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New Bern, North Carolina: Bears - Community Art

Community art project of fiberglass bears with unbearlike paint jobs. One don't-drink-and-drive bear is painted as a vintage New York City taxi.

Address:
Broad St., New Bern, NC
Directions:
Scattered throughout the city. Downtown is a good bet for better bear density.
Admission:
Free
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Visitor Tips and News About Bears - Community Art

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Historical marker bear.

Bears - Community Art

As of September 2021 there is still a bear outside of the Zaxby's. We also spotted the Dentist bear and the History bear. This would make a fun scavenger hunt to find all of them.

[Melissa J, 09/25/2021]

Bear.

Bears - Community Art

Bears. Bears. Bears. Oh My!

[Lianne, 06/23/2019]

Thanks for sending an assortment! As with any community art project, we're most interested in dumb or disturbing design liberties taken, and the likelihood the statue will remain on display. Hard to tell about this tennis-player bear in front of a steakhouse...

Bear dentistry.

Bears Bears Everywhere

To celebrate the 300th anniversary of the founding of New Bern (by Christoph von Graffenreid in 1710) an outdoor public art project placed fiberglass bears throughout downtown. von Graffenreid was from Bern, Switzerland, and named the new settlement in honor of his home town -- and since "bern" is the German word for "bear," bears are prominent features in both cities.

We found 14 bears in the downtown area and there may be others scattered throughout the city, but we ran out of time to look for them all....

[signmanjoe, 06/04/2014]

Nearby Offbeat Places

Stuffed Head of Firehorse FredStuffed Head of Firehorse Fred, New Bern, NC - < 1 mi.
Birthplace of PepsiBirthplace of Pepsi, New Bern, NC - < 1 mi.
Medieval Swiss Bears of City HallMedieval Swiss Bears of City Hall, New Bern, NC - < 1 mi.
In the region:
Shuttle Astronaut Mini-Museum: Space Tire, Beaufort, NC - 35 mi.

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