Travel'ng the Coasi
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A UNC Sea Grant April 1gg6 TRAVEL'NG THE COASI Before you pack the kids, dog and 20 pieces of luggage into your car, consider how you want to spend your beach vacation. lf you want more to show tor your time off than a Shores. Wander through 11th-century homes in peeling nose, yisitsome of North Carolina's coastal Edenton. Or join the hoopla surrounding the attractions-sfate and national parks, aquariums, Shrimp Festivalaf Sneads Ferry. historic sites, museums or testive events. Focus Vacationing along the sandy shores doesn't have your binoculars on the white ibises at Pea lsland fo cosf a bundle. This month, Coastwatch offers a National Wildlite Refuge. Touch a hermit crab at guide to inexpensive coastal attractions and the N.C. Marine Resources Center at Pine Knoil events, many of them state or federally operated. Tnlvelrnc Tne Coasr OurDooRS By Sarah Friday Cct out your beach tor.vel, clust off your Unspoiled beaches and ntrture arcas high- binoculars and put on some tennis shoc's- light Hammock's Beaclt State Park on Bear North Carolina's coast is r.vaiting. Wherthe'r Island, near Srvansboro. 919/326-.1881. IIike up you're a landlubber or a seafarer, take a detour or hang glide over the East Coast's highest sand this surnmerr frorn the motels, putt-putt courses drrne at/ocl<ey'sRidge in \trgs IIead. 919/441- and arcacles to see sornrr of the state's natural 7r32. scencry. Canoe through a differerit ecosystem at IIerons, terns ancl ducks fly to the Pea Island Llerchart's Millpond State Park, a soritltern \\'ildlife Refuge. Fish srvim to rvarnrer lvate:rs swarrp forcst near Catesvilic. 919/357-1191. ncar Ocracoki'. Ar-rd deer and black bear roiun l'he 16,600 acres of fresh air niav lure you to through thc rvoods near the Alligator River. Pettigreo State Park near Cresu'ell. If that park's reputation as an Never rnind the moscluitocs; pack your hinch ?2.: doesn't do it, the :rncl join tlicrn in )rlorth Carolina's great out- angler's paradise may. 919/79i -4175. \\/hether cloors. you re looking through a carllera lens or a pair I Beaches. Three hundred tr,venty miles of Raccoons are common of binoculars, you'll see ihe coast's natural shorelirre stretch along North Caroliua's coast. in North Carolina's state beauty at the Theodorc Roo,seuelt Natural White, sandy beaches lie like a string of pearls and national parks Area'at Atlantic Beach. Donatecl b1,the Roose- between Currituck and Calabash. Find one of velt farnily, this park offers visitors a tinique these jewels; and soak up some sun, fly a kite, Iook at a brackish rnarsh ancl utaritime forcst. feel the sand betrveen your toes or chase a crab. 919/726-3775. Park hours: April. \lav and Sep- Night or day, anytime of the year, North Caro- tember-S a.m. to 8 p.rn. JLurc, July and lina's beaches offc.r a treasure trove of activities August-8 a.m. to 9 p.ni. to discovei. I Croatan National Forest, Jones. Carterc't I State Parks. Yorr clon't have to u,ait until the ancl Panrlico counties. Take a liike at thc Croa- Iiourth of Jull' to enjoy onc of thc state parks in tarr National Forest. Thousancls of acres of eastern North Carolina. Ol,erseen by the N.C. forestland and seven recreation areas oifer vis- Division of Parks and Recreation, each park itors nrilers of shacled u,oods to erplore. In adcli- offers visitors acrcs of turf and surf to explore. tion, boating, fishing. camping arcl su,inrrrting (,-arnping, picnicking, su,imming. hiking and facilities are available. 919/638-5628. fishing arc available at rnost sitc's. I Cape Lookout National Seashore. Let Be careful u.hen you smell the florvt'rs at the \Iother Natrire an)azc 1,ou u-itli her bcauty at Carolina Beuch Stute Park. Venus' flytrap is the Cape Lookout \ationai Seashore. F-ifty- one of 30 r,arieties of plants, trec.s and florvers five rniles along the Outer Banks. frorn Ocra- along a self-guiclecl park naturc: trail. 919/458- coke Inlet to Beaufort Inlet. u'erc rcserved by 8206. Itort Macon State Historic Park ancl the National Park Service in 1966 to presc.n,e an Racreatiotr Areo tn Atlantic Reach houses a 150- area rich in natural and recreationai resorirces. year-olcl restored fort use'd during the Civil f'he three islands in the seashore-Shacklef orcl Wirr and \\Iorkl \\rar II. g\g/i26-3775. Allo*, Banks. Core Banks and Poftsrnouth Island- thc bcachcs ancl live oaks draped u,ith Spanish can onl,v be reachcd by boat or fe'rry. The hip is rrross to charm you at Goose Creek State Park rvorth it, horvevcr, for the chance to su.irn or near \\'ashington. 319/923-219f . fish off quiet beaches, collect conchs or u'atch Photo b11 Cetr l:urr a mother sea turtle struggle to shore to lay her eggs. Make these discoveries on your own, or join one of the ranger-led programs available June 15 through Labor Day.919/728-2121. I Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Dare and Hyde counties. Picture yourself in a landscape at the beach. The sky is painted dark rose and orange as the sun sets behind you. A flock of gulls pass overhead, and the ocean glimmers. Now turn up the volume. Feel the wind; then smell the salty air. From Bodie Island to Ocracoke Island, te-&. scenes like this occur almost every day. The L\*ry , &x Cape Ilatteras National Seashore stretches L*W more than 70 miles along the Outer Banks, re' Ttlt !'r'",u * offering nature, history and adventure to its visitors. A variety of fishing spots, from the surf to offshore waters, keep fishermen angling for fish like striped bass and bluefish. Surf boat trips are popu- casting and charter ,tt:;.)an:. Iar pastimes at Ocracoke, too. If you'd rather ; t- ('. .-:)".1 stay on the island, go bird rvatching or view the x ,; at 9nW)4, rvild "Banker Ponies," said to have been on the *ffi#*"#q, island since the I500s. The seashore calendar fills quickly in the summer *,ith organized programs at the six visitor centers. Take a morning bird rvalk, hear a rvhale of a tale or find out what's cooking in Ocracoke. National Park Service headquar- ters, 919/473-2111. Visitor Centers: Whalebone Junction, 9I9 / 441 -GM4; Fort Raleigh, 9lg / 47 3- 5772; \\'right Brothers, 9I9/44I-7430; Bodie Island, 919 / 441 -57 ll ; I Iatteras Island, I 19/995- 5209; and Ocracoke Island, 919/928-4531. U National Wildlife refuges. You could go rvild traipsing through any of thc scven refuges at North Carolina's coast. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Sen icc' established these reseres as natural habitats for certain species of animals; horvever, each offers human visitors rich op- portunities for observing the rvildlife. favorite activity in the refuge, naturc study North Carolina Alligator River complex: programs, photography, hiking, surf fishing, beaches offer endless srvimming, sunbathing, surfing and crabbing hours of summer lun Alligotor Riaer National Wildlife Refuge, are equally popular. Dare and Tyrrell countic's. A relatively nerv For those rvho really want to rough it, the and undeveloped refuge, this 120,000-acre re- "rvidc'open," CurrituckWildlif eRefuge in Currituck County serve is says assistant manager Al waits. Shorebirds and lvildlife are similar to the Schriver. Its coastal and srvamp habitats are kinds found at Pea Island, but brushland is unique to this part of the country, attracting more plentiful here, providing habitat for many varieties of rvaterbirds and animals such smaller creatures. Thc rcfuge and beaches are as dee'r and black bear. To see the refuge, U.S. open to the public; horvever, there are no facili- 264 is the easiest access, says Schriver. Old ties or developcd roads. logging roads exist for the adventurous. For information on any of the refuges in the Pea lsland National Wildlif e Ref uge, Dare Alligator River complex, call 919/473-113L County. Some people might say Pea Island is for the birds. More than 260 species have been Mattamuskeet complex: spotted in the 5,915-acre refuge that extends Mattamuskeet N ational W ildlif e Refuge, along the Outer Banks from Oregon Inlet to the IIyde County. In the winter, things get kind of village of Rodanthe. With a pair of binoculars crowded at Lake Nlattamuskeet. It gcts and a little luck, visitors may spot a brown awfully tough for a tundra swan or a Canada pelican skimming by or a fox or a pheasant goose to find a parking place rvith thousands of hiding in thc brush. Although bird rvatching is a Cortinued on nefi page Photo bu Sttxt Il ,'i t,', 1$$ &u e$;& .:*s wffi wWJ swW s.*- :=i:3::.: id '. o'.,*'r,':: .,g.;!$: S*'l:i...& Hang glide oDer sandll other rvaterforvl vying for a space. The birds rine marsh habitat for u,aterfou,l und marnmals dunes at J ockeA's are still plentiful in the surnrner and fall, but not such as u,hite-tailed deer, raccoons, otters and Ridge State Park in in as great a number. What most folks hope to mink. 919/926-6751. Nags Head find that titre of year are the fish-largemouth bass. catfish and brearn. 919/926-4021. Mockeg lsland National Wildlife Refuge, Cerlar Island National Wildlife Refuge in Knott's Islancl, Currituck County. Located par- Carteret County and the Pungo N ationalWild- tially in Virginia and partially in North Carol- lif e Ref uge in Washington and Hyde counties ina, this rernote rcfuge can only be reached are trvo othcrr favorite stopping-over places for through Virginia or by a ferry frorri Currituck.