The Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce wears many hats in the community.

As a membership organization that assists businesses from inception to success, we rely on growth through many areas of the community in order for all to be successful. The Visitor Center is located in the Chamber of Commerce building located at 102 Stewart Parkway. This is just one service we provide to the community. Over 10,000 people visit the center a year, and we are open seven days a week. Our staff is usually the first to greet visitors and welcome new residents to our town. Many of our businesses rely on local support, as well as tourists, to be successful.

On a typical Saturday, we see more than 50 people in our building on the waterfront. The first question that most ask is, “What do we need to do while we are here?” A recent TripAdvisor review of the Visitor Center stated what we do best: “Beautiful setting to start your exploring. Get information to maximize your visiting this town. Located on the Pamlico River along the scenic waterfront walkway. Nearby attractions abound. Friendly helpful staff as well.”

Most visitors want to explore the town, visit the N.C. Estuarium, shop in our stores and enjoy the culture we have to offer. We greet them and sell this town on a daily basis. Although a lot of information is available on the internet, people still want information in their hands. They want to look at a map and figure out where the stores and restaurants are located, and they want to take information home to look at later. They are able to take any information they want from the Visitor Center free of charge. In the past few weeks we have had visitors from Maryland,

Michigan, Georgia, Virginia, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, Germany, England, Sweden and Switzerland, just to name a few. We have many success stories of a visitor becoming a resident after being here and experiencing the people. We like to keep the Visitor Center full of information about the community, so please drop off information about your business or attraction to the center. We are cheerleaders for our community. Our great Visitor Center staff love our town and want everyone else to fall in love with it as well.

The Chamber of Commerce works on a daily basis for the entire county, a lot of times behind the scenes, to help everyone be more successful. We have been told we need to “toot our own horn more.” Maybe so, but right now we are consistently providing services to our membership, residents and visitors alike. Stop in sometime and say “hey!” We love talking and getting to know you.

Catherine Glover is the executive director of the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce.