5 beautiful Instagram-worthy spots in Elizabeth City

This article was written for our sponsor, Visit Elizabeth City.

With waterfront views, historic downtown facades and scenic parks, Elizabeth City knows how to look good for the camera. For visitors and residents alike, there are plenty of spots to snap a picture for social media, from the colorful murals and picturesque views downtown to the diverse wildlife and sparkling waterfronts of the many local parks.

For those making a trip to Elizabeth City, here are five scenic spots worthy of a spot on your Instagram feed.

1. Elizabeth City's murals

Elizabeth City boasts a vibrant arts and culture scene, anchored by the Arts of the Albemarle gallery. With a high population of artists, the city encourages those with talent to make their mark on the town.

From panels of historic hotels painted with native North Carolina birds to the historic Pailin's Alley mural that pays homage to the town's past, each block of downtown Elizabeth City is sprinkled with a little bit of color.

"Pailin's Alley is one of the most popular areas, and it's right next to Ghost Harbor and Hoppin' Johnz. It's a little alley that goes behind those two restaurants, and they have this beautiful overhead lighting. There's also a newer mural at the end of the alley that has the name done in these stunning colors that really pop in photos," said Amanda Kielar, a local photographer in Elizabeth City. "Another mural that I've found people love is on the side of Albemarle Floral. It's a really beautiful lighthouse painted onto this white building and surrounded by flowers and greenery."

Thanks to the town's Project Art Downtown initiative, there's no shortage of artistic backdrops to snap a photo next to. Other options include the Coca-Cola mural and the 78 hand-painted panels on the Southern Hotel.

2. Local parks

Due in large part to the miles of surrounding shoreline, Elizabeth City has dozens of local parks offering scenic views and diverse flora and fauna. Some parks located downtown offer the waterfront and historic Main Street as backdrops, while others outside of town provide more natural landscapes and wildlife.

"One of my favorite parks for photos is Pool Street Park. There's a fountain, some beautiful trees, and brick backdrops," said Keilar. "Another one that I've found to be a go-to spot that most people want to check out is Waterfront Park, right across from the Museum of the Albemarle. There's a nice boardwalk and a brick building with these flower bushes that are gorgeous in the spring."

Since Keilar is a local photographer, she has specific parks picked out that lend themselves to different seasons of the year.

"In the fall, my favorite spot is Riverside Bridge, which is right across from Waterfront Park," she said. "There's actually a boardwalk there that's new — the Dr. Martin Luther King Educational Boardwalk for Children. In the fall, that's one of the spots where there is a nice bit of seasonal foliage in the trees."

Other parks around the area include Coast Guard Park, Dismal Swamp State Park, and George M. Wood Memorial Park. According to another local photographer, Chris King, depending on the time of year, visitors can catch glimpses of anything from hawks and grey herons to wild hogs and black bears.

3. Local restaurants

Many of the most popular accounts on Instagram revolve around food photography — and there's no shortage of "foodstagram" opportunities at local restaurants, breweries, and bakeries around Elizabeth City.

"One of my favorite places is The SweetEasy. They have cupcakes and drinks, like coffees and frozen coffees, that are super Instagram-worthy — you'll see a lot of people in there taking pictures of their drinks and the shop's 1920s-themed decor. The owners have put a lot of work into the vibe inside," said Keilar. "One of my other favorite spots that people may not know about is Elizabeth City Pizza Co. They're right there on Main Street, the owners are great and their pizza is beautiful."

Elizabeth City Pizza Co. is located inside Virginia Dare Arcade, a grand historic building full of shops. Keilar also recommends checking out the alleyway behind Ghost Harbor Brewing, which not only houses the brewery with an expanded tap room opening soon, but also the Mills Downtown Bistro, Island Breeze Grill, Toyama Japanese Restaurant, Coasters Draught House and Hoppin' Johnz.

4. Historic buildings

Elizabeth City was founded in 1793, and the town has taken care to preserve as much of its history as possible. Stroll along the streets downtown, and you'll find plenty of restored historic buildings and landmarks.

Main Street and Water Street were both hubs for shipping and manufacturing in the 19th century, and many of the same buildings still stand. Today, visitors can see businesses and homes that date back hundreds of years built in historic styles like Queen Anne, Greek Revival and Eastlake. Specific buildings include the Blue Ruby at Grice-Fearing House Bed & Breakfast, the Shirley Armstrong House, the Robinson Building, Pasquotank County Courthouse and the soon-to-be-restored Historic Hurdle Hardware building which is being converted into a cool new brewery and event space, Seven Sounds Brewing.

For those snapping photos of these historic buildings for their social media feeds, both Keilar and King offer a few tips on timing.

"When people want great photos, time of day is everything. I normally recommend either really early in the morning or the golden hour — which happens just before the sun goes down and helps you avoid the harsh shadows on your face," said Keilar. "lf you take pictures in the middle of the day, you'll get some harsh shadows."

King echoed similar sentiments, "A lot of people love sunsets — and I do too, don't get me wrong. But the lighting in the morning is a little softer. You get these beautiful colors, then you start to see how the sunlight changes them. There are a lot of historic buildings in Elizabeth City, like the old shipyard that's been on Riverside since I was a kid. I enjoy going there and taking photos during the sunrise."

5. Waterfront views

Since Elizabeth City is nestled along the Pasquotank River, the town is a prime location for waterfront photography. As a local photographer, King specializes in landscape and nature photography, and draws inspiration from the docks and parks surrounding Elizabeth City's shorelines.

"A lot of people come visit in the summertime and sail into the little sailboat dock right downtown. There's Charles Creek Park down there, and they just added on some new wood and walkways — when I go down there I always get shots of birds and wildlife," said King. "Anywhere along the water downtown is good, especially since they have benches where you can sit for a while. The park also has water that comes in and forms a little pond with a great bridge and boardwalk along the water."

For those who wander a few minutes outside of downtown, places like the Fenwick-Hollowell Wetlands Trail and the wooded areas behind the College of The Albemarle are home to even more scenic views and wildlife. But for King, any type of waterfront has the potential for a great photo.

"I'm right on the water, and I've got a creek across the street from my house, so a lot of times I'll just walk over there with my camera and take pictures," said King. "But there are a lot of small creeks and inlets around this vicinity. You can go to pretty much any of them, get on a pier and get so many nice pictures of landscapes around the area."

This article was written for our sponsor, Visit Elizabeth City.