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Favorite US Travels: North Carolina Beach Edition

I love North Carolina - honestly, I could totally live there. It has great beaches and great mountains - and this is the beach edition of a favorite place that I would suggest! If you enjoy the beach and having fun times with family at a rented beach house, this is the place for you. The two times I remember best we were actually at the same beach house. So now, I give you, the beach...more specifically, Topsail Island.

The Beach
Here in PA, the closest beaches are in New Jersey...I do not like New Jersey, nor do I like their beaches. They just aren't nice beaches...and there are a lot of weirdos! ;) But in all seriousness, Topsail Island beaches are way better - better shells and sharks teeth to collect (and then later regret collecting because where on earth do you put them?), cleaner sand, way less crowds, etc. (Oh yeah, and really cute little green lizards.)



One of my favorite things (I'm not a huge water and swimming fan, and can't do that all day, nor can I just lay in the sun - so unhealthy!) to do there is build fancy sand castles and villages and mountains and moats with my siblings. It was fun to scoop, mold, dig, and shape the sand; even better, however, was when the tide crept closer and closer and slowly overtook our sculptures until they were flooded and beautifully ruined. That may be weird, but it was fun. It was also amusing to watch my brother take his shovel down to the beach and literally dig himself a pit as tall as himself. Since she knew there was no telling him no, my mom always made him fill it in right away so no one fell in.





Of course, the very best thing was the walking on the beach, seeing the sunrises and sunsets, and staring out into the waves.

Activities
There is a lot of interesting history along North Carolina's coast. For instance, on Topsail Island itself are towers reminiscent of it's military/missile history and an intriguing museum detailing the whole story. Then there are the fascinating pirate stories (my personal favorite), and not too far away, the USS North Carolina Battleship, my all-time favorite historical place to visit. Also not too far of a drive is where the Wright brothers first flew.


All in All...
North Carolina's beaches are a much-needed relaxation spot to enjoy a nicer and less crowded beach right outside your door. It also has historical and nature-related things to check out and learn about, which is a great way to add educational value to your kids' summer vacation.

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