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Crystal Coast Real Estate
At Waves Edge
Area Information
The Crystal Coast is a gathering of lovely places to get to know, each with a different personality. Explore them all in order to find the perfect home, or second home for you!
Beaufort
Beaufort has its roots in the pirate past, having been home to Edward Teach, the legendary Blackbeard. It is the third oldest town in North Carolina and one of the oldest towns in the US. The modern town celebrates its past with the annual Pirate Invasion festival, and pirate cruises on Taylor Creek along the historic waterfront. Across from the waterfront is the famous Rachel Carson Reserve, home to Banker ponies and a lot of other wildlife. The Reserve is a great area for kayaking, hiking, and birding. The town of Beaufort is renown for its restaurants and shops, and the waterfront creates the feeling of having been transported to the islands. What a fun town! Travel and Leisure named Beaufort "America's Favorite Town," and Southern Living chose Beaufort as "The South's Best Small Town." We couldn't agree more!
Morehead City
Morehead City, where the Atlantic Beach bridge connects Bogue Banks to the mainland, is the second largest port in North Carolina and home to a large charter fishing fleet, the annual Big Rock Blue Marlin tournament, and lots of great restaurants, shops, and amenities. The large waterfront district near the harbor is a great place to enjoy the local nightlife or a sunny afternoon. Morehead City also has more parks than any other local community, offering playgrounds, tennis, pickleball, basketball, a splash pad, and more. The Summer Concert Series features bands from all over the region, providing top notch live entertainment at locations where the view and soft sea breeze is as amazing as the music.
Atlantic Beach
AB was the start of it all, the classic South Outer Banks beach town. Packed with amenities, AB has a lot to offer for your beach vacation, including great restaurants, coffee shops, gourmet ice cream, boutique shops, cheap beach supplies, and a grocery store. In addition, Atlantic Beach is close to lots of non-beach activities like the wonderful North Carolina Aquarium in Pine Knoll Shores, a splash pad and skate park at the town park, miniature golf, charter boat fishing, hiking, and the very interesting historic site of Fort Macon.
Pine Knoll Shores
The peace and quiet of Pine Knoll Shores is just west of Atlantic Beach. It is a calm and serene residential area nestled in the oaks with few amenities like restaurants and attractions, but it does have gorgeous beaches and numerous public access points. Atlantic Beach is is only minutes away, with restaurants and activities when you take a break from the sea and sand. Or head west to Indian Beach and Emerald Isle for a meal or activities.
Salter Path and Indian Beach
Salter Path is one of the original "Banker" communities in the area, settled when the community of Diamond City, on Shackleford Banks, permanently relocated from the island after the brutal hurricane of 1899. Other Bankers moved to Promise Land in Morehead City. Salter Path and Indian Beach lie almost exactly in the middle of Bogue Banks, just west of Pine Knoll Shores and east of Emerald Isle. Salter Path sits inside the town limits of Indian Beach. Indian Beach is named for the Native American burial mound that was found in what is now Salter Path. Both areas are family-oriented communities with gorgeous beaches, and both have several restaurants and amenities that are excellent.
Emerald Isle
Emerald Isle, probably the most well-known of the Bogue Banks communities, is located on the west end of the island. The Emerald Isle (Route 58) bridge connects Emerald Isle to Cape Carteret and Cedar Point on the mainland, increasing the number of restaurants, shops, and grocery stores available to visitors. In addition to great beaches and plenty of amenities, "The Island," as locals call it, offers an excellent cycling/walking path that parallels Emerald Drive, the beach highway, for miles. EI is also home to a number of parks.