The Crystal Coast
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ATLANTIC BEACH, N.C. resh from the dockseafood, dazzling bright sunrises, tranquil breezes, gentle surf, spectacular sunsets they all reside at the Crystal Coast of North Carolina Outer Banks.
The barrier islands of the Crystal Coast curve southward and lie east to west. This creates many hours of daylight sandwiched between golden beginnings and endings.
We are easily seduced by the somnolent romance of the crystalline blue water lapping to shore. Hours spent on fishing piers or in kayaks bring serenity. Nibbling breaded, crisply fried shrimp and Tar Heel hushpuppies is heaven-on-earth.
All the components for a fun-filled vacation are in place along the southern Outer Banks. The area has a rich maritime history and many opportunities for recreation. The Gulf Stream current caresses the coastline, resulting in clear, warm waters. This provides the Crystal Coast one of the longest fishing seasons on the Atlantic, and furnishes perfect conditions for diving, sailing, kayaking and surfing.
acationers come down and ask, hat there to do around here?I tell them about our attractions. Later when I meet up with them, they often say they never found time to do everything. They spent their days on the beautiful beach,says Art Schools, mayor of Emerald Isle.
Atlantic Beach, Salter Path and Emerald Isle, a trio on the Bogue Banks, offer high-rise hotels, rental cottages, luxury condominiums, restaurants, campgrounds and souvenir shops. In the summer, particularly on holiday weekends, the thin, toast-colored beaches swell with vacationers. Luckily, access points are scattered all along the 25-mile-long island.
The 385-acre Fort Macon State Park occupies the northern tip. The centerpiece is the pentagonal fort, an important defense in the Civil War, Spanish American War and World War II. The brick-and-stone structure is fun to explore. A self-guided tour begins by crossing a moat and entering through cool, shaded tunnels to a parade yard. Rooms contain interesting historical exhibits giving details of daily life, conditions of warfare and fort restoration. Gracefully curving stairs lead to walls overlooking a wide beach and Beaufort Inlet.
Atlantic Beach, the oldest of the beach towns, has an easygoing ambience stemming from the days of shag dance halls with late-night revelry. The glitter and glamour are gone from the main entertainment center known informally as the ircle.Several businesses have shut down; others are in need of a facelift.
We go to the opposite side of the island and dine at Amos Mosquito. To our delight, we have a beautiful view of the marsh. The seafood is fresh and the server named Pumpkin cheerfully refills our tea glasses before they empty. We stay at the Sheraton Atlantic Beach, one of the largest full-service hotels on the North Carolina coast. The newly renovated, 200-room hotel features indoor and outdoor pools, beachfront grill and bar, and a private 600-foot pier.
Exploring the island
Heading south on Highway 58 amid more attractions and beaches, we discover the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. Children rush from one watery display to the next in order to view the 3,000 marine animals. The Living Shipwreck tank teems with sharks and other creatures. A walking path leads to salt marsh and maritime forest habitats in the Theodore Roosevelt Natural Area.
Pine Knoll Shores, a residential community almost hidden in yaupon trees, live oaks and wax myrtles, represents a slice of development without cheesy T-shirt shops and neon signs. The mite-size village of Salter Path dates to the late 1800s. Generations of fishermen reside here and supply restaurants like the Crab Shack with the freshest seafood.
Emerald Isle, a 50-year-old community, has generous cottages awash in the tropical hues of orange and green. Vacationers have many choices, ranging from bumper car amusements, wave pool, tennis courts, bike paths, shops and ree flickmovie night. Beach Jive After Five concerts are held monthly. At twilight, we relax at the Bogue Inlet Pier and watched anglers pull in lots of fish.
Below Emerald Isle, the Atlantic Ocean shakes hands with the White Oak River at Bogue Inlet. We get a close look at the estuaries and salt marshes by kayaking on a cool morning. Our guide, Bob Patterson of Barrier Island Kayaks in Swansboro, leads us around Huggins Island. On the leeward side we see hurricane-toppled oaks. As we move around, cord grass dominates the shoreline.
The inlet is absolutely still, except when baitfish flip through the air in a silvery flash. he water is so alive. You can hardly go anywhere without seeing the water shimmering,he says. Great blue herons and American oystercatchers search the shallow water. I get the creepy-crawlies watching the fiddler crabs move like a carpet over mud flats. hey are an indicator species because they are sensitive to water quality,he says, explaining that the freshwater source, the White Oak River, emerges very clean from the Croatan National Forest. This pristine environment attracts dolphins, rays and sea turtles.
We beach the kayaks at Shark Tooth Island and immediately scavenger for black points in the sand. always tell people that if they find a white tooth that fresh. The shark may be swimming around,says Patterson. He quickly finds six black teeth among shells and coral pieces. They are deposited on this spoil island through dredging of the main channel.
By lunchtime we are in Swansboro, a historical town where streets angle up from the docks. Mercantile buildings hold craft shops, coffeehouses and antiques emporiums. Painterly gardens surround shingle wood cottages. Vacationers reach Hammocks Beach State Park by taking a 2.5-mile ferry ride to Bear Island. Secluded and scenic, the beach is an important nesting site for loggerhead sea turtles.
On the mainland
To learn more about the region maritime heritage, I go to The History Place in Morehead City. Rodney Kemp, Carteret County popular folk historian and storyteller, shows me around the exhibits. The Knoxville native hosts regular lunch-and-learn sessions where history lessons are mixed with humorous anecdotes.
Morehead City is home to one of the largest sports fishing, commercial fishing and diving fleets on the East Coast. Displays about the shrimping industry are layered with railroading and manufacturing exhibits. Model ships, including the carefully crafted battleship USS North Carolina, fill several glass cases, as do Native American artifacts and vintage photographs. Kemp zeroes in on the carriage that transported the Civil War spy, Emeline Pigott. he carried valuables in her petticoats,he says. he was dedicated to the cause of the Confederacy.
A visit to Morehead City would not be complete without a oat-to-tablemeal at the Sanitary Fish Market. This waterfront restaurant evolved from a seafood business founded in 1938 to one of the busiest restaurants in the area. The d cor is strictly 1940s Formica table tops, mounted marlins and big picture windows.
Founded in 1709, Beaufort is the third oldest town in North Carolina. At the beginning it was known as Fish Towne, and it retains the coziness of a true seafaring settlement. Quiet shady streets roll down to the water. Houses, many dating to the 18th and 19th century, exist in a state of domestic bliss. They feature West Indies-inspired porches and nautical adornments. A mermaid weathervane tops a tower, seashells rest on fence posts.
Painted clapboard and brick storefronts face Front Street. Shrimp boats and sailing yachts occupy the slips at the town docks. Cafes, seafood houses and shops along the promenade and boardwalk attract tourists and locals. Vendors costumed in pirate attire hawk tours inspired by tales of Blackbeard. The infamous pirate Edward Teach lived at Hammock House and buried treasure in the garden, so the legend goes.
We find ourselves upon Beaufort crepuscular waterfront after touring the North Carolina Maritime Museum. Artifacts believed to be from Blackbeard flagship, Queen Anne Revenge, are on display. Cannons, a ship bell, ballast stone and gold were recovered from a shipwreck in Beaufort Inlet.
The museum delves deeply into whaling, oystering, shipbuilding and feats of the U.S. Lifesaving Service. An impressive collection of seashells includes 5,000 species from more than 100 countries. Shipwrights build and restore wooden boats at the museum Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center, set across the street on the waterfront.
Before we leave the coast, we spend time pottering around the Crystal Coast Down East communities. We follow U.S. Highway 70 through a spattering of eye-blink villages, and turn onto a byway to reach Harkers Island. The breeze is saturated with salty-sweet ocean scents. Patches of loblolly pines and live oaks, interspersed with modest, tin-roofed houses, punctuate the landscape. People earn their livelihoods by fishing and building the sturdy lared bowboats.
The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum focuses on the fishing and hunting traditions of the Outer Banks. A large collection of carved and painted decoys reflects the dominance of an outdoor lifestyle. Overlooking the water, the Cape Lookout National Seashore visitor center introduces people to the many habitats of the barrier islands: tidal flats, marshes, maritime forest, dunes, beach and ocean.
Tags: amp, centerpiece, fence, grass, landscape, lifestyle, locals, low water, pool, porch, porches, rta0
