Randall Duckett - 100 Secrets of the Carolina Coast

100
Secrets
of the
Carolina
Coast

100
Secrets
of the
Carolina
Coast

A Guide to the Best
Undiscovered Places
Along the North and South
Carolina Coastline

Randall H. Duckett
AND
Maryellen Kennedy Duckett

Copyright 2000 by Media Development Group, Inc.

All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews and articles.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Rutledge Hill Press, a Thomas Nelson Company, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, Tennessee 37214.

Cover design by Harriette Bateman

Typography by Brecca Beauchamp

Map and icon designs by Mendenhall-Mitchell Design, Knoxville, Tennessee.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Duckett, Randall H., 1958
100 secrets of the Carolina coast : a guide to the best undiscovered places along the Carolina coastal area / Randall H. Duckett and Maryellen K. Duckett.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-55853-813-5 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Atlantic Coast (N.C.)Guidebooks. 2. Atlantic Coast (S.C.)Guidebooks. I. Title: One hundred secrets of the Carolina coast. II. Duckett, Maryellen Kennedy, 1961- III. Title.
F262.A84.D83 2000
917.56'10444dc21

99-08658

Printed in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 QPV 05 04 03 02 01 00

To our parentsDonald J. Duckett and Elizabeth Duckett and John and Mary Kennedywho raised us to go the extra mile and not be afraid to explore whats around the next bend in the road.

Contributing Editor: Elizabeth Duckett

Contributor: Kim Cressell

Wed also like to thank the following people who helped us with the editing, research, writing, and design of this book: Brad Duckett, Gordon Fee, Susan Hamilton, Chuck Laine, Cindy Prince, Sharon Pound, and Anne Ward.

Thanks as well to the always welcoming citizens of North Carolina and South Carolina, especially those who generously provided information, ideas, and photographs.

Special thanks to Geoff Stone, Larry Stone, and the rest of the staff at Rutledge Hill Press.

Contents

It had been one of those years. We were in our thirties and trying to cope with all the pressures of supporting a young family. Work seemed a constant series of deadlines and demands to do more and more in less and less time. We had young daughters, born within forty-four months of one another, whom we adored with all our hearts, but who required our constant care. Stress and sleep deprivation were the normal state of our lives. There was only one ray of hopethe time for our annual weeklong vacation at the beach had finally come.

A few years earlier, wed started spending our vacations on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, about eight hours from our home in East Tennessee. Wed fallen in love with its broad beaches, warm waters, and safe, family feel. We planned a trip to start on the traditional kick off to the summer travel seasonMemorial Day weekend. When that Saturday finally arrived, we feverishly stuffed the van with a portable play pen, a beach umbrella, beach chairs, beach toys, beach towels, swimsuits, shorts, sunscreens, and a closetful of clothes. We hit the road, speeding hundreds of miles over the mountains of western North Carolina and down into the South Carolina Lowcountry. Hours passed before we finally saw the sign for the Hilton Head exit off I-95. Almost out of gas because we were so anxious to get to the beach that we refused to make more than one refueling and bathroom stop, we pulled off the highway and into a gas station about thirty minutes from our final destination.

Then it hit us, with all the excitement of packing and anticipation of the beach, we forgot to double check the date of our reservations. Whenwere our reservations for? Wasnt there something different about thistrip as compared to the one the year before when we stayed at the sameplace? What exactly is todays date anyway?

We pulled out our reservations confirmation. There in black-and-white was the terrible truth. We were a day early. Our week at the beach was scheduled to run from Sunday to Sunday, not Saturday to Saturday. If we showed up at our condo now, there would likely be some other family staying there, enjoying the last day of their holiday. We had no place to stay for the night during one of the most heavily booked travel weekends of the year.

Now we look back on it and laugh at how we could have been so absent minded. We only relate it to you now to show you how much the beach means to our family. It goes beyond mere sand, sun, and sea. It is a state of mind. The beach represents a complete escape from all the problems and pressures of real life. It is an excuse to wear nothing but t-shirts, shorts, and flip flops; to let your beard grow to a scraggly stubble; to gorge yourself on fried clams or fresh oysters; to waste time bobbing in the water doing absolutely nothing productive; to prove to your kids that Mom and Dad arent always right on the verge of cracking up.

There are, of course, great beaches everywhere around the country. When we want to get away to the beach, though, we most often choose the Carolina coast. The stretch of shore running from the Outer Banks in the north to the Lowcountry in the south offers an amazing array of travel experiences, not just spots to sun on the sand, but wonderful places to stay, places to eat, adventures, and attractions.

As you travel the coast, you see the contrast between the two states. The North Carolina shore has more of a nautical feel, a slightly rawer quality exemplified by locals representing seafaring families that have lived on the edge of America for generations. To us, South Carolina has a more steamy South atmosphere, a sometimes tropical it-can-wait-until-tomorrow attitude. Lying just off the most heavily traveled interstate in the country, I-95, both areas are magnets for millions of vacationers annually. The high season tends to shift by geography and climatethe Outer Banks crowds concentrate between the fourth of July and Labor Day, whereas South Carolina has pleasant shoulder seasons in the spring and fall. Weve even been to the Hilton Head area at Christmas time and been able to ride bikes in 60-degree temperatures.

There are many well-known vacation spots along the Carolina shore, but there are also more than a few relatively undiscovered destinations that you dont want to miss. Thats why we wrote 100 Secrets of theCarolina Coast, the second book in the 100 Secrets series, along with 100 Secrets of the Smokies. (Thanks to all of you who bought it and made it such a success.) Weve scoured the North and South Carolina shores looking for the best lesser-known, off-the-beaten-path travel experiences. Weve tried to include something for everyone by featuring a wide variety of secretsfrom down-home shrimp shacks to gourmet bistros; from primitive campgrounds to luxury bed-and-breakfasts; from spectacularly scenic wilderness areas to fascinating historic towns. While there are plenty of places featured that are within view of the water, weve also headed inland to show off spots an hour or two away from the shore. These make great day trips when youre sunburned or want to broaden your vacation beyond the beachnot even water dogs like our kids can spend every day in the surf.

What makes something a secret? Its true that none of the places in this book are completely unknown, and some are already featured elsewhere. Our definition of a secret, though, is summed up in our motto: Its a secret if its new to you. If you look through the book and find something to do on your vacation that you might not have done otherwise, then weve done our job. And even if youve heard about a place already, weve tried to tell the story behind it and give inside information that should help you decide whether its worth your time and money to go there.