Fairfield - New Bern Why?

[Hostelling Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hostelling]

Help Needed,

Staying at Fairfield Harbour - New bern North Carolina. What was it that prompted Fairfield to think there was attraction enough to build times shares here? I am thinking tha what ever it was up and went.

Does anyone have suggstions about things to do in the area other than pull up the covers, roll over, and go back to sleep?

Daniel

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

Try www.visitnewbern.com


(and don't forget to visit the birthplace of Pepsi !)

[EAM Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close EAM]

What Fairfield might have been thinking

When Fairfield first started building timeshares, they bought large tracts of undeveloped land in off the beaten paths such as the Arkansas Ozarks or the foothills of eastern TN. They would develop the land for timeshare use as well as year-round homes, and add many amenities so that most folks could have a good time getting away from it all without ever leaving the resort by playing golf or tennis, swimming or fishing, etc. Later Fairfield started building resorts near major tourist attractions for those who want to get away TO it all instead of AWAY from it all. I have not visited Fairfield Harbour but I suspect it might have been one of Fairfield's earlier developments.

[Ryne08 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ryne08]

This is an old resort surrounded by a nice but small marina and a small golfing community. This resort was develope for total R & R.
You are to kick back and relax.

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

The historic district of New Bern is interesting, but will not hold your attention anywhere close to a week! Tryon Palace, the old colonial governor's palace, is probably the single most interesting site. There are a few other historic houses that can be toured. You are also about an hour from the beaches of the Crystal Coast.

What is really wacky is that RCI Points values a blue week 12 at a different resort in the New Bern area higher than a red August week 34 in a similar size unit at an oceanfront resort in RCI Points on the Outer Banks, and on the crossover grid to RCI Weeks, higher than a prime week 27 red week oceanfront on the Outer Banks of same size unit. That just illustrates how nonsensical the numbers racket at RCI Points is.

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

What is really wacky is that RCI Points values a blue week 12 at a different resort in the New Bern area higher than a red August week 34 in a similar size unit at an oceanfront resort in RCI Points on the Outer Banks, and on the crossover grid to RCI Weeks, higher than a prime week 27 red week oceanfront on the Outer Banks of same size unit. That just illustrates how nonsensical the numbers racket at RCI Points is.

Yeah, but at least it is transparent . Isn't that comforting, Carolinian?

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

Help Needed,

Staying at Fairfield Harbour - New bern North Carolina. What was it that prompted Fairfield to think there was attraction enough to build times shares here? I am thinking tha what ever it was up and went.

Does anyone have suggstions about things to do in the area other than pull up the covers, roll over, and go back to sleep?

Daniel

To give you a bit more detail. In New Bern, see Tryon Palace and Gardens, and the associated historic houses, then drive or stroll through the historic district. If you are leisurely enough, and maybe take in a few antique shops downtown, you might stretch that to a day.

You should definitely do a day trip to the Crystal Coast. If you want to spend a lot of time at the beach, make it two seperate days. It is about an hour drive. The place to go to the beach is at Fort Macon State Park, where there is a decent bathhouse. On weekdays, parking there should not be a problem. The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores (or Emerald Isle, next door - I don't recall) is interesting and worth an hour or so. It is down the island from Fort Macon State Park. Fort Macon itself is interesting, an early 19th century brick and masonry fort that was subject to a siege in the War Between the States and is still largely intact. On weekends, they often have costumed guides that demonstrate firing muskets or cannons. The historic town of Beaufort is also quite interesting and worth looking around. There is an interesting Maritime Museum there. From Beaufort, you can take a boat over to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse on Core Banks. For seafood, the best restaurants are in Morehead City, particularly The Sanitary, followed by Captain Bill's.

There are a few things worth doing to the north. You can stop in for a wine tasting at Bennett Vineyards in Edward, NC, where they make traditional wines from native grapes. Then take the ferry across the Pamlico River from north of nearby Aurora to Bayview and go a few miles west to Bath, North Carolina's first capital. There is a museum and several historic houses there to see, particularly the Palmer-Marsh House. Blackbeard the pirate lived in Bath when he was not plundering on the high seas, and they have an outdoor drama, ''Blackbeard, Knight of the Black Flag'' at an amphitheather west of town on Friday and Saturday evening in the summer. From Bath, you can go about 20 miles west to the original Washington, the first town so named in the US, which has an old courthouse dating from the 1780's that is one of the oldest left standing in the state and a walking tour of its historic district. Also there is the North Carolina Estuarium, a museum-scientific center on the role of the estuaries, which has some interesting exhibits. From Washington, it is about 40 minutes drive south back to New Bern.

Farther north, about 30 minutes drive from Bath or Washington, is Plymouth, which was the site of a significant battle in 1864 when Confederate forces retook the town and captured the Union garrison. They have a museum about that battle, with a replica of the Confederate ironclad CSS Albemarle, which was instrumental in that victory, somewhat scaled down, anchored in the river nearby. There is also a Maritime Museum and a full size replica of an nineteenth century river lighthouse.

West of New Bern, in Kinston, there is a museum with the remains of the Confederate ironclad CSS Neuse, sister ship of the CSS Albemarle, which was raised from the river in the 1960s from where she was scuttled to prevent capture near the end of the war.

If you really like War Between the States sites, there is a very well preserved earthwork fort at Hamilton, NC, about 30 miles west of Plymouth, Fort Branch, which is the only Confederate fort still able to mount most of its original artillery. At the end of the war, rather than surrendering, the Confederate commander simply mustered his troops out of service and rolled all of the cannons down the river bluff into very deep water, where they remained until they were raised in the 1970's.

South of New Bern, you could do a LONG day trip to Wilmington, which has a lot of interest, but that is probably too far afield.

[Hostelling Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hostelling]

Why New Bern

I had to see for myself why New Bern (fairfield Harbour) was on the map of available Fairfield exchange locations. I am here now, and I still do not see the reason. Was Fairfield (the land developer) unable to sell enough people on the idea of buying unimproved lots, so they sold people on the idea of owning a timeshare here (site unseen I assume)?

I considered that perhaps there was some attrication to the area in the past but it had moved on. I checked local history, that idea has not proved out.
So we must consider that the area has not yet been discovered, the attriction is not evident.

There are a few attempts at golf courses, none with the money and draw of the better known courses a days drive to the south. There is a feeble attempt to promote the colonial heritage of the town. But there is insufficient corporate and civic support. This is evident in the poor management of the gardens at Tryon Palace and the lack of business revitalization in the downtown area near the palace. (this is no williamsburg success story).

However there is potential, there is vast areas of low cost dry land. There is a large amount of undeveloped shore line. (Can you say timeshare with boat slips and man made beaches)

Fairfield Harbour (New Bern) is an idea that was not carried to it's full potential. I am not sure why. As the movie adage goes: "If you build it, they will come", New Bern does not yet have the "it" that the modern vacationer demands.

If a brewer (say Bush) can build "it", if a cartoonist (say Disney) can buid "it" then perhaps Fairfield/Cendent (say land developer) should ask themselves "why can't we"?

Until a large developer such as Fairfield/Centdent realize the potential they are sitting on, we must treat New Bern as we do Norfolk, (an overflow area of Virginia beach) If you just can't pull that exchange to Atlantic Beach then you may settle for New Bern an hours drive to the north.


Daniel

[Nancy Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Nancy]

To each his own

I had a co-worker in DC who loved to trade into New Bern. She went several times a year with grandkids. I also have friends who moved to and retired in New Bern.

I guess different people like different things.

Nancy

[Marti Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Marti]

New Bern

Daniel:
How are the exteriors & interiors of the FF units?
Are the furnishings nice & new or old & outdated?
What section (size/style) unit are you staying in?

[Ryne08 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ryne08]

Norfolk is a great place to visit. It has the Navy, Waterside, MacArthur Mall,
a triple AAA baseball team (The Tidewater Tides/ New York MET's), Nauticus
a new criuse port and the battleship Wisconsin.

Norfolk is hosting the Jr. Olympics in July 2006.

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

But, in visiting Norfolk, wouldn't you rather be staying oceanfront at Virginia Beach, and drive over for a day trip to Norfolk to do those things, especially if vacationing for a week? It is the same with Atlantic Beach and New Bern.
The coastal resorts will always have a better supply/demand curve.

And the surprising thing about New Bern is that it has a number of other timeshare resorts other than Fairfield. It is certainly overbuilt in timeshare for what New Bern has to offer.

[Ryne08 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ryne08]

Carolinian, you are correct ocean front, ocean view at VA BCH, OBX, Atlantic Beach, MB, Hilton Head. any where beats Norfolk .

[BoardGirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BoardGirl]

I don't take vacations to spend my money at "attractions" and would actually prefer to be away from all the action and neon. There are some of us that like to actually get away from it all.

[Ryne08 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ryne08]

Boardgirl, Fairfield New Bern and Fairfield Glades got us hook into t/s. Those two places were total R/R for us and that is what I needed/wanted from a vacation.