PHOTO GALLERY: Being Tourists in Our Own Area – Carolina Beach

Luke and Naomi decided to take a little mini-vacation for some rest, relaxation, and exploration of Carolina Beach, North Carolina. After the grueling 25 minute ride in the car, they finally reached their destination, and were ready for a weekend of fun!

We always wanted to spend a day or two, right on the main drag of Carolina Beach. We always wanted to play tourist, and visit the little shops, eat at the restaurants, and have a couple of drinks at the many establishments throughout the area. Well, Labor Day weekend, we finally got our chance to do that.

We headed down to Carolina Beach on Friday afternoon (September 6th). We stayed at the Starlite Inn, right on the corner of the main drag and Cape Fear Boulevard, which leads you right to the Carolina Beach Boardwalk. We got to be in the heart of it all.

Our first stop after getting settled in was the Fat Pelican, an establishment that we’ve been told about since we moved to Wilmington. I can’t believe it took us THREE YEARS to check this place out! You wander in and there’s a cooler in the back where you walk in and pick out your beverage. Then you can take your beverage to the front counter (if you can find a spot), one of the tables in the back room, or make your way outside where you’re transported to a different world. It was one of the coolest places ever! Check out the photos in the gallery below to see how awesome this place was!

After our Fat Pelican experience, we had dinner at Havana’s and it was delicious! Ceviche, fish, a bison burger, and tasty specialty adult beverages. After dinner it was time to check out some beach bars, including “the last resort” and “Sea Witch,” which included lots of dancing.

In the morning, we made our way to the Gulfstream Restaurant for breakfast, and then wandered down to the Veggie Wagon for live music and a couple of adult sodas. During our walk back, we took advantage of the Carolina Beach mural for a nice photo opp. We retreated to our hotel room, freshened up, then walked the beach to the Carolina Beach Pier. That ended up being a longer trek than we realized, but it was a beautiful afternoon and we were in no rush. At the pier, we enjoyed a drink and the fresh air. We decided to call a golf cart taxi to take us back to the heart of Carolina Beach and made our way to “The Dive,” for some deep-fried snacks, and another beverage. From there, we hit a couple of more stops, including “The Sandspur,” “The Topical CB,” an arcade, “The Silver Dollar,” and wrapped up the night by visiting The Fat Pelican again.

Carolina Beach has SO much to offer, we didn’t even get to do all the things we wanted. You definitely need more than two days to pack it all in. Luckily, it’s close enough, we can just come down for the day. Next time, I’m getting some ice cream, donuts from Britts, and maybe checking out the mini-golf.

Check out the pictures from all our adventures below: