I have been living near Emerald Isle for about a year now. You often get a different perspective of an area when you are a local. It turns out I am even more excited about the area than when I used to visit as tourist.
There are no guarantees anywhere for a perfect vacation, but if you come for a visit to Emerald Isle, the odds are very good for a magical vacation which will restore your appreciation of the natural world.
Emerald Isle is the place for those whose idea of fun is something different than the night life of Myrtle Beach.
On Emerlad Isle you will find safe, uncrowded beaches. Walking those sandy beaches and listenting to the surf can make the tensions of the modern world drain away. I am not kidding when I say there is actually room to walk on the beach. We do it three or four times a week, all year round. On our walks, we see plenty of people relaxing in beach chairs, reading a book, or just watching the waves.
A day of fun on the beach or in the surrounding area can include lots of phyical activity like swimming, fishing, bike riding, jogging, kayaking, walking the trails, or even visiting quaint shops in neaby Swansboro. In the evening after wearing yourself out and a nice seafood meal, you are ready for bed, and if you are really lucky a night of sleep with the sound of real waves in the background.
Emerald Isle is justifiably proud of its image as one of the last real family beaches. Almost everyone that visits falls in love and comes back again and again.
As in any area with hundreds of individual accomodations available for rent, your individual experience is going to have a lot to do with the property that you rent or the motel you choose.
If you are renting a beach property, the best suggestion is that you pay careful attention to your rental company's reputation.
Even without that I can assure you that all rental companies depend on repeat business so all of them want to make your trip enjoyable so you will come back next year.
You can find the latest accomodation information at the Crystal Costal Travel Plannng site. The Beaufort Historical Society also provides some accommodation information.
Before you come, you should know that Emerald Isle is not a large place, but it is a place with a wonderful atmosphere for a safe and fun-filled vacation. Along the Crystal Coast, with the current estimate of 3,800 year round residents, Emerald Isle is one of the larger towns in Carteret County which has around 64,000 permanent residents. That may not seem like a lot but most of us think that number is about perfect.
Of course that population goes way up in the summer both across the county and in Emerald Isle. The area's permanent residents are happy to see tourists since many of the area jobs are dependent on the tourist business. Tourists provide a welcome boost to our local businesses and help them stay year round.
When you compare Emerald Isle to many of the other east coast beaches, it is very uncrowded and clean. It is easy to enjoy your own private space on the beach. There are no high rise condominiums to pack the beaches.
Part of what attracted me to Emerald Isle is that it reminds me of the Carolina beaches of my youth. You can still walk on a fishing pier in the evening or even go fishing on the beach.
The days on Emerald Isle seem to slow down. There always is plenty of time to enjoy an ice cream cone or a walk on the beach. A vacation in our uncrowded area lets you surf fish, swim, or just relax on the beach without getting in anyone's way.
While in the last few years, a number of large oceanfront homes, locally know as sandcastles have become popular for family reunions, it is still possible in Emerald Isle to find reasonably priced accomodations within walking distance of the beaches. The Islander Motel is even being converted to one of those new condotels.
One of the reasons people come back to Emerald Isle year after year is the abundance of convenient services for visitors and full time residents. Even on the popular Satruday and Sunday check in days for the rentals, it is possible to slide into area grocery stores without too much inconvenience. Emerald Isle has its own Food Lion grocery store, and just across the bridge in Cape Carteret is a Lowe's Food Store. There is also another Food Lion and a Piggly Wiggly in Swansboro just a few miles away.
There is a CVS Drugstore on the Island, an Ace Hardware, an ABC Store, and the Captain Willis Seafood Market among other places to buy seafood. Emerald Planation and some of the other strip malls provide plenty of shopping, a movie theater, movie rentals, coffee shop, and specialty stores including a number of places with fishing tackle for the guys. There are a plenty of shops for the ladies in Swansboro about ten minutes away. For those who don't mind traveling a little farther the Beaufort historic district and its shops and museum are only thirty five minutes from Emerald Isle. If you just have to use a computer while at the beach and yours is at home, there are even places with computers and access to the Internet. If you bring your laptop computer, you will find that most of Emerald Isle has wireless service through Time-Warner Cable's Speedzone fee-based service.
A few restaurants call Emerald Isle home, and there are more on the neighboring mainland. I have a restaurant website with some recommendations of ones that I have enjoyed. It is worth noting that many of the area restaurants are small, and it is a great challenge to maintain consistency when they are overwhelmed so be patient. The wait is worth it. I think the restaurants along the Crystal Coast do a fine job of preparing some exceptional seafood.
You can often get better service and even tastier meals during peak season by adopting a slightly different meal schedule than the general population. You should also note that our restaurants sometimes have interesting hours, so check before you show up at the door. Some are closed one day a week to give the staff time to rest.
There are a number of attractions in the Emerald Isle area including some wonderful trails, two golf courses (Silver Creek and Star Hill), a driving range, three minature golf courses, bumper boats, bike trails and a water slide. There is also beach volleyball at the western regional access. Of course with a new salt water fishing license, you have lots of places to try your luck fishing. You can also fish from the Bogue Inlet Pier without a license. You can always count on some fishing action and friendly people there. There are also a number of fishing guides in the area for those who want almost guaranteed success.
At the Golfin' Dolpin in Cape Carteret you will find a large driving range, baseball and softball batting cages, go-carts and bumper boats along with their 18 hole miniature golf course. They also have under construction a bowling alley and arcade.
If you want to camp there is the Croatan National Forest Campground in Cedar Point which has a boat ramp for small boats. Larger boats can also be launched in Cedar Point at the state managed ramp and at the marinas in Swansboro, Cedar Point, and Emerald Isle.
There are places on the Island to rent bikes for leisurely rides on the nicely done bike paths that parallel Emerald Drive. Of course you can also walk the paths and enjoy the benches that are strategically placed along the way.
Emerald Isle even provides beach wheel chairs daily on a first come first served basis from the town Fire Department.
Probably one of the nicest things about Emerald Isle is that the beach seems to have room for everyone who wants to enjoy the beach. The range of accomodations and the relative ease of finding a parking space at either the eastern or western regional beach accesses makes going to the beach something that everyone can enjoy.
There are a few parking spots tucked away at the small lot at Third Street Beach or if you want to sneak next door to Salter Path you can enjoy the beautiful elevated walkway in the Roosevelt Natural Area. There is also parking out near the The Point which is one of my favorite spots. I am hoping to get a permit so I can drive my truck on the beach during fall fishing season.
Vacationing on Emerald Isle is a restful experience. When you are done enjoying the beach for the day, you enjoy some fantastic seafood at one of the area restaurants which are easily accessible in Emerald Isle, Cedar Point, Cape Carteret, and Swansboro. You are not going to fight huge traffic jams to go out to dinner. If you are here in peak season and choose to go to dinner between six and eight in the evening, you will likely have to wait unless you are clever enough to find some of our local spots a little off the beaten path like T&Ws Oyster House on Route 58.
If you want to miss the crowds, have a late lunch and then enjoy some ice cream for dinner from Ben & Jerry's, The Sweet Spot, the Dairy Queen, or the Custard Place on Coast Guard Road.
An additional resource for planning your trip is the official Crystal Coast Travel Planner.
You can also find out lots of local information by checking the website of The Island Review or Dropping Anchor. Dropping Anchor's March 07 issue was about the history of Emerald Isle and is available online as a downloadable PDF.
There are pictures of the area at my Picasa Web Albums and Flickr sites. I also have companion travel guides to Beaufort and Swansboro. The links to all of those things on my homepage.
Another source of great information is Emerald Isle's website.
Remember also that Emerald Isle is more than just a summer beach, there's a great Christmas parade held every year and the Saint Patrick's Day Festival is one of the most enjoyable around. Even walking the beach in January can be very pleasant.
Whatever you do when you visit the Island, I hope you go home having walked the beaches. May the taste of fresh seafood remain in your memory until you can visit again.
My last wish is that you come away from Emerald Isle with an appreciation for the clear waters of the Crystal Coast and how important it is that we protect them. If you can do that I would rate your vacation as a success.
I want to thank Emerald Isle's Mayor Art Schools for taking the time to help me through some areas that I had yet to figure out.
Check out this boat trip to Shackleford Banks for more local scenery.