Guided Lantern Light Walking Tours Through Historic New Bern
Sounds of Colonial New Bern Inn Evening
A New Bern Colonial Inn's Evening Ambiance
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SEPTEMBER LAUNCH ON WEEKENDS
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For this opening season, a special rate of $15 Continental Dollars secures your historic pilgrimage —for those whom first walk by Lantern Light.
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Step into the glow and experience one of North Carolina’s oldest towns through the stories that shaped its past. This is not a haunted attraction, but a journey through History, Truth, and Redemption—where Pirates, Revolutionary Heroes, Civil War Soldiers, and the courage of the Underground Railroad come to life beneath the lantern’s light.
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Once the Colonial Capital, New Bern still echoes with the footsteps of those who came before—its legacy carried on the quiet waterfront winds and preserved in stories passed down through generations. This is more than a tour—it’s a walk through time, where every step draws you deeper into the soul of New Bern… where some of its most legendary figures are still waiting to be revealed.
About Lantern Light Tours
Lantern Light Tours was created to offer something different—an experience rooted in history, told with purpose, and brought to life by the quiet glow of lantern light.
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In a city as rich as New Bern, the past is not distant. It lives in the streets, the homes, and the stories carried forward through generations. This tour exists to honor those stories—not with theatrics or embellishment, but with clarity, respect, and meaning.
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Lantern Light Tours is locally owned and operated in New Bern, built on a commitment to authenticity, thoughtful storytelling, and creating an experience that stays with you long after the walk has ended.
This guided walking experience follows a carefully designed route through the historic heart of New Bern, covering approximately 1.1 miles at a relaxed, comfortable pace.
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Along the way, you will visit:
• Christ Episcopal Church
• First Baptist Church
• Centenary United Methodist Church
• First Presbyterian Church
• Stanly–Spaight Duel Site
• St. Cyprian's Episcopal
• Trent Riverside Pirate Tales and Sea Shanties
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Each stop reveals a story—of courage, conflict, faith, and the lives that shaped New Bern across generations. The experience is engaging, reflective, and immersive, offering a meaningful connection to the past without gimmicks or distraction.
All Tours Start Promptly at 7pm at 309 Pollock Street
(The Rocking Chairs in front of the old branch's furniture location)
Tour Details
Duration: Approximately 75–90 minutes
Distance: ~1.1 miles
Pace: Easy walking with frequent stops
Family-friendly evening tours
Private & Group Experiences available with notice.
Private tours are available for families, small groups, and special occasions. Whether you’re visiting New Bern or planning a meaningful evening with friends, a private experience offers a more personal, flexible, and immersive way to explore the city’s history. If your group would like to focus on specific topics or themes, additional elements can be incorporated upon request—please contact us in advance to arrange a customized experience.
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Before You Go
• Comfortable walking shoes are recommended
• The route covers approximately 1.1 miles and is mostly downhill at a relaxed pace
• Tours take place outdoors—please dress for the weather
• Check-in begins 15 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time; tours begin promptly
•  And the evening concludes alongside the Trent River with a spirited Sea Shanty sing-along—an engaging and memorable finale that brings the stories of the waterfront to life.
Providence Wrote Their Stories...
Walk The Same Streets and Riverside Shore
He crossed an ocean with nothing but debt, hope, and a bold vision… only to be captured, nearly executed, and left with almost nothing. Yet the town he founded still stands. Walk with us and discover the true story of Baron Christoph Von Graffenreid—the man who risked everything to create New Bern.
In the fading light of an early September evening, two of New Bern’s most powerful men, Richard Dobbs Spaight and John Stanly faced each other with pistols…and only one walked away. Step into the shadows where ambition, honor, and a single fatal shot forever changed this town’s history. Â
Born into slavery yet rising to become one of New Bern’s wealthiest free men of color, John Carruthers Stanly built a fortune, freed his family, and owned more land than most white planters of his day. Walk with us to uncover the remarkable—and complicated—story of the barber who defied every expectation of his time.
Alexander Herritage Newton’s family risked everything on these New Bern waterfront paths to lead others from bondage into freedom—a powerful story of redemption that still echoes today. Walk those same steps and hear how light broke through the darkness on your own Lantern Light Tour.
Hear the story of Clara Eliza Cutter — a young 19 year old nurse who followed the Union army into New Bern and became known as the "Florence Nightingale of the Massachusett's 21st" — she became the first woman buried with full military honors in the National Cemetary beside the man she loved.
He escaped slavery by by stowing away among barrels of turpentine, only to return as a fearless Union spy. Discover one of the most remarkable and under-appreciated figures of the Civil War.  Abraham Galloway slipped through Confederate Lines time after time— and eventually stood face to face with The Great Emancipator President Lincoln —and demanded full citizenship for all.
In the back of an ordinary New Bern pharmacy, something unexpected was stirred into existence. A tonic meant to aid digestion quietly transformed into one of the most recognizable drinks in the world —yet the man behind the formula would not keep what he created. The truth still lingers on the corner where it all began.
307 Pollock StreetÂ
When the Great Fire of 1922 reduced forty blocks of New Bern’s Black community to ashes, one extraordinary woman refused to let the darkness win. Walk with us as we uncover how Charlotte S. Rhone—North Carolina’s first Black registered nurse—rose from the ruins to become a quiet force of healing, dignity, and redemption that still lights the way today.
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All will be revealed — under the soft glow on your own Lantern Light Tour. Forgotten voices of New Bern that still whisper — come and step into the night to illuminate the history of The Bern's secrets, And embrace what the "Athens of the South" forever guards in it's shadows.
She was a single mother in New Bern who borrowed a camera, taught herself photography, and became one of the South’s most important image-makers—flying over the Neuse in a Wright Brothers plane to capture some of the first aerial photos ever taken by a woman.
Bayard Wootten saw this town (and the people in it) in ways no one else did.
Walk the streets she knew and discover her remarkable story on the Lantern Light Tour.
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Pirates, Privateers and Providence
The Shadowy stories of Pirates, Privateers and the Prosperous Men who Funded Their Plunder
In the shadowed creeks and candlelit parlors of early New Bern, the line between pirate and privateer blurred—and the prosperous men who funded the plunder rarely faced the noose. Walk with us as lantern light reveals the true stories of those who hunted gold under the black flag… and the quiet hand of Providence that ultimately settled every account.
Behind closed doors in Old New Bern, discover how the fates of ships, captains, and condemened men were decided by the stroke of a pen, and the judges that wielded that power...and the secrets the tide could not wash away.
At London’s notorious Execution Dock, the Thames itself became the final judge—where captured pirates were tried, condemned, and left to hang in chains until the tide and the crows had finished their work.
Among the shadowed reaches of Wapping, the pirate wharf known as Execution Dock was where the sea’s outlaws met their end—hanged high so the tide could wash over their crimes and carry the warning out to every ship that passed.
Captain William Kidd
Stand with us and hear the tale of Captain William Kidd—privateer turned scapegoat—betrayed by the very men who once commissioned him, left swinging at Execution Dock in London, for all sailors to bear witness what happens to those who sail under the Black Flag. The true measure of his buried treasure still lies hidden, a mystery that still stirs the imagination to this very day.
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Otway Burns and the Snapdragon
Hear the story of Captain Otway Burns and the Snap Dragon—the New Bern privateer that in 1813 outran British warships off Nova Scotia, seized millions in prizes, and then faded into silence. Stand with us and learn what the history books only whisper about the man, the ship, and the treasure that still stirs questions along these waters.
Edward Teach... The Pirate Blackbeard
Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, left a trail of terror and legend across the Carolina coast—blockading ports, striking fear with his smoke-wreathed beard, and meeting a bloody end near Ocracoke.  Some say Blackbeard deliberately wrecked his great ship and marooned half his crew so he could vanish into the Carolina shadows with the treasure—only to be hunted down when the past refused to let him disappear.
Walk with us by lantern light through New Bern’s historic streets and hear the local stories, whispers, and surprising ties that still connect this fearsome pirate to our waterfront and the people who lived in his shadow.
Inclement Weather Policy
At Lantern Light Tours, your experience and safety are our highest priorities.
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Tours will proceed in light rain or passing weather conditions. However, in the event of severe or unsafe weather—including heavy downpours, lightning, high winds, or conditions that could impact guest safety—the tour may be canceled or paused at our discretion.
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If a tour is canceled due to inclement weather, guests will receive a rain check voucher valid for a future tour date. This allows you to return and experience the full tour under more favorable conditions.
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Please note:
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Rain check vouchers may be used on any available future date.
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Refunds are only issued for weather-related cancellations.
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We recommend checking the forecast and dressing appropriately for outdoor conditions.
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Our goal is to ensure that every guest experiences Lantern Light Tours as it was intended—comfortably, safely, and with full appreciation of the stories that shape New Bern.
We appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you on a future evening under clearer skies.
Guest Policies
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To ensure a respectful and enjoyable experience for all, Lantern Light Tours maintains a family-friendly atmosphere during all standard tour times. This tour is designed to be a fun, engaging, and immersive experience, where respectful interaction and attentive participation are both expected and appreciated. Guests are asked to conduct themselves in a courteous and considerate manner throughout the tour.
Lantern Light Tours reserves the right to remove any guest from a tour, without refund, if their behavior negatively impacts the experience of others.
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By booking a tour, guests agree to abide by these conduct guidelines.
Everything Comes Together Here
307 Pollock Street, Unit D
New Bern, NC 28560
+1 (252) 350-8823
info@lanternlighttours.com
307 Pollock Street, Unit D
New Bern, NC 28560
+1-252-350-8823
info@lanternlighttours.com
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Everything Comes Together Here
Lantern Light Tours founder Rex Herman addresses Mayor Jeffrey Odham and the New Bern Board of Alderman at the August 11, 2026 City Hall (Meeting Minute mark 87th).
Introducing your guide for Lantern Light Tours...
Rex : I’m a lifelong history lover—what some might call a history nerd—who’s fallen hard for New Bern’s layered, often overlooked stories. My sister has lived here for 16 years, and through countless visits over those years I always found myself falling in love with this town. From its colonial founding and Revolutionary drama to the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the quiet acts of courage that still shape this waterfront community, I believe the past isn’t just something we study. It’s something we keep alive. When we walk these streets with open eyes and honest hearts, the lantern light doesn’t only illuminate what happened here—it helps light a brighter path forward for all of us.
