North Carolina’s southern-most beach town celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. Even the sand seems to like the place.
Our Coast
Our Coast’s Food: Sweet Potato Pie
The rich, spicy treat these days may pop up most often at the end of holiday meals, but in years past sweet potato pie was the start of a hard-working fisherman’s day.
Flounder Gigging
Each fall, flounder begin to find their way to the ocean, with fishermen in pursuit. Some use hook and some use net. Sam Bland, our intrepid naturalist, explains the age-old art of gigging for them.
Saving the Soul of Ocracoke
The Ocracoke Foundation has closed on the half-acre Ocracoke Community Square and its docks, shops and views of postcard-pretty Silver Lake harbor. The acquisition is a vital step toward protection of the vibrant heart of the village.
Glimpse Behind the Fish Tanks
The state aquarium at Fort Fisher offers behind-the-scenes tours that bring you nose-to-nose with all kinds of sea critters, like this porcupine puffer.
A Gathering of Keepers’ Descendants
More than 250 direct descendants of the men who manned the Bodie Island Lighthouse came together in Dare County to take part in a homecoming.
The Resiliency of Jellies
Moon jelly fish stranded on an autumn beach seemed like a sad story of dislocation and abandonment, but they were also testaments to the resiliency of nature.
Pelican Award: Bob High
Chat with Bob High for five minutes and you will discover the two things he is truly passionate about: craft beer and coastal North Carolina. Chat with him a little longer and you’ll understand what a natural pairing that is.
Our Coast’s Food: Charcoal Mullet
Fall’s first chilly nips trigger a smoky scent along North Carolina’s coastal back roads where embers in barbecue pits and grills coax the savory smell of an old-fashioned dish locals lovingly call “charcoal mullet.”
Insect Safari in the Dismal Swamp
A visit to the Dismal Swamp State Park yields many stories and sights, including a myriad of six- and eight-legged critters, as seen during a recent state park’s “Insect Safari.”
Sandie Cecelski: Pelican Award Winner for Education
E.H. Ashley High School science teacher Sandie Cecelski exemplifies great teaching, getting students up close and personal with all that marine science has to offer. We gave her a Pelican Award, to thank her for her invaluable service to children.
B95 the Red Knot: The Tale of a Famous Flyer
A red knot known as B95, aka Moonbird, has been delighting bird watchers almost 20 years. Its epic migrations are almost equal to a round-trip to the moon.
A Sign of Autumn: Fall Webworms
Look for the white, cottony webs in the trees this fall. Inside are hundreds of caterpillars munching on leaves, fattening up for a winter’s hibernation. They will emerge as moths next spring.
Our Coast’s Food: No-Frills Seafood
The simple clam chowder, the basic drum stew with cornmeal dumplings or broiled mullet paired with fresh watermelon are the sorts of recipes that might have been lost had it not been for “Coastal Carolina Cooking.”
Nature’s Hints of Autumn
If you pay attention to the natural world, the signs are all around us that summer will soon give way to fall.
Take a Birding Cruise Along White Oak
Local bird expert Joanne Powell will guide birding cruises along the White Oak River, and she says participants are almost guaranteed to see something special: birds, other wildlife or just stunning beauty.
