yes. you picked a good spot for the beach. not as much to do in AB compared to Myrtle Beach, but the beaches in NC are prettier than SC, imo.

Oh my gosh, go go go to Atlantic Beach for an amazing vacation. Atlantic beach is my favorite and I think it is better than any of the other beaches. There are lots of shells and at night you can go out and see crabs running around. It isn't crowded at all, and there aren't any drunk partiers like there are at Myrtle Beach. There are lots of great condos for rent. Here is why I think it is the best to go to:

- WONDERFUL restaurants owned by boat captains - MRS. CULPEPPER'S CRAB CAFE in Morehead City is the BEST in the whole world

- Morehad City and Beaufort are five minutes away from the island that Atlantic Beach is on (you call it Bogue Banks) and they are really fun places to go

- BEAUFORT is my favorite place to go while I am there. It is a tiny little perfect, picturesque town by the sound with a marina and boardwalk on the water with shops and restaurants and music at night. I love it so much. THere is a FREE Maritime museum that is highly entertaining and right across from the Maritime Museum is a place that has boats you can pay to take you to the really excitijng places. It is usually only 12-13 dollars a person and so worth it. Get them to take you to Shackleford Banks so you can experience a deserted island. Take a cooler and set up for a few hours on the beach and see the wild horses on the island. I found the craziest and largest sea shells I have ever found, so take bags and buckets. Also get them to take you to SAND DOLLAR ISLANd to find hundreds of sand dollars for free (well except for the price you paid for them to take you there - 12 dollars). It is a sandbar that appears at low tide and if you take goggles and explore the shallow waters ont eh sound side of the sandbar you will find a TON of perfect, all size sand dollars. I found one hundred and fifty when my sister, my boyfriend, and I went last summer! We layered the fragile sand dollars in a bucket with grocery bags. THen you preserve them with a mixture of water and glue. Your teenagers will really love sand dollar island and shackleford banks.

Also, THere is a huge old fort on the northern tip of atlantic beach (fort macon) and you can get a guided tour of it every day. It is amazing, with a moat and everything. It is also haunted so ask about the ghost stories! There is a REALLY NICE aquarium on the island that just opened after a two year renovation! Don't miss that! Last time I was there I saw a sea turtle laying her eggs on the beach - can you believe it?!?!?!?!?

I think Atlantic beach is the most amazing beach in all of NC. YOu won't regret going there and your teenage girls will LOVE it just like my sister and I do! Please let me know if you need any more info at all, even specific info, because I know a lot about the area!

OH YEAH - you can also take that boat out to CAPE LOOKOUT to see a real, working lighthouse! It is also on a deserted island, well, except for hte lighthouse keepers!

And I forgot something really important :

IN Beaufort is the Old Burying Ground, which is a very old graveyard that is SO BEAUTIFUL and so old. You won't believe it - it is right out of a storybook or a movie. Take tons of amazing pictures of the old curled oak trees with spanish moss - black and white film looks great here. There is a grave there of a little girl who was placed in a huge rum bottle when she died because she was on her father's ship and he wanted to preserve the bottle until he could get to shore and she was buried in it. People visit her grave and leave sea shells and small toys - so take something to leave! They say this graveyard is very haunted and I took pictgures through the iron fence at night and captured STRANGE things! Don't miss this! You can type in Beaufort graveyard in a search engine and find stories to go with the graves - there are really great stories adn then you can find the graves when you are there! I also took the Ghost walk that leaves from the Beaufort waterfront one night and it was very scary - you go to Blackbeard's old house and stand in front of it and hear scary stories, as well as other places - she also takes you to the graveyard (but it is locked after dark so you look through the fence) YOu are going to have a great time.

jessleigh sure shows the excitement, doesn't she!!? lol - you go girl!

but seriously, she is correct. This area is one of my favorite spots in the state. AB is at one end of the island and Emerald Isle is at the other (west) end. Bogue Banks faces south, so the suns rises to your left and sets to your right. With Morehead City to Bogue Banks' NE, Swansboro is to BB's SW. Swansboro is a quaint town with shops along the White Oak River. Although the shops are undergoing ownership transfers and some have closed, it is still a sweet place to visit. Eat at Yana's while you're there. Also, you can visit Hammock's Beach State Park. NC Aquarium is in Pine Knoll Shores. oooooo.....we'll be there in two weeks and I can't wait!

Jess, what other restaurants would you recommend eating? Since Nikola's moved, we don't have a favorite restaurant there anymore.

books57, please tell us what you decide to do.

I just wanted to thank Jessleigh for all of her information that she took the time to post. I cant wait for this trip after reading all of the cool stuff she mentioned. THANKYOU!! My oldest daughter 19, is bringing her boyfriend and my other daughter 15, and son 16 are convinced that they will not have fun because they arent bringing a friend. I keep telling them they'll meet people and we'll find things to do. My 15 year old likes nature, shelling, and like me, she likes ghost stories, old cemetaries, and historical towns. I think we'll have a great time......as long as my husband can fish, and it sounds like there is plenty of that in the area.

There are a couple of restaurants that I hit each and every trip.

Try Clawsons over in Beaufort. Really great atmosphere and the food is great too. Try the buffalo shrimp.

In Morehead City, I always go to the Sanitary Fish Market and Restaurant. Fantastic seafood and a real beach feel.

As far as places to go, you have to go to Hammocks Beach State Park. You board a ferry in Swansboro and it takes you about 15 minutes to get to the western side of the island. You walk across the island, about a 10 minute walk, and then you have some of the most beautiful, unspoiled beaches anywhere in the world. The beach slopes gently and the water is warm.

You can stay right in the middle near the lifeguard or wander to either end of this 3 mile long island and feel like you're all alone.

Atlantic Beach sounds GREAT but we're trying to bring a pooch along... any recommendations on lodging? I was thinking Sea Vista but don't know if they have a pool? I've got a 10 month old daughter too and its her first trip to the beach and I wanna make it special for her.....

Thanks!

Try Atlantis Lodge. They accept trained pet for a fee. But they are booked months in advance. Try late august/sept. They have a nice kiddi pool too.

danduc

Thanks for a lot of great information from everyone. Really appreciate the restaurant suggestions. We leave 7/22 and I wondered if there are great places for bike riding as we are contemplating bringing our bikes.