About this city
Also known as: The Birthplace of Pepsi
New Bern is a deeply historic, architecture-rich river metropolis beautifully built at the strategic confluence where the Neuse and Trent rivers merge dynamically on North Carolina's inner coast. Founded painstakingly in 1710 by Swiss and German Palatine refugees led by Christoph von Graffenried, the city served proudly as the historic first official capital of the independent State of North Carolina. Today, New Bern expertly preserves its grand Gilded Age opulence, famous for possessing an incredibly dense collection of authentic 18th-century brick mansions, while boasting immortalized pop-culture birthplace status.
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Practical Tourism Metadata
Suggested stay: 1–2 days
Tour the opulent Gilded Age chambers and British royal gardens at Tryon Palace, stand inside the real-world birthplace shop of Pepsi-Cola downtown, and explore the boutiques in the historic commercial district.
