Visitors to national parks on the N.C. coast spent more than $225 million in their surrounding communities, pouring about $280 million into the local economies, according to a recent analysis.
Our Coast
Cape Lookout Rolls Out Summer Programs
The staff at Cape Lookout National Seashore recently announced activities and schedules for the 2019 season to help visitors plan their escape to the park’s 56 miles of undeveloped beach.
Warblers and Shorebirds and Terns, Oh My!
Outer Banks birder Jeff Lewis writes that spring birding on the Outer Banks is awesome in May, when songbirds, shorebirds and wading birds are in their most beautiful plumage.
Plymouth Set to Celebrate Black Bears
The N.C. Black Bear Festival, set for May 31-June 2, honors the hefty creature so abundant in the state’s northeast and commemorates National Black Bear Day with bear-themed fun.
Beachcomber’s View: Whelks Versus Conchs
Longtime Outer Banks beachcomber Kristin Hissong explains the myriad differences between conchs, which typically prefer tropical waters, and whelks that are often found on Outer Banks beaches and a favorite of collectors.
Our Coast’s People: Carver Dan Robinson
Dan Robinson will put his lifelong love of decoy carving on display at the second annual Ocracoke Waterfowl Festival Saturday in the Ocracoke School gym.
For Plymouth, River Is Route to Revitalization
Plymouth has been a strategic port and thriving mill town at different times in its history, and now folks here say the Roanoke River and its diverse wildlife could bring a resurgence.
Bridge Project Supervisor Shares Experience
Pablo Hernandez, NCDOT’s resident engineer in Manteo, reflects on his experience overseeing construction of the replacement bridge over Oregon Inlet and the work still ahead.
Molasses A Bittersweet Part of NC History
Often purchased these days as an ingredient for holiday baking and later pushed to the back of the cabinet, molasses was once an N.C. staple, albeit with a grim history.
Chamber Class Joins Marine Debris Cleanup
An annual leadership program of the Carteret County Chamber of Commerce recently wrapped up for 2019, after giving participants a lasting, hands-on lesson in coastal restoration.
Iconic Apollo 9 Image of NC Coast Turns 50
The Apollo 9 crew captured on March 12, 1969, a photo of the Outer Banks as seen from space, an image that changed perceptions of North Carolina’s coastal environment.
Man Behind Swim Advisory Signs Signs Off
Praised as a gifted scientist with people skills, J.D. Potts is set to retire next week as head of the state agency that monitors coastal recreational water quality.
Group to Honor Etheridge, Life-Saving Crew
The Pea Island Preservation Society is set to present “Freedmen, Surfmen, Heroes: The Unique Story of Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Life-Savers,” Saturday on Roanoke Island and in Duck.
Festival to Celebrate Waterfowl, Seafood
The inaugural Hatteras Village Waterfowl Festival set for later this month is to be a celebration of Hatteras water birds that also showcases local seafood, decoy collectors and bird carvers.
Whale Center Takes Shape, But Tasks Remain
The new Bonehenge Whale Center in Beaufort is nearly complete, but the marine mammal museum and workshop probably won’t be open to the public anytime soon.
Trail Supporters Set to Converge on Surf City
The nonprofit Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is accepting registrations for its annual gathering, to be held for the first time on the N.C. coast in March.
