-This program is made possible in part by generous support from the American Battlefield Trust, connecting you to the places where our nation was forged.

Visit battlefields.org today.

♪ - Next on North Carolina Weekend, we bring you "Greetings from the Coast."

I'll take you to the only beachfront resort in the Outer Banks and inside Vivian Howard's new dining concept.

A seafood restaurant run by three generations of women and a visit to North Carolina's oldest town.

Coming up next.

- Funding for North Carolina Weekend is provided in part by VisitNC, dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of Barrier Island beaches, you're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

♪ - Welcome to North Carolina Weekend, everyone.

I'm Deborah Holt Noel, and this week, we bring you "Greetings from the Coast."

For years, visitors have flocked to Duck in the Outer Banks for an elevated beachfront stay at the Sanderling Resort.

So I finally decided to see it for myself during their 40th anniversary, no less.

With reimagined interiors and a conversation with Chef Vivian Howard about her new restaurant, Theodosia, right on the property, it turned into a true coastal escape.

♪ - The Sanderling's location is really what people enjoy, being on the Outer Banks, being oceanfront, just having the convenience of all the activities.

♪ The Sanderling sits on 14 acres of waterfront property.

There is just 200 yards separating the Atlantic Ocean from the Kuretuk Sound.

All of the rooms are oceanfront, so it's as simple as guests waking up and walking right outside, and they'll be at the ocean.

♪ The Sanderling Resort has 123 guest rooms and suites, as well as six residences.

So we offer accommodations for groups of all sizes.

We have seven event spaces, including two completely transformed ballrooms overlooking the Kuretuk Sound.

We do cater to honeymooners, couples, romantic weekend getaways, but we also have very family-friendly atmosphere.

So we have actually two pools, one for adults only, and then we have the family resort pool.

We have craft clubs for the kids, s'mores, roasting s'mores, as well as movie night.

What truly makes us luxury is the services that we provide our guests.

We're very proud to offer our elevated pet program, where your pets are treated just as well as you are.

Your dog will receive a peanut butter Sanderling-branded treat, and then when they enter in the room, they will have their own dog bed, as well as feeding bowls.

At Sanderling, I found something for every moment.

I decided to start off my day with one of the activities the Sanderling offers, sunrise yoga, which takes place on their observation deck, with sunrise views and ocean breezes.

It's just beautiful.

♪ At the property, we have four dining options, a quick-service lunch spot, along with fine dining at Theodosia.

The Life Saving Station is just a few steps away from the Beach House.

It's a historic landmark, and it's a great place for breakfast.

The Life Saving Station is one of the original seven Life Saving Stations created prior to the formation of the Coast Guard.

You can enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner, all while being surrounded by this unique piece of North Carolina history.

You can expect a more casual dine-in experience with classic brunch items like cappuccinos, mimosas, and avocado toast, or try one of their locally-inspired dishes like the Crab Cake Benedict.

We ordered the omelet and avocado toast, cooked to tender perfection and super fresh.

♪ After a delicious breakfast, my husband Jarell and I decided to take advantage of a few more of the available activities.

First, we borrowed bikes from the resort to enjoy the miles of bike trails along the Outer Banks.

♪ With the surrounding waters, we were most excited for some sea kayaking.

Sanderling sits perfectly between the Atlantic Ocean and the Kuretuk Sound, and they have a partnership with Kitty Hawk Rentals, so we easily rented a kayak to explore the sound.

The downtown area is just maybe four miles away.

[Jarell laughs] That's cool, right?

-Yeah, yeah.

-You ready for it?

You up for it?

-Yeah, let's go.

-[laughs] After a busy day of recreation, we checked into the spa, a quiet space to relax and unwind.

-The spa is located overlooking the Kuretuk Sound.

We have 10 treatment rooms.

The spa is a full-service spa and salon, so we offer anywhere from relaxation massages, hot stone massages, as well as additions such as CBD lotions as well.

♪ In the evening, a real treat is dinner at Theodosia, Sanderling's newest restaurant led by chef Vivian Howard.

I sat down with Vivian to hear more about the legends and inspiration behind her fresh and seasonal menu offerings.

Vivian, this is just lovely, and I can't wait to try the items on your menu.

What would you say makes being located here in Duck special for Theodosia?

- I'll tell you the thing that really drew me to this project was this view.

I decided if I was gonna do any other projects, it needed to be in places where I wanted to spend more time.

When I'm here, I primarily work in the dining room at night, and I get to watch the sunset, and I just love being near the water.

I've always had an obsession with the legends of the Outer Banks.

Theodosia Burr is a subject of one of those.

Her ship sank or crashed off the coast of Nags Head, and, you know, there's a lot of folklore around whether or not she survived, whether or not she's a ghost that haunts the seashore.

She was one of the, you know, most sophisticated women of her day, and there's more than 1,000 letters between she and her father, so we know more about her, like, in her life than most people.

-It's a beautiful name for a restaurant.

-Thank you.

I thought, yeah, if you didn't know that, it wouldn't matter 'cause it's a pretty word.

-It is, it is.

And did you have fun working on the menu for this restaurant?

-You know, my thing is to kind of dig into the regional history and food traditions of the place, and so I started with a whole lot of community cookbooks from the area.

I like to always kind of put a modern spin on these things that many people have a connection to.

-I hear you are famous for your tomato pies.

What's unique about yours?

-Well, I guess that I'm famous for them, really.

[ Laughter ] The way to go is to come, you know, as a couple or a group and get it as an appetizer or get it to share.

I take both fresh tomatoes and tomatoes that we roast, mix them with caramelized onions.

We make a little mixture of Parmesan cheese, fontina, and mayonnaise, and spread that on top.

It bakes down and gets a little crusty around the edges.

-Oh, thank you, sir.

You did not scare us at all.

-It's the perfect appetizer.

-Our cocktails are very interesting and cool.

They're all in the theme of "Outer Banks Legends."

I eat here a lot because when I'm here, I stay at the hotel.

I always want to order the fish toast.

We go down to Juan Cheese, to the docks, and get what they've caught that day.

It's crunchy and rich because it's, you know, toast and butter.

It's just perfect.

-I notice you have a lot of seafood on the menu, but you've got to have steak.

-Yes, I'm not a fool.

[ Laughter ] I wanted to have something for everyone.

We take whole strips, cut it long like a tenderloin, and cut those into little bullets.

And then we do a twice-baked potato that has melted leeks in it.

It's, like, so creamy and luscious.

We have something on top called the little green dress.

It's the subject of one of the chapters in my last cookbook.

It's kind of like chimichurri and salsa verde had a baby in a bed of olives.

-Oh, my goodness.

That's so cute.

-And it brings everything together.

♪ As I said, I often work the floor, and I can't believe I've been that person that's like, "Don't forget dessert."

[ Laughs ] I feel like her desserts are really standout.

♪ -What experience do you want your guests to have when they come to Theodosia and experience the food?

-I want them to leave feeling like it was memorable, it was beautiful.

You really relish an experience like this, and I want -- that's what I want to have people feel.

♪ -Sanderling Resort is a year-round destination in Duck located at 1461 Duck Road.

For more information about reservations at the resort, the spa, or dining at Theodosia, call 855-412-7866 or visit thesanderling.com.

Down the road from New Bern, there's a restaurant where you'll get a taste of coastal heritage, along with the day's catch.

At Mayo's Seafood Restaurant in Bayboro, three generations of women are serving up daily specials with a helping of hospitality.

Meredith Brown takes us to this best-kept secret in Pamlico County.

♪ - I was raised working on the water.

I can remember shrimping in the summer with my dad on Bear Creek and Bay River and Pamlico Sound, fishing my own crab pots, making my own money.

I loved fresh seafood.

There's just nothing like it.

I want everybody to experience that.

When you walk into Mayo's, you can see and feel my heritage.

The boats, the drawbridge that takes you to Goose Creek Island that was so special, things that my mother has painted, all of these pictures in here tell a story, every single one.

- The whole family has been involved for generations in the commercial fishing industry.

When you sell yourself as a seafood restaurant and your background is in the harvesting of seafood, that's inherent.

You can't teach people that.

-The boats that you see on the wall are from my dad's business, which was E.H.

Mayo & Son Seafood.

It was in Messick.

- The restaurant started in 1976 by my grandparents.

They were Lyle and Shirley Ireland, and it was called Lyle and Shirley's Restaurant.

- My mom always said she was gonna have me a plaque made, and she was gonna put it at the door right when you walk in that said, "Fast food is not good, and good food is not fast.

So sit down and enjoy the hushpuppies."

- Knowing that Shirley uses local seafood means a lot to me.

I come from a four-generation fisherman family, and it is nice to know that even though it may cost the restaurant owner more money, she wants the quality, and she wants to support the people in the area.

-Our shrimp are sourced from Pamlico County.

In the sound, some of our shrimp come out of the ocean.

They are caught by local buoys right here in Pamlico County.

I have a standard, and I don't waver from my standard of how I do things.

- They are wonderful people, so that's the icing on the cake when I can get good food and have great conversation with good people.

[ sizzling ] -If you're stopping into Mayo's for the first time, definitely get the shrimp.

It is an experience.

-You know, Mom started small, and she catered to a small community that could only afford, you know, to eat there daily if it was affordable.

So I always try to have a special.

-Hot hamburger comes with a piece of bread and a burger and fries on top.

She pours gravy on it, and it is just, I guess, a Southern comfort food that a lot of people really enjoy, and it is good.

-You can't go wrong, and everybody, all the locals, they flock to Mayo's on Thursday because it's fried chicken day.

-They have the best soft-shell crab at Mayo's.

- Her cabbage and collards do remind me of home cooked that my grandmama would have cooked.

-Granny did things just like I do things because I learned from her.

-I was always sitting on a stool beside her as she was cooking.

I was watching and learning, and she gave me some of my most precious memories in the kitchen.

I think that's why I love being in the kitchen so much is because I was always in the kitchen with her and my mom.

-I enjoy working in the kitchen with my kids because they experience the same things that I did, and I pass on the recipes to them that my mom passed to me.

They're tried and true.

It's the way I've always cooked them.

If I change things up, then I'd have to remember how to do it, and I already know how to do it by the recipe, so it's always worked for my mom, and it's been working for me, so if it's not broke, don't fix it.

♪ - Mayo's Seafood is located at 13533 North Carolina Highway 55 in Bayborough.

Their hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.

to 8 p.m., and Friday to Saturday from 11 a.m.

to 8.30 p.m.

To find out more, give them a call at 252-745-4663 or visit their Facebook page.

On North Carolina's Crystal Coast, Harkers Island may be small in size, but it's rich in tradition, especially when it comes to seafood.

Our producer, Sarah from Smith, stopped by two longtime local favorites, Seaside and the Fish Hook Grill, where fresh seafood and homemade desserts have been bringing people together for decades.

Both restaurants work closely with local fishermen, serving seafood caught right here in the waters surrounding Harkers Island.

So pull up a chair and come hungry, because around here, seafood isn't just a meal.

It's a way of life.

♪ I'm a culinary artist, and earlier this winter, I visited Harkers Island, and now I'm back to dine on the island's cuisine.

To the locals, this community is the edge of the world, and for many generations, their livelihoods depended on the providence of these waters.

♪ There are only two restaurants on this small island, and while both serve local seafood, they have a distinctly different vibe.

I've heard about a down-east lemon pie, also known as a lemon milk pie, which sounds intriguing.

My new island friends said I needed to learn how to make the signature pie with Myla Guthrie down at Seaside.

♪ -What you got going on here?

-Well, I'm gonna make some down-east lemon pies today.

It's a favorite of all of our customers.

- Looks like Ritz crackers.

- Yeah, that's our base.

It's gonna be the Ritz.

We're gonna crumble them up good.

Gotta have a little salty to the sweet, so we use this base.

Some people use graham crackers.

We don't.

This is what I grew up on over here was Ritz crackers, so... -Yes.

-So that's what I use.

My grandma's recipe.

People want a fresh pie.

If they eat that seafood, that shrimp, then they want a fresh pie.

- So you've been running this restaurant since 1986?

- 1986, yep.

- What are your dishes that are the most popular?

- Some of our specialties are fresh local shrimp that we get right here.

-Mr.

Big Seafood is a family-run small business which provides both restaurants with shrimp and other fresh seafood.

Our fried chicken is a big hit.

Our burgers, of course, are always a hit, too, just a plain cheeseburger.

♪ So this is our lemon juice.

Gotta put that, so it's gotta be plenty tart.

If you don't have that, it won't be good.

Get it all smooth.

We'll get the icing going.

Use the egg white.

Cream of tartar and sugar.

-Looks like the beginnings of a meringue.

- Meringue, that's it, yes.

♪ -That looks like we're about ready.

-This tried-and-true recipe consists of just six ingredients -- eggs, condensed milk, lemon juice, Ritz crackers, sugar, and cream of tartar.

Now, how about some of that local shrimp?

♪ The people over at the museum said I simply must try Seaside's shrimp burger.

And let me tell you, these plump shrimp are perfect.

♪ Let's go just down the road and check out the Fish Hook.

The Fish Hook prides itself in using locally caught fish and seafood.

-We get our seafood from Mr.

Big Seafood right down the road here.

When people are coming down to the island, whether they're going to the ferry or just to check out the area, they see that Carteret catch flag out there.

They know that we're supporting the local fishermen, that what they're getting on their plate comes from these waters.

-And if you're looking to wet your whistle, the Fish Hook pours fantastic cocktails made with regionally crafted spirits.

So now I have given you two more reasons to visit Harkers Island.

Between meals, be sure to check out the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and the Cape Lookout National Seashore.

You'll also want to bring back some down east lemon pie for your friends, that is, if you don't eat it on the car ride back home.

♪ - The Fish Hook Grill is at 980 Island Road on Harkers Island.

For more information, give them a call at 252-728-1792.

The Seaside Galley is at 311 Island Road, also on Harkers Island.

To contact the restaurant, call 252-728-6171 or visit them online at seasidehi.com.

Long before the American Revolution, North Carolina's oldest town stood at the center of a struggle for power, where rival governments clashed, faiths collided, and a colony struggled to hold together.

Today, Historic Bath brings that story to life with restored buildings, guided tours, and a waterfront that blends history with coastal charm.

This is North Carolina's oldest town, Historic Bath, located here behind the Outer Banks.

More than half a century before the American Revolution, this small port was the site of a bitter power struggle, not against the crown, but a group called the Lord's Proprietors, who ruled them with great autonomy.

In the early 1700s, Carolina was one colony, ruled by the heirs of eight English noblemen.

But this power structure was not without its dissenters.

Many were Protestants, belonging to other denominations outside the official Church of England.

They resented the feudal-like system they lived under, the poll taxes, annual fees, and loyalty oaths, which effectively barred Quakers, the area's dominant political force, from public office.

What followed was decades of political chaos, and eventually, an armed rebellion.

A colonial official named Thomas Cary outfitted a ship, sailed into the Albemarle Sound, and tried to overthrow the government by force.

British Marines from Virginia put Carey's rebellion down, but it wouldn't be the last.

By 1729, the proprietors' colonies were so plagued with problems that the British crown bought them out and took back direct control of North Carolina.

Today, Historic Bath invites you to walk through the streets where colonial merchants traded, ship captains came home, and news of Lexington and Concord arrived on horseback in the spring of 1775.

Each location offers a window into a different chapter of the town's story.

The Palmer Marsh House, the Bonner House, and the Historic Bath Exhibit Center, housed in a renovated 1922 schoolhouse, and free to visit Tuesday through Saturday.

- We have a relatively large historic site.

It's 14 acres.

We have two houses that are on tour.

- It's bought by the Palmer family by Colonel Robert Palmer.

Later on, he passes it down to his son, William.

- We have other historic houses throughout the site.

We also have historic gardens.

We have a number of historical highway markers.

You can walk through town and just read the historical highway markers.

The site has a state dock that's a free dock for 72 hours.

We're very proud of what we have to offer here.

- But perhaps the most compelling thing about Bath is simply the waterfront.

Coming up to Bonner's Point, where you've got water on both sides, it's really beautiful.

And right down the street, you can enjoy local favorites like the Thirsty Mermaid, a coffee shop, and boutique.

- It's mostly local artists who make everything from pens to toys to very unique items.

And then we have a full coffee shop.

So we have everything from frappuccinos to lattes to smoothies.

It's a different feeling when you walk the streets here.

It is just a beautiful, quaint, quiet town.

It just pulls you.

It's like no other place.

- When you come to visit Bath, you really should take the time to come through and see the exhibit.

It has some specific artifacts in it that are unusual, and it does a good job of telling you the story of Bath.

Being North Carolina's first town, I think, is very important.

And to realize that we came, really, from very humble beginnings.

People came here and worked to make their way.

There's a part of you that really can look out over the water and imagine what it was like 300 years ago.

- What was once the capital of the colony is now a small town with a long history.

♪ - To plan a visit to historic Bath, North Carolina's oldest town, go to historicsites.nc.gov and search for Bath.

The Thirsty Mermaid is located in Bath at 103 South Main Street, and they're open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m.

to 5 p.m.

and on Sundays from 10 a.m.

to 3.

- Well, that's it for tonight's show.

We've had a wonderful time exploring everything our coast has to offer.

And if you've missed anything in tonight's show, remember you can always watch us again online at pbsnc.org, and you can find all of our stories on our YouTube channel.

Have a great North Carolina weekend, everyone.

[music] ♪ - Funding for "North Carolina Weekend" is provided in part by Visit NC, dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of Barrier Island beaches, you're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

- This program is made possible in part by generous support from the American Battlefield Trust, connecting you to the places where our nation was forged.

Visit battlefields.org today.

♪