North Carolina's Crystal Coast Vacation Guide

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With beautiful expansive beaches, beautiful water, and historic seaports, visiting North Carolina’s Crystal Coast is a perfect family vacation. We have been fortunate to travel to the Crystal Coast for many years and in every season. We enjoy our time in the sand and sun enjoying everything Eastern North Carolina has to offer. You’ll be amazed by the friendly smiles, wonderful beaches, delicious food, historical sites and even a National Park.

All About the Crystal Coast

With 85 Miles from New Bern to Swansboro, the Crystal Coast is a wonderful family friendly destination. There are a variety of activities to please everyone with fun and relaxation. The coastal communities that make up the Crystal Coast are quaint historic beach towns full of cute shops and restaurants.

Many towns found on the Crystal Coast were found centuries ago. Beaufort is full of history and museums with everything from pirate invasions, Civil War Battlefields to the Maritime Museum. While in Beaufort you can catch a ferry to the Cape Lookout National Seashore. You can visit the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, or catch a glimpse of one of the famous wild horses on Shackleford Banks. Just down the road from Beaufort in Pine Knoll Shores you can visit one of the North Carolina Aquariums.

My favorite reason to visit the Crystal Coast is their beautiful beaches. Our family favorite is Emerald Isle. It is known for its wide expansive beach that is pet friendly. You can lounge in the sand, splash in the warm water, or head into the waves with a boogie board, surf board, or even jet ski in the sound.

The beach isn’t the only place where you can have some fun on the water. There are several waterways and ecosystems to explore. Charter a boat for fishing, go kayaking and spot wildlife in less populated areas.

If playing in the water is not your thing, the Crystal Coast is known for its long fishing season. Anglers cast a line and reel in some great catches year round. You can fish the Bogue pier, surf, drive out to “The Point” in the off season, or hop on a boat and fish any of the nearby waterways.

No matter what you enjoy to do on your vacation, North Carolina’s Crystal Coast has plenty to offer the entire family.

Where to Stay

Visitors who are heading to the Crystal Coast will find a scattering of hotels and motels throughout the shoreline and inland communities, but will soon discover that the primary type of accommodations available are vacation rentals.

Located all along the Crystal Coast beaches from Atlantic Beach to the town of Emerald Isle, a vacation rental is the generally preferred accommodations option for vacationers thanks to ample space, exceptional locales close to the water, and plenty of homes and condos to choose from.

There are a dozen or so resorts, motels or hotels along the beaches of Emerald Isle, but vacation rentals dominate the scene, with more than 1,000 homes, condos, or duplexes throughout the coastal region. The type of vacation rental accommodations vary greatly, and can range from one-bedroom units in popular “resort” style condominium communities to 8-bedroom homes or more that are outfitted with a wealth of amenities.

How to Rent a Vacation Rental

Though it’s possible to find homes and condos that are rented directly by the owner, the majority of vacation rentals are represented by local property management companies, like Bluewater Real Estate, Emerald Isle Realty, and Atlantic Beach realty, just to name a few. This makes the renting of a vacation home easier for both owners and guests, as the property management company handles all bookings, check-in and check-outs, and the cleaning or maintenance of the home. Most vacation rentals are rented on a weekly Saturday-to-Saturday or Sunday-to-Sunday basis, although some properties, (especially condos and smaller units), may be available for nightly or several day increments.

To persue and find a vacation rental in the Crystal Coast area, potential vacationers will want to start online. All area property management companies have detailed websites where it’s easy to conduct a search based on personalized specifications, (like number of bedrooms, location, or amenities), as well as lengthy information on each unit. From there, guests can generally reserve the property with an initial down payment and just a few clicks, and can secure their Crystal Coast vacation without ever leaving their computer.

Once the date of a vacation arrives, visitors will typically go straight to the property management company’s office to “Check-in” and pick up their keys, (although some vacation homes are starting to offer keyless entry, where the home will be open as soon as it’s ready for check-in.) From there, visitors can call the property management office throughout their vacation if any problem arises, from trouble with the wireless internet to a maintenance issue.

What to Keep in mind Before your Stay in a Vacation Rental

Some vacation rentals have “linens included” which generally refers to sheets, pillowcases, and / or towels, but others do not. Check with your property management company to see if you need to bring along linens, or any other equipment (like towels, beach chairs, baby equipment, etc.)

Vacation rentals can often be booked up to a full year in advance, so visitors with specific amenities or a location in mind will want to reserve their home as far in advance as possible.

Conversely, some vacation rentals may offer last-minute discounts on un-rented properties, or allow partial week rentals roughly two weeks before an arrival date. Check with your preferred property management company for last-minute options.

You can visit year round. Depending on your schedule, and what you enjoy doing, will determine the time of year you should visit and where you should stay. If your schedule allows, I highly recommend visiting early-mid October or early-mid May. These months are absolutely beautiful, less crowded, and the atmosphere is simply majestic. Not to mention this would be considered the off season and rental rates are very reasonable.

Most of our trips we have stayed at Emerald Isle. My girls enjoy playing in the sand and water and fishing with my husband. We typically use Bluewater Realty for our vacation rentals. Their website is pretty user friendly, but if you need assistance, we have always had good luck calling and talking to someone in the office. At Emerald Isle you can have vacation rentals: beachfront, soundfront, or walking distance to the beach.

This is a great resource for an overview of many of the options available.

What to Do

One thing is for sure, you will never hear, “I’m bored,” while you’re at the beach. Your options are truly endless. You can enjoy your time on the beach relaxing, fishing, reading, playing a game in the sand, or you can venture out. Check out these resources for more information. CrystalCoast.com or CrystalCoastNC.org.

Kayaking
Paddling boarding
Crabbing
Shell hunting
Museums
Aquarium
Go Karts
Bowling
Movie Theatre
Eco Tours
Fishing Charter
Pier Fishing
Shopping
Water Park
Walking and Bike Paths
Putt-Putt
Golf Course
Rent a Kite
Kite Surfing
Surf Lessons
Visit Cape Lookout National Seashore
Bogue Banks Distillery
Parasailing
Sailing Tours

In full disclosure my family has not done or tried all of these activities. We try to stick to the basics when we visit the beach. Lots of time playing in the water and sand. My husband will fish all day and night if we let him, and the girls enjoy joining him (when he is having luck).

We try to visit North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores at least once a year. We have had an aquarium membership for several years. It is worth it because it will get you into the North Carolina Zoo as well. It has really paid for itself.

In addition to visiting the aquarium we all love getting on a boat for a few hours with an eco tour and some fishing in the many waterways. This is typically my favorite day of the trip. Who doesn’t love a good boat ride? These are some snapshots of some of the charters and ecotours we have done over the years.

Our most recent trip, my oldest daughter took her first surf lesson and we rented a surfboard for a few days for her to practice. She took her lessons through E.I. Surf. I highly recommend a private lesson. She had a 20 minute group introduction, then had a private lesson in the water. We rented her board though South Swell Surf Shop, and it was super easy and convenient. She had a blast, and we will do that again.

We have also taken the ferry to the Cape Lookout National Seashore and explored Shackleford Banks. We were fortunate enough to see a few of the wild horses and found some great seashells along the shoreline. You will need to make a reservation ahead of time and catch the ferry in Beaufort. It is about a 15 minute ride each way. Last year, my husband took the girls and in addition to seeing numerous wild horses they saw sea turtle tracks. They still talk about all their findings.

In a few years, when both my girls are old enough, I hope to go kayaking in the sound and maybe even try paddling boarding. It looks really fun, but they may need to send life support to help me out. Ha!

Where to Eat

With the Crystal Coast covering such a large area, there are plenty of options for great restaurants. I’m going to share our family favorites, but check this resource out if you want a full guide. Keep in mind, we spend most of our time at Emerald Isle, so my list doesn’t have a lot of options for Atlantic Beach, Morehead City or Beaufort listed.

My first suggestion is if you are arriving in the summer, I recommend ordering your groceries ahead of time and schedule a delivery. This is costly, but it will save time, energy, and precious beach time. At Emerald Isle there is a Publix and Lowes Foods that both offer delivery services. We have always used Lowes Foods, because that’s where we shop at home. It is super easy and convenient. I love how it saves all my orders, so it is easy to see what I bought the previous year and simply add to my cart.

Our typical beach routine consists of ordering pizza the first day we arrive. This allows us to get settled, unpack and enjoy the beach as much as possible. It took us a few tries, but our favorite pizza place at Emerald Isle is Lazzaros. In the busy season, call about an hour ahead of time, and I highly recommend picking up instead of waiting for delivery. Be patient, be kind, your good food will happen in beach time.

During the week we may eat out for breakfast a time or two and we love to go to Village Market. This is a gourmet sandwich shop that offers a full breakfast menu. While you’re there grab some of the famous pimento cheese. An added bonus is that this is next door to the Bait and Tackle Shop for my husband. Across the street you will find Cap’N Willis Seafood Market if you want to go ahead and pick up some fresh local fish for dinner that night. We have least one Low Country Boil every trip.

Another great lunch spot is the Big Oak drive-in. This is in Salter Path, so great to stop by after the aquarium. The Big Oak is famous for their shrimp burgers. If that is not your thing, their hamburgers are great too.

We will typically venture to Swansboro to catch a fishing charter or eco tour, so while we are there we will grab a bite to eat. Our favorite spots are The Boro or Sweetwater Grill. There are no restaurants on the water in Emerald Isle, so going into Swansboro and having lunch or dinner on the water is a must.

On our most recent trip we finally went to Caribsea, a restaurant we have been wanting to try for a while. This is one of the nicer restaurants on the island and we took a gamble taking our girls, but they did well. They have a rooftop bar that is a great place to catch the sunset.

Beach Favorites

Below are all my beach favorites I took on our most recent trip. All of these items have been on repeat all summer. I’ve been opting for the Ray-Ban dupes to keep my prescription glasses safe from the ocean. The hat has been my go to all summer. It shields my face from the sun and hides my crazy beach hair. Win Win! A friend recently snagged me the Bogg Bag, it is sold out everywhere, and now I understand all the rage. My kids have spilled a million goldfish and it is really easy to clean. Both the suits I below are full coverage on the bum and kid and beach friendly.

Our family has created some great memories all while visiting North Carolina’s Crystal Coast. If you are looking for a great getaway, this is the perfect place. If you want to read more about our favorites for the beach read here. If you want to know how two redheads stay safe in the sun, read our full Sun Protection post here.