Crystal Coast North Carolina

This month I had the opportunity to spend a week's vacation near the Crystal Coast/Bogue Banks section of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, thanks to the generosity of a friend with a timeshare. Being a special education teacher, I really needed this break and so did my husband and daughter. We have our summers off together, but the last several summers have been really rough with family illnesses and losses.

We stayed in a resort area outside of the historic town of New Bern run by Vacation Resorts International ( they also rent units out to vacationers in addition to running the time shares). The resort was about 40 miles from the barrier island locations of Atlantic Beach,  Pine Knoll Shores and Emerald Isle. The many amenities offered by the resort included indoor and outdoor pools, whirlpool, sauna, game room, fitness center, tennis courts, miniature golf and a marina with restaurant and a tiny store.

With all the choices within walking distance ( we rode bikes to the rec center most of the time) as well as a beautiful condo with a private deck and over-sized jacuzzi, it was hard convincing my husband to leave the resort grounds and go exploring with me.
We did get to visit Atlantic Beach twice. On the advice of a kind vacationer staying at the resort, we avoided the developed areas of the beach and spent a day at Fort Macon state Park located at the north end of the island with beautiful, panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, Beaufort Inlet and Bogue Sound.  The park has a serene, undeveloped beach area with a small concessions stand and bath house. 
On our second visit to Atlantic Beach, we returned to the state park again to check out the civil war era fort. The stop included an exploration of the modern visitor's center and museum and a self-guided tour of the fort itself.

We also visited the aquarium in Pine Knoll Shores. I have been to the National Aquarium in Baltimore which is huge and rather expensive.  The Pine Knoll shores aquarium is much smaller, but was worth the eight dollar per person entrance fee. For a small aquarium, they boast impressive collections of sharks, penguins, sea turtles, and otters, among other exotic exhibits.

Although we did not get to see much of historic New Bern, we did go into town for the best Fourth of July fireworks show that I have seen in years. We topped off the last day of our visit by spending almost the entire day at the indoor pool ( it was over 100 degrees outside) and the game room.  My  17 year old daughter Olivia was so enthralled with the resort and the area that she nearly cried when it was time to pack up.  We hope to return again when time and finances allow.

http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/main.php