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All-American Beach Offers 10 Activities for $10 or Less

April 15, 2009

EMERALD ISLE • ATLANTIC BEACH • MOREHEAD CITY • BEAUFORT • CAPE LOOKOUT, N.C. – June 1, 2008 – With the cost of gas hovering around $4 a gallon this summer, families are staying closer to home and the Crystal Coast is only one tank away from many major southeast markets – and the savings continue in North Carolina’s budget-friendly destination, where the 85 miles of beach is the draw for summer visitors. The Crystal Coast has more than six beaches, each with distinguishable characteristics from the undeveloped Cape Lookout National Seashore to crowd-pleasing Emerald Isle. As they have for generations, families continue to flock to this favored location, which offers a range of accommodations options starting at $100, but all for significantly less than comparable lodging at neighboring beaches. The Crystal Coast also offers 15 additional activities all for under $10, or free, for the sun-drenched, from touring historic Beaufort to exploring the North Carolina Aquarium.
Beginning at the tip of the island at Fort Macon and ending in Emerald Isle, the beaches of the Crystal Coast’s Southern Outer Banks are not overly populated, but visitors enjoy sands and scenery rivaled by more popular Florida and Caribbean destinations. Guests walk through the surf and see to the Sound, as 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 moon into a thousand pieces at night. Lush maritime forests edge the silken coast like emerald jewels studding a royal crown. 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.
For more information on summer activities in the Crystal Coast call (800) 786-6962 or visit www.crystalcoastnc.org.

« Back to Releases

Year 2010
For More Media Information
Jamey Ivey
The Zimmerman Agency
(850) 668-2222
jivey@zimmerman.com


Press Kit Attractions At-a-Glance Accommodations Dining Saltwater Activities Island Hopping Festivals Releases Resources Image Library Archives Search Contact News @lerts Consumer Website	Releases All-American Beach Offers 10 Activities for $10 or Less April 15, 2009 EMERALD ISLE • ATLANTIC BEACH • MOREHEAD CITY • BEAUFORT • CAPE LOOKOUT, N.C. – June 1, 2008 – With the cost of gas hovering around $4 a gallon this summer, families are staying closer to home and the Crystal Coast is only one tank away from many major southeast markets – and the savings continue in North Carolina’s budget-friendly destination, where the 85 miles of beach is the draw for summer visitors. The Crystal Coast has more than six beaches, each with distinguishable characteristics from the undeveloped Cape Lookout National Seashore to crowd-pleasing Emerald Isle. As they have for generations, families continue to flock to this favored location, which offers a range of accommodations options starting at $100, but all for significantly less than comparable lodging at neighboring beaches. The Crystal Coast also offers 15 additional activities all for under $10, or free, for the sun-drenched, from touring historic Beaufort to exploring the North Carolina Aquarium. Beginning at the tip of the island at Fort Macon and ending in Emerald Isle, the beaches of the Crystal Coast’s Southern Outer Banks are not overly populated, but visitors enjoy sands and scenery rivaled by more popular Florida and Caribbean destinations. Guests walk through the surf and see to the Sound, as 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 moon into a thousand pieces at night. Lush maritime forests edge the silken coast like emerald jewels studding a royal crown. 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. For more information on summer activities in the Crystal Coast call (800) 786-6962 or visit www.crystalcoastnc.org. « Back to Releases
	Year 2010 For More Media Information Jamey Ivey The Zimmerman Agency (850) 668-2222 jivey@zimmerman.com