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!

I love National Parks when they get Volunteers like Roy. He is funny, has loads of interesting…read morefacts and just pleasant to talk to. Bathrooms are in the parking lot, and very clean. The minke whale bones on display were amazing. Ask Roy about it, he'll tell you the story! Everyone here was friendly, which makes for a wonderful experience.

Such a beautiful place. They were remolding the lighthouse while we were there so we couldn't see…read moremuch through the scaffolding but it's nice to see that they're taking good care of her. The beach was nice and clean as well as the restrooms.

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.

Fun for all! This is 100% geared towards kids, but Captain Spike definitely throws in some adult…read morehumor too. The trip is perfect amount of time for the kids to not get bored. Mrs Fettuccini was great and remembered every kids name. The treasure was icing on the cake - my kids loved it. Absolutely a must do when in the area.

This tour was amazing. Took the evening Ghost Float tour. It was fun exciting ghostly and had…read moregreat story's the staff was great. Definitely worth the visit.

This is a very nice and clean beach area with plenty of space for your beach day out. They have…read morerestrooms at the top close to the parking for you to wash off after being in the sand and water. The parking uses a machine or app, pick your preference, but you really should pay or you might find your vehicle missing on your return. I think this is one of the nicest beaches in NC I have seen.

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.

Captain Tony took me, my son and Grandson on a personal tour I will never forget. It was a personal…read moreexperience to close an important chapter in my life. I am from Maryland visiting my son. If you wsnt a scenic personal tour, Captain Tony is the man with his company to call.

My family has booked a tour each summer for the last three years and each time is fun, easy, and…read moregeared to our interests. We love to go shelling and both Captain Jess and Captain Tony work hard so we have a great experience. The communication about the tour, what to expect, what to pack, where to meet, etc. is all clearly communicated ahead of time. The day before the tour the Captain calls to touch base and work out the final details. All you have to do is show up and enjoy the experience.

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.

I totally forgot that I left a crappy review for Flanners Beach three years ago back when there was…read moreno beach access. Access was restored recently, and whereas this is not a beach where I'd spend a weekend (too small), it is a good place to go for a brief trip to enjoy water and nature! I'm so glad they have reopened this beach.

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!