A Week on the Bogue: NC Aquarium

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the NC Aquarium has three locations along the North Carolina coast. One at Fort Fisher, one on Roanoke Island, and one in the middle of Bogue Banks, on Pine Knoll Shores. While the aquarium at Fort Fisher features life along the Cape Fear, the Pine Knolls location covers North Carolina from the mountains to the sea.

We'd purchased an annual membership during our Fort Fisher excursion, so during our recent visit to Bogue Banks, we popped in the Pine Knolls location for a quick visit. A waterfall in the mountain exhibit greeted us at the entrance.

From there, we explored the coast, the Tidal Waters, and the Ocean.

And somehow missed the Piedmont. How does anyone miss the North Carolina Piedmont!

Highlights at the Pine Knolls aquarium include playful otters and a Loggerhead turtle nursery, and, as I'd been told on numerous occasions before our visit, the shipwreck tank. It was pretty neat.

Loggerhead swimming with the fish:

And a shark:

Through our own fault, we had been expecting a larger facility, but as we quickly learned, the NC Aquarium at Pine Knolls Shores is a great stop for those visiting Bogue Banks. For more information, including price of admission, go to www.ncaquariums.com/pine-knoll-shores.

A Week on the Bogue: Atlantic Beach

Along the southern edge of Croatan National Forest, south of Highway 24 and the blue waters of Bogue Sound lies Bogue Banks. Like the Outer Banks, this sliver of land is long and thin. So thin at points, stretch your arms and you feel as if you could touch water with both hands.

A slight exaggeration, but you get the point. We visited Bogue Banks in the fall of 2008 in an adventure that took us from Emerald Isle to Fort Macon. You can read about that visit in my Bogue Banks post.

Because there is so much to do on the island, we marked it for a return visit. I did that twice last week, once with my husband, and again when I had the privilege of attending a week-long writers retreat with four amazing Carolina authors. There's much to talk about, so I'll break it into separate posts.

Atlantic Beach

Atlantic Beach lies on the eastern section of Bogue Banks, near Fort Macon and across from Morehead City. After crossing the Atlantic Beach Bridge, we continued straight, and parked in a sand-gravel parking lot. From there, we meandered around the boardwalk, checking out the beach shops, restaurants and concession stands. Beach goers lay in the sand or bobbed in the chilly surf, while several men constructed a volleyball net. Given the presence of three other nets, we assumed they were either preparing for the weekend or a volleyball tournament.

But we weren't there to sunbath or play volleyball, so we continued eastward until we reached the Oceanana Fishing Pier, visible on Google Maps at 34.697362,-76.726886.

Located behind the Oceanana Family Resort Motel, the pier stretches over the beach and into the Atlantic Ocean. From the looks of it, a favorite spot for those who enjoy fishing. Because we were taking a quick stroll, the manager allowed us to walk on the pier without charge. It wasn't clear if this is the norm, so be prepared to pay a fee.

Fisherman lounging on wooden benches lined the slat railing on both sides of the pier, and a few pulled up their catches during our visit. One prize didn't seem to appreciate the disturbance, or facing the paparazzi so soon after his capture.

After swimming with sting rays on Cayman Island, I have a better appreciation for those creatures. I'm glad the man who caught this one released it shortly after I took this photo.

Note: if you're afraid of heights, the Oceanana Pier may not be the place for you. The boards are spaced enough to get a good look below, and are also weathered. Many have been replaced, and it appears a few will soon be. The railing on both sides aren't as sturdy as some I've seen, and while my husband didn't have a problem walking the planks, I did, so beware.

Several people have said they used to hang around Atlantic Beach during their teen years. From what we saw during our visit, with its beach, restaurants, piers, and close proximity to Fort Macon, the NC Aquarium, Morehead City and Beaufort, this NC attraction still holds its allure.

Next stop: the NC Aquarium on Pine Knoll Shores.

Bogue Banks on NC's Crystal Coast

Though we had another destination in mind for this week's outing, we canceled all plans when we decided to check out Bogue Banks on NC's Crystal Coast.

Twenty miles long, Bogue Bank is a pencil of an island south of Croatan National Forest. As a barrier island, its job is to protect the raggedy NC coast from Morehead City to the White Oak River Basin, but as it turns out, it's a great outdoor destination.

From the mainland, we crossed the B. Cameron Langston Bridge (Hwy 58) near Cape Carteret, and immediately went to the Bogue Inlet Fishing Pier located on Bogue Inlet Dr in Emerald Isle. The pier is free if you just want to stroll along and admire the view of roiling turquoise waters skimming brown-sugary sand. If you want to fish, stop at the entrance and check out the fees (link is above.) Restrooms are available in the little store that serves as the entrance, and a restaurant opened during the high season is next door.


After walking to the observation tower and watching a few people pull in some nice catches, we headed back to the car and resumed our journey.

With large gift shops displaying beach towels and flip-flops in their windows, Emerald Isle appears to be a typical coast town. But it's clean and the main drag is nice and wide. We continued northward on that road toward Indian Beach and Salter Path. These communities are well developed, but according to the author of exploring north carolina's natural areas, which we brought along, the area is a mix of preservation and development. A thick maritime forest and shrub thickets can be seen throughout the island. In some places, homes have been built within the forest. Many times, we saw only the tips of rooftops and breaks in the trees indicating a driveway exists there.

We drove past those cities toward Pine Knolls, home of the North Carolina Aquarium. We didn't visit on this occasion, but it's on our short list of places to go. Also in Pine Knolls at the aquarium: the Theodore Roosevelt State Natural Area and Nature Trails. According to exploring, the Alice Hoffman Trail is less than a mile and is accessible from inside the aquarium. The second trail, the Theodore Roosevelt Trail is over a mile. Check hours and accessibility before you take small children, strollers, or wheelchairs. Since this is part of the aquarium, I expect one has to pay an admission fee to enter the trails. An attempt to call during this writing failed--the office is apparently closed on Saturdays, so call in advance. I'll update this post as soon as I confirm the information.

Also in Pine Knolls, the Hoop Pole Creek Nature Trail, which winds through maritime forest and marshes. The book states the trailhead is across the street from Hardees. It is, but it's across the small side street, not the main thoroughfare.

I was hungry by this time, but low season has begun along the NC coast which means many of the restaurants are closed, at least during lunch. Fortunately, the 4 Corners Diner, located at 100 E Fort Macon Road in Atlantic Beach, was open. I'm fairly picky when it comes to restaurants, and though the interior has a diner look to it, it's clean, has plenty of seating, and has good food for a decent price. I ordered a crab cake sandwich with a side of fries and a badly needed iced-tea, and my husband ordered breakfast, which is served all day. This will be a return stop on our next visit. Many thanks to them for allowing me to charge my camera battery while we ate (without my mentioning I planned to include them in this report!)

I should mention the fact that we saw beach access in various places along the highway. Emerald Isle isn't the only spot on the island to enjoy the beach experience.

Our last stop on this journey was a place I learned about shortly before we began our trip: Fort Macon State Park, located at the northern tip of Bogue Banks. We were shocked to see that Fort Macon really is a fort, and a rather sturdy one at that. Barely visible from the road, the old pentagon structure built in 1826 is below ground and has quite a history. I found the following on the North Carolina Division of Parks site:

Construction of the present fort began in 1826. The fort was garrisoned in 1834. In the 1840s, a system of erosion control was initially engineered by Robert E. Lee...At the beginning of the Civil War, North Carolina seized the fort from Union forces. The fort was later attacked in 1862, and it fell back into Union hands. For the duration of the war, the fort was a coaling station for navy ships.

More rich history occurred after that time but eventually, the old fort was later abandoned, and then restored. For more information, go to the NC Parks site.

Since it is on the tip of the island, Fort Macon has a beach, a pavilion, and a view of nearby Shackleford Island and Morehead City. It's a great place to picnic, fish, stroll along the beach and watch gulls and other coastal birds. One disadvantage: construction is currently in progress. The fences and equipment are unsightly but fortunately, they're not visible from the beach.

Surprisingly diverse when it comes to outdoor activities, Bogue Banks is a great day or weekend destination for eastern North Carolinians and visitors to these shores. For more information, go to http://www.boguebanks.com/