North Carolina’s Crystal Coast stretches 85 miles from the Cape Lookout National Seashore, which includes 56 miles of protected beaches, westward to the New River. It is also known as the Southern Outer Banks and is a popular area with tourists and second-home owners in the summer.
Two other major activities that draw visitors to the Crystal Coast are diving and fishing. Here the warm waters of the Gulf Stream approach the coastline, creating a “wreck diver’s dream.”
Also known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” there are more than 2,000 sunk vessels along the North Carolina coast, including German U-boats, a myriad of commercial vessels and even the rare historic craft, often unearthed by summer storms. Clear, warm waters often provide more than 75 feet of visibility. Additional diving activities include underwater photography clinics as well as shark and spear fishing dives.
These same conditions also make the Crystal Coast a popular fishing destination, with the longest fishing season on the Atlantic coast. The area is home to one of the largest fishing tournaments in the world, the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, based out of Morehead City.
Other fish caught along the Crystal Coast include bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, red drum, false albacore, sea trout, striped bass, cobia, sailfish, dolphin and wahoo. There are several private chartered fishing excursions or the more affordable, family friendly, headboat fishing trips that can take up to 100 people.
Other attractions to the area include the North Carolina Seafood Festival, in Morehead City. In Atlantic Beach, Fort Macon is a major draw for its Civil War history, making it the most visited state park in North Carolina.
One of three North Carolina Aquariums is at Pine Knoll Shores, The “Living Shipwreck” features a life-sized replica of a German U-352 submarine and Blackbeard’s infamous ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, which was found nearby off the coast a decade ago.
Historic Beaufort and Down East Carteret County are known for their history and culture. Beaufort (pronounced "Bo-fort") is the third oldest town in North Carolina. It is also the home to the North Carolina Maritime Museum, which is the official repository for all of the artifacts discovered on the Queen Anne’s Revenge. A display of seashells from around the world features 5,000 specimens from more than 100 countries. At the museum's Watercraft Center, volunteers actively build and restore boats in an effort to preserve the Crystal Coast’s tradition of “backyard boat-building.”
On nearby Harkers Island, the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum preserves the island's practice of decoy carving. Trips to visit the black-and-white diamond pattern lighthouse at Cape Lookout can also be made from Beaufort and Harker's Island. Nearby Shackleford Banks is home to herds of feral horses called “Bankers.”
