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!

Great place to visit. They have a visitors center with a shuttle ferry that will take you over the…read morelighthouse and also you can stop.at Shackleford Island to see the wild horses. The ferry is 24.00 per person and you need to book you return also so secure a spot back on the ferry. The island is nice to stroll

Nice park. No frills visitor center. Islands are a bit challenging to get to but that makes it…read morea little adventure. Islands are fun to walk around on and see horses, but scenery not that much different than other barrier islands. Nice junior ranger program. Friendly rangers. A place worth visiting if in area.

Nice early October day at the beach. Bluebird sky's early on for some much needed sun on my body…read more Bit on the breeze side which made the current difficult to try and swim in.

The historic fort is really interesting too. When I was a child I loved going there. The beach is…read morereally nice and there is public parking.

Captain Spike and Pirate Fettuccine do a wonderful job keeping everyone entertained including the…read moreparents!! I really appreciate all the humor that flies over our kids heads but makes it hilarious for the parents. We were lucky enough to see a pony on the shore so keep your eyes peeled! Kids received special treats, that was definitely a fun bonus the girls did not expect! I certainly appreciate the attention to detail from the mask wearing of the pirates to the cleaning of the cannons. Everything is very well done. Perfect for good clean family fun and even manages to take your mind off of the current state of the world. Thank you Pirates

The Beaufort's Pirates Revenge Ghost Float was not what I expected. I thought I was booking…read moresomething similar to a ghost walk but on the water. There wasn't much history or many ghost stories but mostly cheesy jokes. It seemed geared for children rather than adults. I would have liked more tales of the haunted history. We did see dolphins and a beautiful sunset. Make sure to arrive early for the better seating.

Plenty of parking and free when it's off-season. Very clean indoor restrooms with one changing…read moreroom. Sheltered picnic area with grills available. Send volleyball, lots of beach during low tide. Trucks drive through the beach, but they have permits. We had a great experience there. People were very polite and respectful. We didn't hear any loud music or smell any cigarette smoke. There is a small wooden platform with an ocean view if you don't want to go into the sand.

Can't say enough how I love this beach. It has all the things that the OBX does but is way more…read moreintimate and less crowded. The town has been systematically replacing old worn out decking and railing boards with Trex-like boarding and railing which really dresses the walkway up a lot and cuts down on how hot the path gets. Kudos to Emerald Isle for their beach access cleanliness and attractiveness.

A-mazing! We went out last week for the 7 hour trip with Captain Jess and even though the weather…read morewas not cooperating everyone in our group of six has been raving about it since. The entire day was a flexible adventure based on our interests. Captain Jess was waiting for us at the dock with a hands-on lesson about the very local marine life (he collected everything from under the dock we were sitting on). He helped us get settled into the boat with all of our belongings, lunch and drinks, reviewed the safety rules and we were off! We had two 13 year old girls with us so the wild horses were a must. We also caught a fish, collected beautiful seashells, learned how to find clams (we took home a few dozen for dinner), tried our hands at cast netting, checked out the Cape Lookout lighthouse, and learned the names of some local birds. It may sound overwhelming but we never felt rushed, things seemed to flow naturally. If we were unsure what to try next Captain Jess was quick to provide suggestions without being pushy. The best part was Captain Jess' enthusiasm and knowledge about everything we did and all of the questions we asked. He genuinely loves what he does and it shows! Suggestions: Wear water shoes, flip flops will work but something that stays on your foot is best. Wear your bathing suit and clothes that dry quickly for getting on and off the boat. Get a fishing license - you'll never find a better teacher and you WILL catch something. (FYI: I've been a Yelp member for a few years but this tour is what finally motivated me to write my first review.)

I highly recommend these tours for all ages. My wife and I took my parents (both in their 70's) and…read moreour two little boys (both under 7h, and everyone had an incredible time and learned a lot. I highly recommend hunting for sand dollars and seashells. Our kids walked away with memories and an education on the ecosystem that will lost them a life time.

This beach has become my favorite east coast beach. My family and I were here in late November thru…read moremid December and visited this beach almost everyday while we stayed at the Inns. The beach is a short drive from the Inns. The beach is very clean and the beach is beautiful to walk during low tide. During the weekdays we had the beach to ourselves for the most part. There are plenty of parking spaces during the winter time. The weekend definitely had more foot traffic but we had a weekend that was in the 70s. It was so lovely to walk up and down this beach. The sand is great for walking even with shoes on. I look forward to coming back during warmer months in the future. The views here are so calming and peaceful.

On the beach at Camp Lejeune two bath houses great for finding shark teeth, big ways for the family…read moreto play in

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.

Flanders Beach has been shut down since Hurricane Florence, so don't get hopeful and think you can…read moreget to the water from this location. It is all blocked off. There is really nothing else to do at this site. I'm

Love this place and was saddened by all the damage Hurricane Florence did in late 2018. The good…read morenews is that the east side trails are open! I just hiked several of them and it appears there has been much work done to clear the trails of debris and add a top layer above the major trails for mountain bikes. I don't think most people know it is back open because the official government websites still list Flanner's Beach as closed. There are several wooden fences that were put up to prevent access to this area and the western trails. In fact, the entire parking lot is gated closed with "No Entry" signs posted everywhere. Although the camping area and circular hard-surface paths are open, access to the river-side trails is also blocked. I had to park at the small lot just south of where the county property ends. There are a few other places to park prior to there that will allow access to trails further away from the river. I'm hoping the western trails will open, but for now am grateful for whoever did the work to open the eastern side - thank you!