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DAY TRIPS & THINGS TO DO ON THE CRYSTAL COAST
Cape Lookout light is worth a half-day side-trip by ferry or catamaran. The lighthouse sits near the end of an undeveloped island with 56 miles of shoreline. There are mule train tours of the end of the island, and locals and visitors alike enjoy surf fishing and shelling around the 
distinctive lighthouse. The 169-foot tall Cape Lookout light, built in 1859, is distinctively painted with black-and-white diamonds, the black diamonds visible from the north and south, the white diamonds visible from east and west. Man’s mark on the land is limited to the dock, a boardwalk that crosses the narrow dunes, the lighthouse, and a small visitor’s center to explain the local flora and fauna and the history of the light.
If you come by ferry, bring a picnic lunch, because no food is sold on the island. Or take Steve Bishop’s 45-foot catamaran that leaves Beaufort at noon for the trip to the lighthouse, which includes a lunch from Beaufort Grocery Restaurant. The 6-hour tour takes about an hour’s sail in each direction, with four hours left to roam about the island.
On the way to and from the lighthouse you’ll sail past Shackleford Banks, uninhabited except for a herd of just over 100 ponies, thought to be descendents of ponies that swam ashore from a Spanish shipwreck three centuries ago, not unlike the ponies of Connemara, Ireland. In the 19th century the island had more vegetation and even a few towns, including Diamond City, a whaling port, but two hurricanes washed away the towns and by 1902 it was left to the ponies. The vegetation is sparse and brackish, and the only water must be pawed out of the ground, but these hearty animals have adapted and survived.
Lookout Cruises
www.lookoutcruises.com
252-504-SAIL
If you’re intent on working off some of the pounds you’ve gained at the local restaurants, you might want to spend a morning kayaking. Lamar Hudgens of Barrier Island Kayaks leads kayakers on an informative tour of the marshes and estuaries within Bogue Sound.
Barrier Island Kayaks
160 Cedar Point Blvd. hwy 24
Swansboro, NC 28584
www.barrierislandkayaks.com
dolphin@coastalnet.com
Whether you already know how to surf or would like to learn how, you can find rentals and instruction in Emerald Isle at Hot Wax Surf Shop & Camp.
Hot Wax Surf Shop
Mile marker 20 1/2, 200 Mallard Dr.
Emerald Isle, N.C.
tel: 252-354-6466
email: Surfguru@hotwaxsurf.com
For a fascinating overview of the county you might consider Crystal Coast Air Tours. The Cape Look Tour, which takes about half an hour, runs $100 for up to three people. The Beaches and Banks Tour is 45 minutes and costs $125.
Crystal Coast Air Tours
Segrave Aviation
150 Airport Rd.
Beaufort, NC
Tel: 252-728-2323
North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
www.ncaquariums.com
252-247-4003
Scuttlebutt Nautical Books
433 Front St.
Beaufort, NC 28516
Tel: 252-728-7765
Beaufort Historic Site
130 Turner St.
Beaufort, NC 28516
Tel: 800-575-7483
beauforthistoricsite@earthlink.net
Beaufort Historic District Bus Tour
Tours April through October, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday
11 AM to 1:30 PM