lot. The price does vary each year, so check out their website for exact prices for the year you choose to go.
The tour will take you to a location on the refuge. There you will have the best chance of seeing the black bears that have made Pocosin Lakes their home. You'll also have a chance to see a variety of other wildlife up close and experience the natural beauty of the area. Even if you have taken this tour in previous years, there is always some new wildlife to see. Kids and adults love it! Reservations for this are required and tickets are limited! So check out their site for when tickets go on sale.
I, for one, do not have a baby or toddler, but if I did, you can bet they would be part of this activity. Seeing all the cute babies and toddlers dressing up as baby bears is really fun and entertaining. My family loves watching this.
I’m sure you have been to a circus and experienced their fire performances. This is like that but on a scale much much greater. Here they have North Carolina-born and raised professional fire performers! They specialize in fire eating, fire breathing, fire poi, and fire hula hooping! Sounds awesome, right? And it truly is! This is usually only a 30-minute show! So download their printable activity schedule from their site and don’t miss out.
These are my favorite activities at the Black Bear Festival. This festival is held at 706, Plymouth, NC.
Many American Civil War artifacts can be found in the Port O' Plymouth Museum in Plymouth, NC. In the Roanoke River, behind the museum, is a replica of the CSS Albemarle. Washington County Historical manages the museum. The museum is located at 302 E Water St, Plymouth, NC.
In the black bear museum Bear-Ology, you will learn many facts and bust myths about these animals. Visitors can also learn why the NC Coastal Plain is home to the:
population of black bears on the planet!
After getting accepted to ECU, I started looking for things to do in and around Greenville, NC. However, my searches kept taking me to places in South Carolina! There must be things to do around ECU, so I started asking other students. They kept telling me to graduate and move away! This inspired me to begin exploring eastern North Carolina and build this website as a showcase of the places to go, sights to see, and things to do all over eastern NC. I have fallen in love with this region and started taking up roots here. After graduating, I didn't move away - I bought a house here and continue to explore eastern North Carolina.
