Crystal Coast

North Carolina’s Crystal Coast is an 85-mile shoreline centered on Carteret County’s beaches, ports, and protected islands, stretching from Cape Lookout southwest toward the New River. Marketed at times as the Southern Outer Banks, it includes popular beach communities, sound-side gateways such as Beaufort, Morehead City, and Swansboro, and preserved landscapes like Cape Lookout National Seashore, Hammocks Beach State Park, and Shackleford Banks. Clear, warm waters near the Gulf Stream have made the coast a major center for fishing and diving, especially among offshore shipwrecks. Fort Macon, maritime museums, and exhibits tied to Blackbeard and wartime wrecks show how recreation and maritime history are closely intertwined here.

Atlantic Beach, North Carolina · United States