It wasn’t until recently that I discovered the East Coast boasts its own magical, beautiful waters, close to home in North Carolina. Some call it the Southern Outer Banks, others refer to it as North Carolina’s Crystal Coast, or, as I found it known as Emerald Isle Beach. I was in search of clear, beautiful waters where I could explore with both my young adult son, teenage daughter, and my favorite companion, my German Shepherd, North, for a nice 4-night summer vacation on a budget. The bonus? Emerald Isle Beach is known as one of North Carolina’s most dog-friendly beaches. Family and dog-friendly fun just a short drive from my hometown, and off we went to the emerald waters just south of us.
Top 5 Activities on the North Carolina Crystal Coast
You will find there is an endless amount of activities you can participate in while visiting the Crystal Coast. Here are the top 5 best activities that are fun, memorable, and will promise to keep your budget in check.
1. Emerald Isle Beach
The number one reason for our trip was to visit Emerald Isle Beach. I wanted to see the emerald colors of the water reflecting off the sun’s rays and let North partake in this adventure with us as well. I researched and read so much about how beautiful this beach was, I needed to see for myself, and it did not disappoint! Emerald Isle Beach is just as nice as they say it is. The beach wasn’t overly crowded, and we visited on weekdays and the weekend during our stay. This beach does have a lifeguard on duty, which always makes me feel safe.
Dog-Friendly Fun
I love that dogs are allowed to swim in the same areas as people, as long as they stay on a 6-foot leash and are controlled by their owner. There are no set time limits on when dogs can visit the beach, either. Year-round dogs are welcome at both Emerald Isle Beach and the surrounding restaurants. Located along North Carolina’s Crystal Coast, Emerald Isle Beach is the perfect spot for dogs to run and play along the shoreline.
Please be respectful and clean up after your pet on the beach. North had a blast swimming in the ocean until one too many waves caught her off-guard; then it was time to retreat under our umbrella. There is no boardwalk here, as you may find at other beaches around the U.S. It consists mostly of the larger beach homes and dunes, which I actually love more than the view of shops from the shoreline.
Shopping
But, if shopping is your thing when on vacation, there are plenty of souvenir shops and other novelty stores for your choosing along Emerald Drive, which is just one block up from the beach itself. Think Pacific Superstore, Breeza Beachwear and Sweet Spot to name a few. It is fairly easy to navigate around Emerald Isle in total. Emerald Drive is the main road in and out of Emerald Isle from either direction – east or west. It really just depends on where you’re staying and which direction you choose to go. For us, it was about 25 minutes in either direction from our VRBO.
Beach Parking
As for parking, that’ll be your only expense if you plan to visit Emerald Isle beach for the day. I found the best parking at Emerald Isle Public Parking right off of Emerald Drive. It was convenient, close to the beach, clean public restrooms, a rinsing station to get all the beach sand off of you and your furry friend, and an area for your pup to take a potty break. It’s best to arrive fairly early in the morning to get parking. This is one of the larger public parking areas on Emerald Isle, and it does fill up quickly. You can try to book online in advance of your beach day(s), or you can pay when you arrive. I booked at the beach on the day of each day.
Parking: Emerald Isle Public Parking
Cost: $4 per hour/ $20 for the entire day (beach parking closes at 6 pm) You can stay parked after 6 pm, but you must pay up until this time.
2. Sand Dollar Sand Bar
Before I dive into the details of this excursion, I must clarify that online, you will hear this called Sand Dollar Island. But I was corrected multiple times when booking our reservations by the Ferry Captain that “it is not an island, ma’am, it is a sand bar.” I found it quite comical how adamant he was to make sure I understood we are booking to visit a sandbar and not an island. I must say this was a fun-for-all family excursion that didn’t break the bank to participate in.
Ferry Services
Here are the details of the excursion and the ferry we specifically booked. I highly recommend this ferry service as they are dog-friendly as well (for no additional charge). All other ferries I found in my research charge a fee to bring your dog with you. You must book a reservation in advance, or else you may not be able to participate in this excursion. I booked our reservation about a month out. When we arrived, they were sold out for a week beyond our trip dates.
Ferry: Island Ferry Adventures
Cost: $20 (ages 12+), $15 (ages 11 and under)/ Dogs are free to ride
If it’s not obvious to you by the time you’ve reached this part of my post, the Sand Dollar Sand Bar is where you can find sand dollars. The ferry drops you off at the sandbar for 2 hours. This is plenty of time! During this time, you can walk through the low-tide sand bar and search for sand dollars. The deepest part of the water I walked through was to my knees, and I’m 5’1″ for reference.
Sand Dollar Etiquette
We lucked out, and my son found a live sand dollar. You are not allowed to remove them from the waters, and please do not. They are live creatures, and removing them will kill the sand dollar, and you will face a hefty fine of $500 per sand dollar removed! We did find about 2-3 full sand dollars and several broken sand dollars. You are encouraged to bring your own beach chairs, snacks in a small cooler, umbrella, etc., if you’d like. We left everything back except for a backpack cooler for water and snacks, and we were just fine.
3. Bird Shoal Island
While we were searching for sand dollars, we could look off in the near distant and see Bird Shoal Island. Bird Shoal Island is a 1.5-mile beach that provides you with calm waters, wild horses, and absolute peace. It is part of the Rachel Carson Reserve located in Beaufort, North Carolina. We visited the island during the week, and it was fairly empty with a bit of an overcast that didn’t last too long after we arrived. It was nice and quiet. It felt like we had the entire island to ourselves. You can walk along the shoreline to collect sea shells, look for more sand dollars (I found one), take some photos of the wild horses, wade/swim in the water, or simply soak in the sun and the uninhabited peacefulness that surrounds you.
Ferry Services
You can only get to Bird Shoal Island by boat. The same ferry we took to visit Sand Dollar Sand Bar provides transportation to Bird Shoal Island. There is no requirement for a reservation, and the ferry visits the island frequently throughout the day to bring visitors to/from. Their only requirement is that you book your return time from the island before departing on the ferry for the day. Don’t worry, though, if you find you’re on the island and would like to depart back to land earlier than your initially planned time, you can call Island Ferry Adventures, and they will work to bring you back earlier.
It’s about a 10-15-minute ferry ride to the island. We packed our beach umbrellas, towels, chairs, and our backpack cooler and spent a half-day on Bird Shoal Island. If you’re looking for beach waves to ride, this is not the island for you. You’ll want to venture off to Emerald Isle Beach.
Ferry: Island Ferry Adventures
Cost: $15 (ages 12+), $10 (ages 11 and under)/ Dogs are free to ride
4. North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
Another fabulous and fun activity we embarked on was visiting the North Carolina Aquarium. It’s located in Pine Knoll Shores and was just a short 20-minute drive from our VRBO. Unfortunately, this activity does not allow your family dog (service dogs welcome), but that means more rest for them back at your home-away-from-home for more activities together later. My family and I love animals of all kinds, so every vacation must consist of some animal encounter, in or out of the water.
While the aquarium isn’t large, it does have plenty of aquatic creatures (sharks, frogs, urchins…) and reptiles for your viewing. There’s a touch and learn area where you and/or your children can experience what it feels like to touch an urchin, along with hermit crabs. They also have an outdoor pathway that leads to where a couple of bald eagles were rescued after being hit by a car. They cannot fly, but they’re just as majestic posing on the ground as they are in the sky. Definitely worth a look!
Location: North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
Cost: $13 (ages 3-12), $15 (ages 13-61), $14 (Military w/ID, Seniors 62+)
5. Sunset Walks Along the Beach
One of my favorite moments I had at Emerald Isle was walking along the shoreline, capturing the sunset with both my daughter and North. The weather was perfect, and the sunsets are definitely worth snapping some photos. The gentle breeze off the ocean waters, minimal people, a peaceful quiet that you won’t find during the day at Emerald Isle. Parking is free after 6 pm, so it worked out perfectly for us. North loved playing in the sand and running along with my daughter. The 6-foot leash law still applies to evening strolls along the shoreline with your beloved fur-baby. I loved capturing the two of them together playing. It was as if the sunset paused briefly so I could gather these memories in time.
Visiting the Crystal Coast doesn’t have to break the bank! Create memorable adventures with your family and fur-babies. Have you explored any of these spots? Share your favorites in the comments!
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