Fun at the Coast

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Coastal "Must-See" List

20 Things You Gotta Do At The Coast

With hundreds of miles of shoreline, North Carolina has so many great sights, sounds and activities on our coast that it can sometimes be difficult to figure out which ones to enjoy first.

So, here's a list of twenty coastal treasures to put on your list, attractions, sights, and sounds that you’ll absolutely have to see and do before you can say you’ve truly experienced the NC coast.

1. Climb the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Buxton
   It is one of the defining symbols of North Carolina, a light in the darkness, a historic lifesaving sentinel towering over the Graveyard of the Atlantic. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, built in 1870 and moved 2,900 feet inland in 1999 to save it from the encroaching ocean, still shines over the Atlantic, and is available for climbing in warmer months. It’s a strenuous climb (248 spiral stairs – equal to climbing a 12 story building), but everyone should try it at least once.
2. Stand on the deck of the USS NORTH CAROLINA, Wilmington
   When the USS NORTH CAROLINA was commissioned in 1941, she was called the “the world’s greatest sea weapon,” and more than 7,000 sailors served aboard her, logging more than 300,000 miles. The USS NORTH CAROLINA saw action in every major naval offensive in the Pacific, and played a major role in the US victory in World War II. Scheduled to be scrapped in 1958, an outpouring of support from NC residents brought her to Wilmington as a State Historic Site. This floating piece of history is open year-round, and tours take about two hours.
3. Bite into the taste of Calabash Seafood, Calabash
   Calabash, North Carolina is a tiny little fishing village tucked in the southeastern corner of the state. Only 180 people live here, along with 75 fishing boats and 32 restaurants, many with a reputation for excellent seafood. There are many variations on the ‘official’ Calabash style, but at its most basic the New York Times describes Calabash as “generous portions, reasonable prices, fresh food, and a relaxed and homey atmosphere.”
4. Paddle through the Great Dismal Swamp, South Mills
   It’s hard to believe that something named ‘Dismal’ could be so wild and scenic, but the Great Dismal Swamp straddling the North Carolina-Virginia border proves that names can be misleading. Teeming with wildlife and 23 species of fish, the swamp is a great place to experience nature at its most remote and wild. Explore the dark water in a canoe or kayak and discover bears, bobcats and wild orchids among the primordial swampland.
5. Find ‘The Lost Colony’, Manteo
   One of history’s greatest mysteries is played out on an outdoor stage during summer months at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site on Roanoke Island. First produced in 1937, 'The Lost Colony' America’s oldest outdoor drama and tells the story of the colonists who settled on the island in 1587, then mysteriously vanished. The production has sold more than three million tickets over the years, and has provided fertile training ground for famous personalities such as Andy Griffith, Terrance Mann, and William Ivey Long.
6. Get the royal treatment at Tryon Palace, New Bern
   Built between 1767 and 1770, Tryon Palace is a massive Georgian-style palace that served as North Carolina’s first state capitol after independence was declared. George Washington dined and danced here, and the palace remained the seat of state government until the capitol was moved to Raleigh in 1794. The palace burned in 1798 and was painstakingly rebuilt in the early 1950s. Today, the palace and its 13 acres of grounds are maintained as a State Historic Site.
7. Dance to beach music on Carolina Beach
   It’s a unique blend of musical styles from the 40s, 50s, and 60s, but even to this day, Beach Music is as popular as ever on the NC coast. There are many places to ‘get into the groove’ on our beaches, but one of the best is at the Pleasure Island Beach Music Festival held every year on the first Saturday of June on Carolina Beach.
8. Feel safe inside Fort Macon, Atlantic Beach
   Surrounded by water on three sides, this pentagonal-shaped fortress was built to last, with nine million bricks and outer walls that average 4.5 feet thick. It was one of 38 coastal fortifications built by the US between 1817 and 1865 to protect the coastline, but only saw battle once…when Union forces re-took the fortress during the Civil War. After several years as a federal prison, Fort Macon was sold to the state for one dollar in 1923 and eventually became NC’s first functioning state park.
9. Drive the length of NC Highway 12, Outer Banks
   Spanning 148 miles from the Outer Banks village of Corolla to the town of Sealevel, there is no other road like it in the world. On this mostly two-lane highway, you will see the Atlantic Ocean, the Pamlico Sound, the Wright Brothers Memorial and four lighthouses. You’ll ride past mile upon mile of unspoiled coastline, go through several charming beach towns, and take two ferry rides. Experience this ride along the edge of the world, and witness the fragile beauty of this unique string of barrier islands.
   
10. Say your prayers in NC’s oldest church, Bath
    The tiny coastal fishing village of Bath, in Beaufort County, lays claim to many North Carolina ‘firsts’, including first town (1705), first shipyard (1707), and first public library (1701). But St. Thomas Episcopal Church, the oldest still-existing church in the state, is worth a stop on anyone’s itinerary. The church was built in 1734, its bell is two decades older than the Liberty Bell, and a silver candelabra is believed to be a gift from King George II. Today, it is part of the Bath State Historic Site.
11. Slide down Jockey’s Ridge, Nags Head
    If you like to stick your toes in the sand, there are 12 million cubic yards of it at Jockey’s Ridge, a sand dune that stands 90 feet high and is visible from space. It was nearly paved over for development in 1973 but local resident Carolista Baum took a stand against a bulldozer and helped launch a grassroots campaign to preserve it as a state park. The sunset from the summit is worth the climb, and sliding down the slopes will make you feel like a kid again.
12. Ride the ferry to Bear Island, Swansboro  
    The state’s largest undeveloped barrier island, Bear Island is a genuine pearl in the necklace of islands that skirt the coast. The island is the centerpiece of Hammocks Beach State Park, where the only thing that’s crowded is the list of things to do. It’s accessible only by boat, but once you’re there you’ll find a quiet, pristine beach that is much the same as it was when it was discovered. Fish, paddle a canoe trail through the marshes, or stroll the three-mile beach with gulls and sandpipers. For a truly ‘wild’ experience, spend the night at one of the campsites.
13. Get into show business at EUE Screen Gems, Wilmington 
    The Wilmington area is known as ‘Hollywood of the East’, and it’s easy to see why when you tour EUE Screen Gems, the largest television and movie production facility outside of California. The one-hour tour of the studios provides visitors with a glimpse into two decades of movie history in Wilmington, as well as a visit to the set of the WB hit One Tree Hill. For a more in-depth look at movie locations around town, try the Hollywood Location Walk of Old Wilmington.
14. Hear about ‘Hoi Toide on the saned soid’, Ocracoke Island
    Isolated by geography for generations, this little fishing village on the Outer Banks still has an ‘other world’ feel to it. Still only accessible by boat, Ocracoke is as quaint as they come. The lighthouse, built in 1823, is the oldest operating lighthouse in NC. You’ll also see the famous Banker Ponies, wild horses believed to be descended from horses abandoned by the Lost Colony. And, the island has it’s own brogue handed down from the original Scots-Irish settlers in the region. If someone tells you that it’s ‘hoi toide on the saned soid’ (high tide on the sound side), you’re hearing a brogue like none other in the world. 
15. Discover treasures at the NC Maritime Museum, Beaufort
    Much of North Carolina’s history is tied to the sea, and at this museum, you will hear much of that story. From seashells to boat-building classes, our rich nautical history comes to life in displays, collections, programs and field trips. It all started as a simple North Carolina exhibit for the 1898 International Fishing Expedition in Norway, but the NC Maritime Museum is a beautiful, world-class museum on the water in historic Beaufort. 
16. Let your spirit soar at the Wright Brothers Memorial, Kill Devil Hills
    Mankind went from being grounded to landing on the moon in less than two generations, and it all started on this stretch of sand on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. This is where Orville Wright made the world’s first powered flight on December 17, 1903… and although that first flight lasted only 12 seconds and covered less distance than the length of a modern airliner, what he and his brother Wilbur did that day put this piece of land forever in the history books.
17. Explore Bald Head Island by bicycle
    Leave your car and your worries behind when you take the twenty-minute ferry ride from Southport to Bald Head Island. Transportation here is limited to golf carts, bicycles, skates, and walking…and 10,000 of the island’s 12,000 acres are unspoiled beach, marsh, and maritime forest. Climb to the top of Old Baldy, North Carolina’s oldest lighthouse. Play a round on the championship links at the Bald Head Island Club. Or, just ride around and enjoy the wildlife and scenery as you experience life at a slower, more leisurely pace. 
18. Dive into history at Fort Raleigh, Manteo
    When Sir Walter Raleigh sent his second expedition to the New World in 1585, it was supposed to go to Florida. Instead, they ran into a few problems and ended up at Roanoke Island and established the first English colony in America. They left after a year, but returned with more colonists in July of 1587. When the entire bunch vanished, The Lost Colony became one of history’s most well known mysteries. This is an important place in our nation’s story – The Lost Colony preceded Jamestown by nearly twenty years, and it also produced the first English child born in the New World, Virginia Dare.
19. Drink a Pepsi where it all began, New Bern
    You can thank Caleb Bradham for giving us that familiar taste. If not for his New Bern pharmacy, there would be no Pepsi-Cola, and no North Carolina rival to that ‘other’ cola made in Atlanta. Invented in 1898, Bradham’s Pepsi was a product of its time, when many pharmacies offered specialty fountain drinks that were intended to boost energy and aid digestion. The first batches of syrup were cooked up in the pharmacy’s cellar and sold to other soda fountain businesses. Considered less medicinal than its competitors, it was a hit, and by 1902, Pepsi was its own incorporated business. Drink one at the Birthplace of Pepsi-Cola store, on the corner of Middle and Pollock Streets in downtown New Bern, where this “taste of the Carolinas” got its start. You can also purchase plenty of Pepsi memorabilia here as well. 
20. Marvel at the sight of wild horses, Outer Banks
    North Carolina’s Outer Banks are one of only a few places in the United States where horses still run free. While their origins are a matter of speculation, we do know that wild horses have occupied these barrier islands for more than 400 years. There are three distinct herds here… the Shackelford Ponies on the Shackelford Banks near Cape Lookout, the Ocracoke Ponies just south of the Hatteras ferry landing, and the Wild Horses of Corolla near the Virginia border. Many of the Outer Banks wild horses can be spotted from the road or on a ferry, but there are also several guided tours that will get you within photographic view of these majestic beasts.

added: April 13, 2009

updated: June 11, 2009