The Coastal Blonde does The Crystal Coast!

Over the weekend, my friend and I had the unique opportunity to visit the beautiful shops and beaches of the Crystal Coast! The Crystal Coast is located in North Carolina’s Southern Outer Banks. Its home to 85 miles of gleaming Atlantic beaches, a herd of wild Spanish mustang horses, the graveyard of the Atlantic, a towering lighthouse, the No. 1 National Park Beach, Cape Lookout National Seashore, swashbuckling maritime heritage and more.

Enjoy a late lunch on Front Street at Moonrakers, followed by shopping along Front St. in Beaufort!

Lunch or dinner with a view is a must on Front Street, Beaufort! Several shops and restaurants back right up to the beautiful Atlantic Ocean.

Took a minute to shop around the cute Beaufort Mercantile Co. which is home to local hand made gifts, paintings, and a bar cart in the back to enjoy a drink while watching the boats come in and out!

Can’t beat this view from Beaufort’s Front Street!

Grab food to go, a snack or Brick Oven Pizza from the Black Sheep!

Every city needs a cute General Store! Pop in for some flavorful ice cream!

Most shops have pirate gifts and swashbuckling themes making it fun for adults and kids to shop!

Make sure to check out all the Holiday decor and take a seat in Santa’s chair while walking along Front Street!

Enjoy small plates, big plates, and great wines over at Aqua! Highly recommend the Tomato Tart appetizer and the Pork Porterhouse over gnocchi entree!

Stopped by some vintage stores before heading to the “Olde Beaufort Farmer’s Market.” The farmer’s market has its special Olde Fashioned Holiday Market under the oaks on the Cateret Countly courthouse grounds, featuring music, and servers with ready-to-eat food!

The next day we made sure to grab a espresso martini from Cru Bar and Wine store before headed to some more shops!

A must see is Fishtown Brewhouse! This unique Brewery sits on the corner of Front Street and has seasonal beers on tap that are all delicious, there is a beer for everyone!

We enjoyed dinner and drinks over at Ruddy Duck Tavern in Morehead City on the way home that night and it was the perfect end to the day. The shrimp scampi was divine!!

Spent our last morning with brunch and one more visit to the Front Street Shops! Picked up a lot of pirate toys for the boys and some goodies for myself!

Had to check out this festive decor one more time during the day!

A view from our beautiful 4 bedroom house located directly on the beach! It was less than a 100 foot walk to the white sands on Emerald Isle! Thank you to Emerald Isle Realty for making our rental feel like home! Immediately upon entry it was very clean, vibrant and full of coastal life for us to enjoy. Visit them here for all their beach rentals and vacation homes! https://reservations.emeraldislerealty.com/properties/lighthouse-west

A huge thank you to The Crystal Coast for the wonderful and warm visit! Outside of serene natural settings, The Crystal Coast was an exceptional destination for holiday shopping and sips. Charming boutiques dot the coastal communities and make holiday shopping a breeze. Local eateries touting an array of festive sprits lend an opportunity for plentiful R&R. So head to the coast, and check off your Christmas list this season. Happy Holidays xx! Make sure to follow along with them for updates and events!