Who says you have to fly to Florida or Hawaii to have fun in the sun this summer? This season, several resorts and retailers on the North Carolina coast are offering families some cool ways to spend the dog days of summer without breaking the bank:
Parks: North Carolina is home to numerous national parks and historic sites, including the Wright Brothers National Memorial, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Each attraction offers a wide-range of free or deeply discounted adventures from treks through cool forests to guided moonlight tours of the famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.
Museums: Save your money for gas and food and take your kids to the Corolla Wild Horse Museum. The popular attraction features free mustang visits on Wednesdays (your kids can pet a real mustang while you document the Kodak moment), and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, your child can paint a cutout of a horse and take it home.
Nature: From now until mid-August the Bald Head Island Conservancy is offering evening “Turtle Walks,” which include spectacular views of loggerhead turtles nesting and hatching. The event is free to conservancy members (membership starts at $75 for families).
Planetarium: This summer the Ingram Planetarium on Sunset Beach is debuting a new high-definition digital projection system and a new dome. Families can also take in evening laser shows and learn fun facts about the solar system.
Segway Tours: In Currituck, adventurous families can take Segway tours through local beaches and dunes. Tours last four hours and are by appointment only.
History: Ahoy, Maties! The North Carolina Maritime Museum is turning the spotlight on pirate ship artifacts this summer. You and your family can experience hands on lessons in pirate history, plus you can visit some of the places associated with Blackbeard, who died in battle off Ocracoke Island in 1718.
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