Pine Knoll Shores and Fort Macon

Just over three hours from the Triangle is the Crystal Coast of North Carolina. Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach are very popular destinations in the summer. In the winter, well, this area is not very crowded at all. We started our trip by driving to Pine Knoll Shores, home of the newest (most recently remodeled I should say) of the three North Carolina Aquariums.

The Aquarium is pretty nice, with a large indoor waterfall, huge tanks full of fish, and very reasonable entrance fees. Annual memberships are very affordable, and AZA reciprocity include free admission to the NC Zoo, and many other aquariums and zoos around the county. Membership typically pays for itself after three visits to an eligible park.

After we left the Aquarium, we headed up the island to Fort Macon State Park. Fort Macon is very well preserved and is a neat way to spend an hour or so exploring. There is a lot of history here and some neat things to photograph.

After leaving Fort Macon, we headed back to the mainland, and drove around Morehead City and Beaufort. Being the off season, we didn't find anything to do this trip, so we started to head back home to the triangle via New Bern, NC.


New Bern, was once the Capital of North Carolina, and Tryon Palace is a popular tourist destination. It is also the birthplace of Pepsi-cola. For today's trip, we were here for only one thing, seafood at the Stingray Cafe. We had eaten here once before, in May, and had steamed blue crabs that were delecious and very reasonably priced. Blue crabs aren't exactly in season in January, so we had to get something different. Jenn ordered the softshell crab, and I had a craving for clam strips. Still good, and even more affordable than the crabs we had last time. This has become our go to place when we are in the area.

Links:
Crystal Coast NC
Fort Macon State Park
NC Aquariums - Pine Knoll Shores
Stingray Cafe - Urbanspoon

Raven Rock State Park

Just outside of Lillington, NC, off Highway 421 is Raven Rock State Park. On the Cape Fear River, this park features many miles of hiking trails that are both people and pet friendly. The trails can be muddy after a rain, or a rare North Carolina snow event.

Links:
Raven Rock State Park

Southern NC Coast Day Trip

This was an all day trip from Raleigh. We started by heading southeast towards Wilmington via I-40. Then US17 south to NC133 towards Southport. Before you get to Southport, off Plantation Road lies Brunswick Town / Fort Anderson NC Historic Site. Brunswick Town was a pre-revolutionary war port on the Cape Fear River that was destroyed by the British. It was never rebuilt as a town, but the same site was used to construct Fort Anderson during the Civil War. There is a walking trail around where the town used to lie, and some excavations have been done to show where buildings once stood. The most remarkable structure remaining is what is left of St. Philips Church.










After leaving Fort Anderson, we continue on towards Southport. Southport is a small coastal community. In the summer, I would imagine it to be much more crowded that what it was in the winter. We enjoyed lunch at Fishy Fishy Cafe before driving up the road to the NC Ferry Terminal to take the Ferry across the river to Fort Fisher.

The ferry ride across the river takes about 30 minutes or so, and when the weather is nice, its fun to get out of the cars, walk around, and enjoy the sights and smells. Many people bring food to feed the seagulls, but do it from the back of the ship. It does cost a few dollars, but you would spend that in gas driving around the river to use the bridge in Wilmington.

During the Summer, we love 4x4 driving on the beach at Fort Fisher, but on this trip we had the car, so we were here to see the Aquarium and to see the Fort Fisher Historic Site. The aquarium at Ft. Fisher isn't as nice as the one in Pine Knoll Shores, but it still is nice. AZA members get in free, so its really hard to complain.

 After leaving the Aquarium, we had planned on stopping at Fort Fisher, State Historic Site. But, as it was getting close to 5:00, we decided to skip it this trip and head back towards home.

Links:
Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson - NC Historic Site
Fishy Fishy Cafe
NC DOT Ferry Division
NC Aquarium - Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher - NC Historic Site