The Crystal Coast of North Carolina

The authentic "coastal experience" features waters of crystalline purity bordering sandy, sparkling beaches. An eccentric history steeped in legendary tales of swashbuckling pirate adventures and ghostly encounters. Exotic wild horses roaming the same shores for centuries and generations reflecting southern tradition. The Crystal Coast is one of the rare places on Earth where it is still possible to not see or hear another soul on the beach. The freedom to experience complete solitude with only the gentle lull of the waters of the Atlantic or the sounds of twittering Piping Plovers to disrupt thoughts lost in the sounds of nature. To understand the real coastal experience is to feel the tranquil sea breezes gently blowing across glassy waters, to stroll the historical streets of a quaint maritime village saturated with memories of the past and to dine on "fresh from the docks" seafood at a waterfront bistro. It is both a place and a state of mind representing a departure from the ordinary and arrival at the extraordinary.

Location

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.

Coastal Portrait

Miles of shimmering water reflecting countless tiny suns during the day and shattering the moon into a thousand pieces at night. Lush maritime forests edging 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.

Coastal Gems

The "gems" of the Crystal Coast include Atlantic Beach, Beaufort, Emerald Isle, Harker's Island and Morehead City, each one as distinct and precious as the next.