New Bern's historic district is the town's everyday pleasure. The streets between the rivers hold hundreds of contributing buildings, from early nineteenth-century houses to later Victorian storefronts, churches, and civic buildings.
It is best seen on foot. Start around Middle and Pollock streets, loop past the palace grounds, and drift toward Union Point Park where the Trent and Neuse meet. The district is polished enough for visitors but not frozen into a museum set.