Get a rosy welcome from the Harbor of Hospitality

Visitors quickly figure out why Elizabeth City, along the Albemarle Sound in northeast North Carolina, is known as the Harbor of Hospitality. For the past 30 years or so, the historic town has offered Rose Buddies Receptions for boaters who tie up on its docks. Elizabeth City also offers 48-hour free dockage and free wifi to boaters. In the days of sailing ships, Elizabeth City was a major seaport. Thanks to its warm welcome and convenient location, it is still popular as a stopping point for those who sail the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway between New York and Florida. Elizabeth City has several restaurants and attractions and makes a great part of a visit to North Carolina’s northern coast. The Rose Buddies tradition started in the 1980s when a few locals started greeting incoming boaters with wine, cheese and roses from their own rose bushes for the ladies. Elizabeth City’s original waterfront ambassadors have passed on, but the town still offers Rose Buddies Receptions when they have five or more boats in the harbor. The original rose bushes were transferred to the marina and yes, there are still roses for the ladies.