Welcome to Carteret County and the Crystal Coast

	While the Crystal Coast beaches are a favorite family vacation playground, most visitors want to do more than soak up the sun. They want to soak up the soul of the placeâ€¦and experience it first-hand. It can be the little things that make the memories â€" what's real and authentic, the true character of the region. We're known for the simple pleasures, so we want to leverage that," says Ed Myers, a member of the Chamber's Board of Directors, who operates the Channel
Marker Restaurant in Atlantic Beach. One of the best ways to get a sense for what's here is to go to the web site: www.HomegrownHandmade.com Just click to the "Coastal Treasure Chest," which features Carteret, Craven and Pamlico counties. Visitors can take a self-directed driving trail that connects farms, orchards, cultural and heritage sites, art galleries, local restaurants, Bed & Breakfast inns, antique merchants, wine sellers, nurserymen, produce stands, dive and surf shops, outfitters, fairs and festivals as well as retail stores.

		Go Down East. Have you been to the east'ard end of Harkers Island, yet? That would be the end of the road on Harkers Island. A pleasant surprise is the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center. It's the best place to become immersed in the heritage, traditions and history of the Down East communities of Carteret County. Down East history is a patchwork quilt of ancient whaling stories and round-stern workboats, crab pots and clam rakes, and waters where fishermen and hunters navigate their boats by the church steeples rising over the mainland. The museum is the focal point for a way of life, where living traditions of
James Allen Rose has built thousands of Down East style boat models that are collectors' items. Photo provided by the North Carolina Arts Council.
decoy carving and hunting, commercial fishing and boat building and living off the land and from the water are still passed onfrom one generation to the next. You will enjoy hearing the native dialect of these Core Sound Banks descendants and understand why locals consider Down East a sacred place.


Crab pots are a central theme in any celebration of Down East heritage. Photo by Cheryl Burke, Carteret Co. News-Times


The art of decoy carving is a hands-on tradition here. Photo provided by the North Carolina Arts Council