North Carolina: Crystal Coast, Family Beach Vacation - Fun for $10 or Less. 
This destination definitely belongs on our list of secret family vacation spots offering friendly beach atmosphere, natural beauty and high value – low cost fun. Popular activities include boating, sailing, kayaking, shelling, surfing, diving, living history and best of all beach time.
The Crystal Coast includes the communities of Emerald Isle, Atlantic Beach, Morehead City, Beaufort, and Cape Lookout spanning 85 miles of beach and offering plenty of budget-friendly options for family vacation fun.
Setting the family vacation scene. 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. Miles of shimmering water reflects countless tiny suns during the day and shatters the moonlight into a thousand pieces at night. Lush maritime forests edge the silken coast like emerald jewels studding a royal crown.
Bonus points: The barrier islands take a curious southward curve, blessing the Crystal Coast with beaches that course east and west making it possible to admire the dazzlingly bright sun rise to greet the day and then slip into the shimmering translucent blue waters in the evening during a spectacular North Carolina sunset.
Here’s the deal. The Crystal Coast has more than six beaches, each with distinguishable characteristics from the undeveloped Cape Lookout National Seashore to crowd-pleasing Emerald Isle. The Crystal Coast also offers 15 attractions all for less than $10 (if not free) including a tour of historic Beaufort and admission into the North Carolina Aquarium.
Have an adventure on a ferry. The Cape Lookout Ferry (round-trip $10) allows beach-goers the opportunity to explore the uninhabited beaches along the Cape Lookout National Seashore, before finding a perfect spot to camp under the shadow of the famous diamond-patterned lighthouse. Travelers make way to Shackleford Banks (round-trip $10) to view Shackleford horses that swam ashore after Spanish explorers met a tragic fate off the coast and continue to reside on the island since the 1500s.
Discover pirates. For buccaneers looking for a respite from the heat, Blackbeard's buried treasures excavated from his ship are found at the North Carolina Maritime Museum (suggested donation $5), including the famed bell that serves as proof of the authenticity of the discovery and a replica of the ship for those who will not make it underwater. Marine animals and wildlife call the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores home ($8). From touchable sting rays and large sharks to dated fossils and an extensive shell collection, the state's habitat comes to life at the largest aquarium in North Carolina.
Connect with books and history. For a blast into the past, Beaufort allows history buffs to experience life before America declared independence. Landlubbers board an English double-decker bus ($8) and ride through town while listening to tales of a rich past. In more recent years Beaufort has provided a backdrop for Nicholas Sparks' best-selling novels. Romantics walk right into the pages of A Walk to Remember and The Choice as they are lead along the hauntingly, weathered graves of the Old Burying Ground immersing themselves in tales of star-crossed lovers and Civil War soldiers.
About the Crystal Coast. The fact is the beaches of the Crystal Coast's Southern Outer Banks are not overly populated; families will find sands and scenery rivaled by popular Florida and Caribbean destinations. It is possible to stroll along the beach and through the surf and see to the Sound because high-rise buildings do not mark the landscape like the Crystal Coast's well-known northern neighbor. Accommodations in the Southern Outer Banks range from seaside cottages and massive beach mansions to oceanfront hotel rooms and bed and breakfast suites. A typical week in a beachfront house saves a budget-conscious family 50% off the cost of a house in the crowded destinations to the north or south.
Location on the planet. Beginning at the tip of the island at Fort Macon and ending in Emerald Isle, The Crystal Coast includes the communities of Emerald Isle, Atlantic Beach, Morehead City, Beaufort, and Cape Lookout.
Make it happen. Test our high value low coast theory. Get more information on family vacation options along the Crystal Coast. Toll-free 1-800-786-6962 or
www.crystalcoastnc.org
Content and images provided by Crystal Coast CVB. Copyright 2009.
