With a landslide victory, Beaufort, North Carolina is our 2012 winner!

If this seaside town was good enough for Capt. Edward Teach (aka Blackbeard), it’s good enough for us. The infamous seafaring swashbuckler and his famed vessel Queen Anne’s Revenge called this part of the mid-Atlantic home. Naturally, the North Carolina Maritime Museum here features an exhibit dedicated to this legendary baddie.

Nestled along the community’s historic waterfront is the Town Docks (ICW mile mark 202), so once you come into port and tie up, you’re in walking distance from numerous top-notch eateries and pubs. If you’re too full, you can walk off the meal with a few hours of shopping. Do you want to taste a real slice of Americana? Stop by during the town’s annual Fourth of July parade.

For avid offshore anglers, it’s a short hop to Gulf Stream fishing and the area is famous for its tuna, wahoo and billfish action. On the practical side, Beaufort is also home to custom boatbuilder Jarrett Bay Boatworks and its massive marine industrial park should your yacht be in need of service.

Almost every boater likes lighthouses, and just a short ferry ride from Beaufort is the Cape Lookout National Seashore and Lighthouse. If you’re an equine enthusiast, nearby Carrot Island is home to wild horses, which can be seen from the town’s boardwalk.

However, you should stop in at your own risk because, as Elizabeth Barrow, director of local public relations at Crystal Coast Tourism Authority, told us, “Upon arrival, you get a taste of real Southern hospitality that will make you want to stay!” (You’ve been warned.)

To read more about North Carolina boat builders, click here.