My mom, aunt, brother, and I headed down to Emerald Isle, NC for our annual beach trip for the Fourth of July. We have been going to Emerald Isle for the week of the Fourth of July pretty much my entire life; it’s one of our family traditions. Emerald Isle will always be one of my favorite places! The quaint beaches and small-town feel will always have my heart. If you have never been to Emerald Isle, I’ll give you an idea of how tiny it is. The only way onto the island is to go over a large bridge from the mainland; before they built the bridge, you had to take a ferry to enter the island. The island itself is only about 13 miles long and 1/2 mile wide, so small might be an understatement. haha. There are no highrises allowed on the island to help preserve its quaint charm; so, there are only houses and some small condo buildings that are only 3 stories high on the island. Because of the ban on highrises, the beaches remain open and uncrowded with people and excess stuff; it is truly relaxing!

 

Here are some snapshots from our family beach trip!

 

This is the view from the bridge as you enter the island. Stunning views of the sound!

Before we cross the bridge, we always stop at this fruit stand to stock up on tons of local fresh fruit to eat all week! They truly have some of the best watermelon and peaches.

The pristine beaches are covered in such pretty shells! When my brother and I were little, we would always walk up and down the beaches trying to find the coolest shells and sharks teeth.

We headed up to Atlantic beach, which neighbors Emerald Isle, to get some gelato from Pop-elato. I got banana split and it was bomb!

One of our favorites things to do during our week is to head to Swansboro to shop all of the cool local shops and eat at our favorite restaurants, Yana’s. Yana’s is a cool 50’s style dinner filled with amazing memorabilia including a lifestyle talking Elvis cutout in the bathroom. We didn’t get a chance to eat at Yana’s this year, which makes me so sad, but if you’re in the area go eat one of their burgers!

Fourth of July! We hang out on the beach all day, grill burgers for dinner, and then head back down to the beach for fireworks on the peer.

We headed to Beaufort one morning to check out their shops and local restaurants. We ate at Finz Grill, which is on the waterfront in Beaufort, for lunch and it was so good! Their fish tacos were awesome!

They’re so cute!

My handsome brother 🙂 Also, peep the lady creeping in the background.

Headed out to dinner for our last night. This will give you a better idea of how tall Jordan is; I’m 5’7″ and he makes me look short with his 6’4″ self.

Crab legs are always Jordan, mom, and I’s go-to meal at the beach and really anywhere that offers them.

 

I had the best week at the beach with family and I wish we were back there! I can’t believe it is August already; this summer has flown by! Hopefully, next year’s beach trip will be here before we know it!

 

xo Brittany ox