Emerald Isle NC
- Thread starter Khurley
- Start date
MysticalMom
Witchy Woman
I grew up spending my summers in this part of N.C. Emerald Isle is a beautiful little beach town. Not too touristy, not too boring. Just the right combo of laid back beach life and lots of stuff to do.
Of course it was not far from there, in Atlantic Beach, in 1987, that, in 2 feet of water right off the shore, I got stuck smack dab in the middle of the largest migrating school of giant sting ray they had seen on the Atlantic Coast in 100 years. The water was churning with THOUSANDS of them. I didn't get hurt, but was terrified. I haven't been back in the ocean since.
Have fun!
morningbell
hmmmmmm
I grew up spending my summers in this part of N.C. Emerald Isle is a beautiful little beach town. Not too touristy, not too boring. Just the right combo of laid back beach life and lots of stuff to do.
Of course it was not far from there, in Atlantic Beach, in 1987, that, in 2 feet of water right off the shore, I got stuck smack dab in the middle of the largest migrating school of giant sting ray they had seen on the Atlantic Coast in 100 years. The water was churning with THOUSANDS of them. I didn't get hurt, but was terrified. I haven't been back in the ocean since.
Have fun!
It figures this would happen to you
Our family has been going to Emerald Isle every summer for years. We love it! It's a beautiful area and, just like the other poster said, not too commercial but still plenty to do (shopping, miniature golf, water park, fishing, jet skiing, and the BEACH, of course!) and not too crowded. It's all houses/cottages/duplexes rather than high-rise hotels and motels which, I think, adds to its charm. They've added a bike path, in recent years, that extends most of the length of Emerald Isle so you can rent bikes while you're there or take your own. The NC Aquarium is about 20 minutes away and that's always a nice place to visit --- especially if you have kids. There is a small little town, across the bridge, called Swansboro that's nice to visit (a few restaurants, unique shops, etc.) and another waterfront/historical town called Beaufort (not the SC Beaufort) that's about 45 minutes away that's nice to visit if you get tired of the beach. I'm sure you'll like it!
nachomama
All Up In Your Grill
Was just there last week. It really is the best of both worlds - it's laid back enough to be relaxing, but has plenty enough to do to keep you entertained. Definitely go visit Swansboro if you get a chance; it's a quaint little town.
The biggest downfall to the area, and this probably holds true for most NC beaches, is there are no lifeguards - at least none that I saw. The rip currents can be pretty strong at times. I pulled a little girl out of the water - very scary situation! One of those situations where I thought she was calling for Daddy to come out and play in the surf with her until the word "Daddy" started getting cut off by her going under and I saw the boogie board going the opposite direction.
Daddy was playing with her little brother on the sand/water line and she was just far enough away to where he couldn't hear her.
The biggest downfall to the area, and this probably holds true for most NC beaches, is there are no lifeguards - at least none that I saw. The rip currents can be pretty strong at times. I pulled a little girl out of the water - very scary situation! One of those situations where I thought she was calling for Daddy to come out and play in the surf with her until the word "Daddy" started getting cut off by her going under and I saw the boogie board going the opposite direction.
Daddy was playing with her little brother on the sand/water line and she was just far enough away to where he couldn't hear her.I grew up spending my summers in this part of N.C. Emerald Isle is a beautiful little beach town. Not too touristy, not too boring. Just the right combo of laid back beach life and lots of stuff to do.
Of course it was not far from there, in Atlantic Beach, in 1987, that, in 2 feet of water right off the shore, I got stuck smack dab in the middle of the largest migrating school of giant sting ray they had seen on the Atlantic Coast in 100 years. The water was churning with THOUSANDS of them. I didn't get hurt, but was terrified. I haven't been back in the ocean since.
Have fun!
I have heard that it is a nice mix of not packed, but enough to do with the kids. Sting rays - yikes!