Dining and Shopping
Flavors of the Area
Whether you’re craving a casual atmosphere with fried seafood and calabash or have a penchant for linen tablecloths and a fine epicurean meal, there are innumerable dining choices all up and down the Crystal coastline. Seafood is here in abundance, naturally, and prepared in every possible way. But you’ll also find many pleasant dining surprises, from Spanish tapas menus to Black Angus beef on a wood-fired grill to homemade pastas and Italian dishes.
Shopping along the Crystal Coast runs the gamut too, with high-end boutiques as well as casual souvenir shops; fine wineries, jewelers and antique shopping alongside toy and candy shoppes. And if you happen to find yourself one summer Saturday morning needing an activity, check out the Carteret County Curb Market, the oldest continuously operating curb (flea) market in North Carolina, with everything from fresh vegetables and baked goods to just-caught seafood, along with an assortment of locally made crafts and other items. But one thing that makes shopping and dining along the Crystal Coast stand out is the waterfront location - no matter where you wander here, the ocean, the sound or Bogue Inlet seem to almost always be just a few steps away, drifting into your senses and adding even more to this already-vivid experience.
Dining:
- Carlton’s Fine Dining at the Beach (Salter Path, NC)
- Crab Shack (Indian Beach, NC)
- Bushwackers Restaurant (Emerald Isle, NC) (252) 354-6300
- Frank & Clara's Restaurant (Salter Path, NC) – (252) 247-2788
- Kathryn’s Bistro and Martini Bar (Emerald Isle, NC)
- Aqua (Beaufort, NC)
- Bistro By The Sea (Morehead City, NC)
- Café Zito (Morehead City, NC)
- Front Street Grill at Stillwater (Beaufort, NC)
- Sharpies Grill & Bar (Beaufort, NC)
- The Sandbar Restaurant (Beaufort, NC)
- Clawson's 1905 Restaurant & Pub (Beaufort, NC)
- Beaufort Grocery Co. (Beaufort, NC)
- Shepard's Point (Morehead City, NC)
- Windansea (Morehead City, NC) - (252) 247-3000
- Amos Mosquito's (Atlantic Beach, NC) – (252) 247-6222
- Sanitary Fish Market & Restaurant (Morehead City, NC)
Nightlife:
- Memories Beach and Shag Club (Atlantic Beach, NC)
- Someplace Else Tavern (Atlantic Beach, NC) – (252) 726-2491
- Devan Lane (Emerald Isle, NC) - (252) 354-6712
- J. R. Dunn Jewelers (Emerald Isle, NC) - (252) 354-5074
- Ibis (Beaufort, NC) - (252) 728-7220
- Holland's Shoes (Beaufort, NC) - (252) 728-4355
- Somerset Cellars (Morehead City, NC)
- Carteret County Curb Market (Morehead City, NC) - (252) 222-6559
- The Golden Gull (Morehead City, NC) – (252) 726-2333
- Swansboro Antique Center (Cedar Point, NC) – (252) 393-6003
- The Marketplace Antiques and Collectibles (Beaufort, NC) – (252) 728-2325
- Beaufort Antiques (Beaufort, NC) – (252) 504-3838
- Olde Towne Antiques (Morehead City, NC) – (252) 247-7478
Articles
SmartMoney.com: Top 5 Bargain Places to Buy a Vacation Home — 05/16/2008
Far from a tourist trap. "It still has a quietness about it," says Craig Venezia, author of "Buying a Second Home
Optimism about state tourism industry — 03/19/2008
Commerce Secretary Jim Fain was attending the Governor's Conference on Tourism - says the industry was up 7.2 percent from 2006.





