Southern Outer Banks captivate with natural beauty, wild horses

Emerald Isle, N.C. -- It wasn't the pirate history of Blackbeard that drew me in, or even the historic charms of old Beaufort, though both are captivating in their way.

But the possibility of seeing wild horses on an uninhabited island off the coast of North Carolina? It's the first thing I thought about and hoped for, before and during my trip last September to what's sometimes called the Southern Outer Banks, or the Crystal Coast.

Blame it on the scene with the wild horses surrounding Diane Lane in the movie "Nights in Rodanthe." But not just that: It would be a raw and pure experience. Encountering horses on an isolated isle would be, for me, what an older friend of mine used to call a "bell ringer."

History, dining awaits on Crystal Coast There are many other attractions of note on North Carolina’s Crystal Coast, depending on your interests:

Fort Macon , the Civil War fort and its environs on Bogue Bank, near Atlantic Beach, became North Carolina’s first state park in 1936. After exploring the fort, you can walk the nature trails around it or relax on the adjacent swimming beach.

If you love seafood, it doesn’t get much fresher. The restaurants here have joined to participate in the Carteret Catch program, named for the county in which the Crystal Coast lies. Carteret Catch guarantees that the fish you are dining on is local and was caught the same day, and you’ll taste that freshness. One fun place for locals and visitors to indulge is Amos Mosquito’s Restaurant and Bar in Atlantic Beach, a casual spot with great fare like blackened shrimp and andouille sausage, shrimp and grits, and “scalloped” scallops in a creamy sauce.

The North Carolina Aquarium is at Pine Knoll Shores . A recent $25 million expansion allowed it to triple its size to 93,000 square feet. Thirty-eight exhibits in five galleries tell the story of nature in Crystal Coast waters, with displays that include river otters, stingrays, sharks and sea turtles. The aquarium offers ecology lessons and animal-encounter programs for kids, too.

Be sure to visit to Beaufort, which should not be confused with the town in South Carolina of the same name with different pronunciation. This one is “Bo-fort”; South Carolina’s is “Byew-fort.” Historic homes fill the tree-lined streets, with their 300-year-old lineage.

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