Newcomers Day Trips
(view special Asheville/Biltmore Trip photos and write up below)
Do you enjoy visiting new, interesting places and trying fun events while meeting other newcomers?
If so, “Day Tripping” is just the thing for you!
The Newcomers Club organizes monthly “away” group trips to various events and tours of interesting locations within driving distance of New Bern. Each month we also offer a monthly “local” day trip activity, primarily on evenings or weekends. Day Trips are a great way to meet and get to know fellow newcomers!
Check out the website for upcoming Day Trips. You can also learn more about each Day Trip and sign up at a monthly membership meeting. Contact the activity leader(s) for more information.
To Attend: Interested members will be emailed details of a scheduled activity several weeks in advance (including whether there are any fees and relevant ticketing information). Simply respond with your interest and show up at the location at the scheduled date and time. Most events have no limit on the number of participants.
Activity Leaders. Andy Britton
E-Mail: andybritton@verizon.net
and Tana Anderson
E-Mail: tana.cimino@icloud.com
Upcoming Day Trips-
April 2024 Local
April Newcomers Club Day Trip Local Activity
Letterbox Finding at Cedar Grove Cemetery
Friday, 26 April 2024
Once again we will join the Crafters group and explore Cedar Grove Cemetery hunting for some of the many Letterboxes hidden within the Cemetery. If you didn't get a chance to create a rubber stamp in March, no worries--not all Letterboxes
have log books hidden inside to stamp. Come along anyway and spend a (hopefully) mild spring day walking the Cemetery, following clues, and finding Letterboxes. I will have copies of the clues for some of the
Letterbox hides (specifically for the ”Makin’ up a song about Coraline!” series) to hand out as well as some blank log-books and ink pads on hand for you to use the stamp within the Letterbox (and if you really want to
stamp any logbooks found within Letterboxes, you can always bring a store-bought stamp!). Afterwards, anyone interested is welcome to join in on an impromptu optional Happy Hour or dinner downtown
somewhere. In the meantime, if you wish to learn more about Letterboxing, you can do so here:
https://www.atlasquest.com/
DATE: Friday, 26 April 2024
TIME: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM, Optional Happy Hour/Dinner afterwards location TBD
COST: None
LOCATION ADDRESS: Cedar Grove Cemetery, 808 George St., New Bern 28560
Please RSVP your interest to Andy Britton (andybritton@verizon.net) by 21 April
June Away Trip
Tickets now available
Save the Date : Thanks to our Day Trips leader Andy Britton, the club is again organizing a visit to Kinston for a fun day of socializing, food and professional baseball, Sunday, June 16th, 2024, as part of the club's Out of Town Day Trip for June!
This could be the last year for professional ball in Kinston for a while as the Wood Ducks will be heading to another pond as early as 2025, so you won't want to miss this!
The Wood Ducks will be hosting the Charleston Riverdogs, an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, at 1 p.m. The team plays at historic Grainger Stadium, 400 E Grainger Ave, Kinston, NC 28501.
Tickets , which include 90 minutes of all-you-can-eat hotdogs, hamburgers, chips, and Pepsi products in the shaded Mother Earth Pavilion at Grainger Stadium, cost only $25 each.
How to purchase tickets
You can purchase tickets by writing a check for $25 (per person) payable to Newcomers Club of New Bern (please include Wood Ducks game on the memo line) Checks can either be mailed to The Newcomers Club of New Bern, PO Box 14140 New Bern, NC 28562) or you can bring the check to the April 11th. or and May 9th Newcomers club meeting. The deadline for sending checks is May 9th.
You will receive your tickets on game day at the stadium.
The game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m., though the 90 minute all you can eat period may start before the game. More details to come. This event is being held on Father's Day, so Newcomers Club members are welcome to buy these special tickets for their children and parents who may be in town. The Wood Ducks are a minor league affiliate of the 2023 World Champions Texas Rangers!
The team plays at historic Grainger Stadium, 400 E Grainger Ave, Kinston, NC 28501.
We hope to see everyone there!
Past Newcomers Day Trips
Newcomers/Alumni 2024 Biltmore/Asheville Trip Photos
Extended Day Trip to Biltmore Estate and Asheville/ April 2024
A group of Newcomers/Alumni Club members and New Bern Ladies group gals spent a fabulous four days visiting the Biltmore Estate and city of Asheville. During our 15-18 April trip, we explored the awe-inspiring Biltmore house and wandered the Estate's breathtaking grounds and gardens. The tulips and azaleas were in full bloom! Many of us also enjoyed sampling (and purchasing!) some Biltmore wines. We learned about the building of the Blue Ridge Parkway, explored the vibrant art scene of Asheville, and toured the beautiful Basilica of Saint Lawrence. Of course, our stay was also replete with food, shopping, fellowship, and great fun! Many thanks to Diamond Tours for hosting us and to our intrepid motorcoach operator Ron (AKA Jolly)!
Editor's Note : Very special thanks to the club's superb Day Trips leader Andy Britton who organized and lead this very successful trip.
April Away Trip : Pitt County Arboretum
Seven Day Trippers spent a lovely afternoon at the Pitt County Arboretum. We received a nearly 90-minute tour from one of the Arboretum's very knowledgeable gardeners. The talk focused primarily on flowers in bloom now--especially a wide variety of fragrant lilacs. Several of the group kicked off the morning together with a hearty pre-tour breakfast
March Away Day Trip: Bentonville Battlefield
February Newcomers Club Away Day Trip, Antiquing and Flea Marketing in Jacksonville, NC, February, 23, 2024
Ghent Mardi Gras
Local February Day Trip
Local Event, Saturday 10 February 2024: About a dozen members got together and enjoyed the eighth annual New Bern Mardi Gras festival in historic Ghent community in New Bern.
Slide show of Day Trip to Bath, NC, January 2024
Past Day Trips
January Day Trips
January Newcomers Club (away) Day Trip
A Visit to Historic Bath, NC, January 26,2024
January 26 was a beautiful day for this out of town trip, with more than 30 members taking part. Everyone met at the Bath Exhibit Center before being given a guided tour of two historic homes--the Palmer-Marsh House and the Bonner
House. We also took at short (about a mile) self-guided walking tour of the downtown area and then had lunch at the Old Town Country Kitchen/The Grill
To view more photos, click on the gallery above
January Local Trip
January Newcomers Club Day Trip Local Activity
Pottery Painting at the Accidental Artist
Saturday, 20 January 2024
Let's paint some New Bern or Coastal Carolina-themed pottery at the Accidental Artist downtown. No
experience necessary! You’ll pay an $8 studio fee plus the cost of whatever pottery piece you choose to paint
(per the Accidental Artist, the average price is between $15 and $25 for most pieces). Once you have finished
painting, the studio will add a clear glaze to your item and fire it in their kiln. The items will be ready for pick
up in four to five days. Of course, as always, those interested can join in an impromptu optional dinner
afterwards somewhere downtown.
DATE: Saturday, 20 January 2024
TIME: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM, Optional Dinner afterwards location TBD
DECEMBER DAY TRIPS
Christmas Jubilee Show at the Rudy Theater, Dec. 12, 2023
Christmas Jubilee Show at the Rudy Theater, Dec. 12, 2023
“Get into the Holiday spirit with a musical journey through your favorite Christmas songs and
scenes. Sing along to the classics and boogie in your seat as you rock around the Christmas tree
and usher in the most wonderful time of the year!” Cap off the day with your fellow Day
Trippers at an early dinner following the show at Sodosopa southern-style BBQ restaurant in
nearby Smithfield.
November Newcomers
Away Day Trip
Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park and Whirligig Festival, Wilson NC
Saturday, 4 November 2023
On Saturday 4 November, ten Day Trippers enjoyed a leisurely sunny day taking in the amazingly unique
mechanical sculptures of artist Vollis Simpson at the Whirligig Park in Wilson. Additionally, we strolled among
the myriad vendor booths in downtown Wilson during its annual Whirligig Festival. Several of us bought
handmade art and craft items as well as one of a kind homemade savory and sweet treats. We ended the day
enjoying lunch together from the various food trucks and chatting to the backdrop of live musical
entertainment.
Local Day Trip
DJ Music Bingo
Friday, 17 November 2023
Ten musically motivated Newcomers Club Day Trippers gathered together on Friday 17 November at
Beartown Bistro & Pizza Company for a few rounds of DJ Music Bingo. In addition to dinner and conversation,
there was some toe tapping, head bobbing, and even outright singing along as we perused our bingo cards in
search of tunes from the 50s, 60s, and 90’s, and song titles starting with questions or the letter “B”. Sadly,
none of us got to shout out Bingo and win a prize but fun was had by all!
October Newcomers
Local Day Trip
Coastal Environmental Partnership Presentation and Tour of Tuscarora Landfill, October 27, 2023
Newcomers Club Day Trippers spent an informative morning at the Tuscarora Landfill.
We were greeted and briefed by the Coastal Environmental Partnership’s energetic Education and Outreach
Coordinator, Somer Pede. Following a very in-depth presentation on the composition of lined landfill beds and
the size and scope of operations at Tuscarora, we grabbed our swag bags and hopped on board the “Magic School Bus” for a tour of the extensive facility.
We experienced firsthand the weigh scales, viewed the. compost and mulch area, and stood on top of the highest point in elevation for 7 counties.
We also learned
how “Root Beer trash juice” errr leachate is piped to the wastewater treatment facility and methane gas is
captured and sold for energy. Who knew trash could be so entertaining?
A Day of Fun at Mike's Farm, October 7th
A Day of Fun at Mike's Farm, October 7thA group of Newcomers spent a beautiful fall afternoon at Mike’s Farm on Saturday, Oct. 7. The day included a hayride to pick pumpkins and a family-style lunch. Thanks to Tana for leading this day.
September - Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue
A great crowd of Newcomers Club Day Trippers met for a yummy, albeit hurried, lunch in Surf City,Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. Afterwards, we split into two groups for guided tours of the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. During the tours, we learned about the differences between Kemp's Ridley. and Green Sea Turtles, the life cycle of sea turtles from nesting to hatchlings journeying into the ocean, and common causes for sea turtle injuries, such as entanglement in fishing nets and shark attacks. In the “sick bay”. hospital areas, we got to observe several turtles in various stages of recovery as well as some permanent residents who are unable to return to the wild due to irreversible injuries. All in all, it was a wonderful. afternoon with both people and critters!
Facts), participated in the 3 rd annual New Bern History Quest. The afternoon weather was glorious and the
clues challenging but fun. While we didn’t win any of the grand prizes, we all learned so much about New
Bern during our quests! For example, we found the resting place of Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher, the Guinness
World Record holders for the longest living married couple—86 years!
August 23, Tour of MCAS Cherry Point
On 23 August, 27 Newcomers Day Trippers spent several informative hours at MCAS Cherry Point. Our day started with an overview of base air traffic control operations and visits to the radar room and Regional Meteorology and Oceanography Center.
We received
outstanding briefings in each area and then proceeded to the red-carpet area of the main flightline where we saw both Harrier and F-35 aircraft. Next, we headed over to the headquarters building for an in-depth overview briefing which included the history of the base as well as a primer on its roles as both the home of. the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and Marine Corps Fleet Readiness Center East.
Afterwards, we enjoyed lunch at
the base’s newest dining center, The Public House. We capped off the afternoon with a “window” bus tour of the base’s main areas. The Day Trips group is exceedingly grateful to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Public Affairs Specialist, Samantha Kupiainen, for organizing such a wonderful day for us! And we will never. think of swimming pools errr “training tanks” the same way again!
August Newcomers Club Day Trips Local Event
Downtown New Bern Walk
Sunday, 6 August 2023
On Sunday 6 August, a small but enthusiastic group of Day Trippers, including our illustrious Newcomers Club
President, joined up for an informative stroll of downtown New Bern. After some discussion, the group
decided on the Nicholas Sparks’ themed “The Return” tour. Despite the fact none of us had yet to read the
book, we never-the-less enjoyed hearing the highlights and background tidbits from the novel during our walk.
The walk took us past several iconic downtown New Bern landmarks including Bakers Kitchen, the Farmers
Market, Union Point Park, Morgan’s Tavern & Grill, the NC History Center, and Christ Church. We concluded a. delightful morning with a delicious lunch at Lawson’s on the Creek. And “The Return” is now on my must-read
list, Andy!
July Newcomers Club Away Day Trip
Beach Clean-up at Salter Path, Indian Beach
Wednesday, 13 July 2023
A small but dedicated group of Newcomers Day Trip volunteers spent the morning of 13 July on litter patrol
along Indian Beach, Salter Path access. We used our scoops, grabbers, and buckets to collect assorted trash
including paper, plastic wrappers, hair ties, cigarette butts, cans, bottles, fishing hooks, and even (yuck) dog
waste and a broken beach chair!
Besides helping to remove waste hazardous to sea life, we discovered a
protected sea turtle nest and were entertained watching sea birds play in the surf! Afterwards, we enjoyed a
leisurely lunch at the 4 Corners Diner in Atlantic Beach.