While throngs of families flock to mega-amusement parks this season, spending $500+ for a family to catch a glimpse of the beloved mouse with red overalls, North Carolina’s Southern Outer Banks invites park-hoppers to let their real imaginations run free by experiencing countless seaside attractions under $10 at the Crystal Coast (www.crystalcoastnc.org)
Families can explore the oak lined streets of Beaufort where the legendary pirate Blackbeard roamed, experience the site of a historic Civil War skirmish, Fort Macon, and play in Atlantic Beach, Outside Magazine’s “Best Spring Break” destination. Visitors set sail on a boat adventure to the uninhabited island of Shackelford Banks and catch sight of wild Spanish Mustangs — all with no lines, no crowds and a pristine view of the Atlantic. Promising a real experience with plenty of adventure for the entire family, the 85 miles of silken shoreline bid the perfect backdrop for a coastal escape with local family-friendly attractions, including:
Fort Macon State Park – FREE
Beaufort Maritime Museum – FREE
Core Sound Waterfowl Museum – Adults $5/Children FREE
Cape Lookout Ferry – Adults $15/Children $8
Beaufort Double Decker Tour Bus – Adults $9/Children $4
North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores – Adults $8/Children $6
Old Burying Grounds – Adults $9/Children $4
There’s never a dull moment on the Southern Outer Banks, but instead, days filled with outdoor recreation, sightseeing and cultural possibilities — all thanks to the wind and the waves. A sampling of spring/summer events include:
April/May 2014
36th Annual Newport Pig Cookin’ Contest – April 4
10th Annual Beaufort Wine & Food Weekend – April 23
40th Annual Wooden Boat Show – May 3
Beaufort Music & Performing Arts Festival – May 10
June/July 2014
Summer Concert Series – May-September
Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament – June 6-14
Fourth of July Underwater Bike Race – July 4
Along with a wide range of attractions and events, the Southern Outer Banks offer year-round affordable accommodations options, ranging from mammoth beach mansions — known locally as “sand castles” — and quaint B & B’s to seaside cottages and comfortable condos…
EMERALD ISLE Discount Lodging
ATLANTIC BEACH Discount Lodging
MOREHEAD CITY Discount Lodging
Dangling like a delicate strand of pearls off the coast of North Carolina, the favored Atlantic beach destination of generations represents one of the only remaining natural barrier island systems in the World. The Islands are strung together with 85 miles of silken coastline along the southern Outer Banks, 56 miles of which are in the protected Cape Lookout National Seashore, and the destination is home to Beaufort, “One of America’s Most Romantic Towns” according to Travel + Leisure and the “Best Wreck Diving along the East Coast” by Scuba Diving.
For more information on experiencing an “Imagination Vacation” at the Crystal Coast call (800) 786-6962 or visitwww.crystalcoastnc.org or www.facebook.com/crystalcoast.