This mid-sized rural town has been called the "Heart of the Inner Banks".
It has a range of historical buildings and landmarks, with some dating back to colonial times and others of Victorian and Arts and Crafts design.
A self-guided Historic Walking Tour allows visitors to explore the neighborhoods.
A Farmer's and Artisan's Market is held regularly on the town's green areas on the waterfront.

The North Carolina Estuarium, located on the Pamlico River, includes more than 200 scientific and historic exhibits relating to the ecology of North Carolina's estuaries, the Tar-Pamlico River and Pamlico Sound.
The Estuarium also includes a 3/4 mile boardwalk along the Pamlico River.
Fishing and boating are also popular activities along the River.

The Turnage Theatre, a restored historic vaudeville and movie theater, reopened in the downtown area in 2014 and hosts plays and other types of live entertainment.
Between 1993 and 2017 a downtown music and art festival called "Music in the Streets" was held every third Friday during summer to attract people to downtown shops and restaurants.
The Beaufort County Arts Council, founded in 1972, is located in the restored Atlantic Coastline Railroad Station.
It offers cultural programs including an annual juried fine arts show, a holiday arts and crafts show, a student art show, year-round exhibitions in the adjacent Washington Civic Center gallery, a series of free public concerts, an annual art youth camp, workshops, lectures, and organized trips to cultural events throughout the region.

A cannonball from the Union attack on Washington during the American Civil War is displayed in an attorney's office on Water Street, and many nearby towns also contain Civil War artifacts and museums.
Civil War re-enacters meet in the outskirts of Washington every year.
This mid-sized rural town has been called the "Heart of the Inner Banks". It has a range of historical buildings and landmarks, with some dating back to colonial times and others of Victorian and Arts and Crafts design. A self-guided Historic Walking Tour allows visitors to explore the neighborhoods. A Farmer's and Artisan's Market is held regularly on the town's green areas on the waterfront.
The North Carolina Estuarium, located on the Pamlico River, includes more than 200 scientific and historic exhibits relating to the ecology of North Carolina's estuaries, the Tar-Pamlico River and Pamlico Sound. The Estuarium also includes a 3/4 mile boardwalk along the Pamlico River. Fishing and boating are also popular activities along the River.
The Turnage Theatre, a restored historic vaudeville and movie theater, reopened in the downtown area in 2014 and hosts plays and other types of live entertainment. Between 1993 and 2017 a downtown music and art festival called "Music in the Streets" was held every third Friday during summer to attract people to downtown shops and restaurants. The Beaufort County Arts Council, founded in 1972, is located in the restored Atlantic Coastline Railroad Station. It offers cultural programs including an annual juried fine arts show, a holiday arts and crafts show, a student art show, year-round exhibitions in the adjacent Washington Civic Center gallery, a series of free public concerts, an annual art youth camp, workshops, lectures, and organized trips to cultural events throughout the region.
A cannonball from the Union attack on Washington during the American Civil War is displayed in an attorney's office on Water Street, and many nearby towns also contain Civil War artifacts and museums. Civil War re-enacters meet in the outskirts of Washington every year.
Washington, North Carolina