FAVORITE PLACE HERE. We spent hours finding the most amazing shells. The water is crystal clear and…read morethe wanes aren't bad at all. I would come back in a heart beat.

We had so much fun on Shackleford Island. We saw so many horses, found a lot of cool shells, and…read morethe beach was beautiful. It's about a 30 minute ferry ride from Beaufort. There is a restroom but NO amenities or food available for purchase. Bring everything you need with you. Once we arrived, there was a tour guide but it wasn't much of a tour. She walked us to the other side of the island to show us two horses on the beach and then walked all the way back to where we started to show us where to find the best shells. Her "tour" lasted about 30 minutes. We did most of the exploring on our own and that's when we found the majority of the horses. As long as you aren't looking for a super guided tour, this is a great day trip!

I love National Parks when they get Volunteers like Roy. He is funny, has loads of interesting…read morefacts and just pleasant to talk to. Bathrooms are in the parking lot, and very clean. The minke whale bones on display were amazing. Ask Roy about it, he'll tell you the story! Everyone here was friendly, which makes for a wonderful experience.

Such a beautiful place. They were remolding the lighthouse while we were there so we couldn't see…read moremuch through the scaffolding but it's nice to see that they're taking good care of her. The beach was nice and clean as well as the restrooms.

Such a great playground for kids of all ages! I love the foam padding instead of sand or wood…read morechips! It's spaced out while still being close enough to watch everyone. When we visited, the splash pad wasn't opened yet, but my son (14 months old) adored this area of the playground! I couldn't recommend this enough!!

This park is wonderful. We were there on a very hot day and the only suggestion would be for a…read morelighter colored turf. The whole place is covered in a rubber like substance which is great for falls but it was red and black in some places and blue and black. Outside of the water area the flooring was way to hot for our toddlers bare feet. We had to be very careful when moving from the water area to the dry areas. But wow is this a cool park. Lots to do with a wide age group.

The landscape was beautiful and the trails were clearly marked. I was there by myself and felt very…read moresafe. If you're ever looking for a nice quiet place to go for a nature hike, this is your spot.

This lovey trail is part of Croatan National Forest. It's free, and there's a small parking lot…read morewith a restroom at the trailhead. I visited on a warm weekday afternoon between Christmas and New Years and saw only a few other folks out on the trail. There's a big loop that's about 1.5 miles, or you could do a shorter loop. The trail is mostly shaded and quite flat, making it an easy stroll and accessible for kids (including strollers) and people who need low intensity hikes; there are many benches along the way. Many parts are wooden bridges out over the marshland; at the right time of day you can see fiddler crabs in the water. (If it's recently rained, don't go at high tide; parts of the trail may be wet or muddy!) You'll find a really nice variety of trees and micro climates- the grasses and small trees in the marsh land are quite different from the hardwood forests and pines just a few feet further inland. This trail would be especially lovely at sunrise or sunset. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the Emerald Isle/Swansboro area!

From the website: "Leisure waterfront park with benches (6),…read moreconcert stage, covered bench swings (2), covered picnic tables (2), parking, piers (8th & 9th Street), and restrooms." I stopped here before heading to work on a nice Spring day. Well maintained, pleasant place to relax for a few moments. Nice monument titled "The Carolina Sounder" and a sundial are two artistic features of the park. I found it to be a nice relaxing place with a lovely view.

A beautiful waterfront area on the sound side of Morehead City. A large grassy area with a few…read morebenches, tables, and a small concert stage area. Definitely walkable to a few waterfront restaurants to grab a bite to eat or bring to the park area for a meal with a view!

Great pier for fishing right in the middle of Emerald Isle. I personally have never fished off of…read moreit but I do love to walk out on it to take in the peaceful serenity of the ocean. I know quite a few folks that fish off of it a and bring home some great catches. Love that there is a convenience store and a restaurant attached to the pier for convenience​. Great for grabbing some delicious seafood, snacks, souvenirs and other beach essentials for your day on the pier or beach. It even has showers and bathrooms that are nice and clean. All in all a great attraction on Emerald Isle and definitely worth a visit.

I lived in California for many years and now have lived in North Carolina for a few years. I have…read moreNEVER been to a pier that charges for access to it. They can make up whatever story they want, but when you exclude people and have them pay, it is just wrong. Atlantic Beach has a pier if you want to walk and fish off it and it is completely free. Who ever came up with this idea is keeping people from just enjoying a good day out.

I was in a brief vacation with my family at Emerald Isle recently and decided to head up the island…read moreto take a sunset ferry trip over to Shackelford Banks. We boarded the "Shackelford Lady" piloted by Captain Jose'. The trip was basically 30 minutes out, an hour on the island, and then a "30" minute trip back. The island is simply beautiful all on its own, but Captain Jose' made it extra special. He was in constant contact with other boat captains relaying the location of dolphins and anything that would make the trip special. On the way back as the sun was setting, he would turn the boat so that everyone could take pictures. It was truly an amazing experience.

Beach for shelling or relaxing, or to check out the 130 wild horses that roam the island. Take a…read moreferry from Beaufort or be lucky enough to have your own boat. Depending on the company the final ferry should go from 8am and depart at around 5pm (every hour) but that's plenty of time to explore the island. A ride there and back will cost roughly $17 per adult. A warning, it gets extremely hot in July and August. There are no facilities on the island, so a ride back to the mainland is at the minimum 10 minutes or more. Do not overexert yourself in the heat, bring PLENTY OF FLUIDS especially if you are going to explore around looking at the horse in 90 degree weather and be on the island for hours. Bring food, bananas, Gatorade, water. The north side of the island will have calm water and tons of boats parked with people sunbathing. The south (ocean) side of the island will be almost empty and with shells everywhere. You can definitely cut through the island hiking through existing trails and dunes but make sure you are physically able to do so. Reminder there are no facilities or emergency services on the island, it's completely uninhabited so if you need any help whatsoever you are out of luck. BE SMART. If you really want to find shells I recommend going to the far northwest point of the island and walking around. That tip is a perfect combination of waves, shells, and beach area. Just make sure you watch about for the tide later in the day so your stuff doesn't get washed away.

One of our mornings while at the beach, my wife and I got up early and drove down to Fort Macon…read moreState Park. We were told this would be a good spot to find trails to go for a short run, and it was true. There was plenty of trails, to safely walk and run on, rather than along the busy road with beach bums driving by at crazy speeds. There is plenty of parking and nicely maintained trails we found. After our run, we decided to poke into the fort it self, which was free to enter, and we explored some of the space, and some of the educations exhibits. They had a little bit of something for everyone, and tried to make the visitors center exciting and fun for kids. I'd 100% visit this spot again, maybe when it's not so hot, but either way, we enjoyed our visit. The park and fort are well maintained, and preserved, with clean restrooms, and staff to answer any questions you might have.

Okay, this place is quite the gem of beaches in the area. Tons of free parking. Lots of shelters…read morewith grills. Convenient and clean bathrooms. Even a massive covered shelter with a snack bar and lockers to keep your stuff in. Oh yeah, did I mention all of this is FREE?? Even at 3:00pm, the beach wasn't over crowded and there was plenty of parking. On rainy days, you can forgo the beach and check out the Fort Macon museum. There are even trails you can walk! Not hard to spend an entire day here! There were park rangers patrolling to keep everyone safe and maintain the beauty of the park. Not much more you can ask for.

Again I can say this park is for all humans and beautiful animals. But as of yesterday like I…read morepredicted there was animal attack I don't know the full story yet, but they have a training dog school ppl with big dogs and the trainers are not logical trainers. Dogs need there space not to be in the middle of an active field with small dogs, ppl, children. That's a bad connection. The trainers bring dogs that have no control of their senses to a family park in an open space. Park department should not allow this. My dad trained German shepherd , Doberman and he trained them indoor until they were well trained and obedience. If they continue to get complains the park department may listen. I don't know why they are not investigating yet. I would hate to have find another park for my pup because of safety.

Beautiful clean concrete sidewalks Kids park with swings…read moreWater fountain near park Amphitheater