As you plan your winter excursion, consider the following attractions, recommended by members of the Sea Grant team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the Top<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Outer Banks, along the northern coast, boasts excellent beachcombing<\/strong> year-round, but the off-season can be particularly productive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are so many reasons to beachcomb in the winter,\u201d says Terri Kirby Hathaway, Sea Grant\u2019s marine education specialist. \u201cFewer people. Less competition. Winter storms usually wash more stuff onto the beach, and strong waves uncover more shell hash and pea gravel areas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you travel to Hatteras Island, stop at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum<\/strong><\/a>. There, you can learn about the 3,000 ships that have sunken off the coast, as well as the geological features that make the region treacherous. The museum is open every day except Sunday throughout the winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Wright Brothers National Memorial<\/strong><\/a> is another piece of history to explore in the Outer Banks. The park marks the site where, in 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved the first successful airplane flight. \u201cWe have visitors year-round, although this time of year things are a little bit more quiet,\u201d says Jin Prugsawan, a National Park Service<\/a> representative who works at the memorial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Visitors can tour the reconstructed camp and hangar, stand where the brothers first took to the air and climb to the top of Big Kill Devil Hill to get the best view of the park. The visitors center is undergoing renovations, so plan for a day outdoors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you make your way off the banks and toward the coastal plain, check out Goose Creek State Park<\/strong><\/a>. Nestled between Washington and Bath, the park showcases the natural beauty of the central coast. Amble along trails that wind through wetlands, or bring your own kayak or paddleboard to explore the cypress swamp where Spanish moss dangles from the trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you meander into the central coastal communities, you\u2019ll reach the Down East region, east of Beaufort in Carteret County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vanda Lewis, who recently retired from Sea Grant\u2019s office in Morehead City, recommends chartering a boat<\/strong> and going fishing as a way to get out on the ocean. Embark from Atlantic Beach or Morehead City, and try your luck at catching seasonal fish like redfish, striped bass and black drum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don\u2019t have sea legs, the Town of Beaufort<\/strong><\/a> will appeal to history and culture buffs alike. Join a walking or biking tour to learn about the town\u2019s past, which dates back more than 300 years. Also visit popular downtown sites that include historical homes, restaurants and shopping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Complete your tour of Beaufort at the North Carolina Maritime Museum<\/strong><\/a>, where you can learn about Blackbeard\u2019s ship, the Queen Anne\u2019s Revenge<\/em>, which sunk off the coast in 1718. Also check out current exhibits like North Carolina\u2019s Surfing Legacy<\/em>, which provides a glimpse into how the sport has evolved over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Bogue Banks, stretch your legs at Fort Macon State Park<\/strong><\/a>, located four miles from the Atlantic Beach boardwalk. The park\u2019s trails wind through the fort and down toward the shoreline, and include a new three-mile nature path that spans three ecosystems. The site was originally built as part of a national effort to defend coastal ports after the War of 1812, and was converted to a park in 1936. Catch a tour, or view exhibits on your own at the visitors center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Randy Newman, the park\u2019s superintendent, says the number of visitors is high in the winter months. \u201cIn November of 2016 we had over 68,000 visitors and in December over 45,000,\u201d he says. \u201cThe park is a nice way to get the family out of the house and to get some fresh air without the bugs that come in the summer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continue south, and you\u2019ll reach the largest city in the coastal region. Wilmington<\/strong><\/a> offers a mix of history, culture and nature that beckons visitors at any time of year. The weather is generally mild even during the shoulder and off- seasons, but prepare to bundle up in case there\u2019s a cold snap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scott Baker, a Sea Grant fisheries specialist, recommends hiking. \u201cMy family and I like to spend weekends on state park trails, especially in the fall and winter,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Carolina Beach State Park<\/strong><\/a>, explore different coastal habitats, including coastal fringe sandhill forest, wetlands, savanna, pine forest and brackish marsh. Be sure to stop at the visitor center to learn more about the site\u2019s ecology or to chat with a ranger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Less than five miles south of Carolina Beach is Fort Fisher. As you drive alongside the beach on Forth Fisher Boulevard, you\u2019ll first come across Fort Fisher Historic Site<\/strong><\/a>. Visit indoor and outdoor exhibits of the Civil War- era site to learn about battles fought there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A mile down the road is the Fort Fisher Recreation Area<\/strong><\/a>. Situated between the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Fear River, the park brims with biodiversity. Lucky photographers and birders may see rare species, such as loggerhead sea turtles and piping plovers, known to nest along the beach\u2019s sandy shores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Baker also recommends visiting Masonboro Island<\/strong><\/a>, the largest undisturbed barrier island along the state\u2019s southern coast. As part of the N.C. Coastal Reserve, it can only be reached by boat. Catch a water taxi or shuttle from Wrightsville Beach to carefully enjoy the island\u2019s fragile habitats and lapping waves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t let the winter blues keeping you from exploring. Throw a coat in the car, and cut for the coast!<\/p>\n\n\n\n At any time of year, the North Carolina Aquariums<\/a><\/strong> lure visitors with interactive exhibits, touch tanks, shark feedings and more. With locations at Roanoke Island and Jennette\u2019s Pier, Pine Knoll Shores, and Fort Fisher, you are never too far away for an easy day trip from coastal locations or even the Triangle region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n North Carolina Sea Grant and the aquariums have a long, collaborative history, and continue to partner on many projects. Some Sea Grant staff, including coastal construction and erosion specialist Spencer Rogers, originally had offices at three aquarium locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor various reasons, as the aquariums evolved and expanded, the Sea Grant offices were moved elsewhere,\u201d says Rogers, who is now based at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington\u2019s Center for Marine Science.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe left Fort Fisher in 1997, but I still work on projects with the aquariums,\u201d he says. \u201cYears ago, I had built a wave tank that is housed at Roanoke Island, and I am currently working on another one for Jennette\u2019s Pier. Time does come around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each aquarium offers slightly different attractions, but all focus on the diverse aquatic environments and species that are native to North Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Roanoke Island<\/strong><\/a>, visitors can gawk at the largest group of sharks in the state and experience Sea the Change<\/em>, an exhibit highlighting the newly remodeled aquarium. While in the area, stop by Jennette\u2019s Pier<\/strong><\/a>, where you can hone your angling skills in the summer, or go birding or whale watching in the winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow water\u2019s natural path from the mountains to the sea at Pine Knoll Shores<\/strong><\/a>. Begin your aquarium tour feeling the spray of a waterfall and finish by exploring a World War II shipwreck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Free daily shows at the Fort Fisher<\/strong><\/a> aquarium delight visitors. Learn about food webs and watch staff members feed animals. Make time to chat with a diver who swims among sharks and schooling fish.You\u2019re never too old to learn about the treasures hiding in North Carolina waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This article was published in the Winter 2018 issue<\/a> of <\/em>Coastwatch. Click here for reprint requests.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When trees are bare and wind is brisk, do you wonder how to spend your spare time? Coastal North Carolina offers plenty of opportunities for exploring, learning and having fun, beyond summer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":9495,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"views\/single-immersive.blade.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ncst_custom_author":"Danielle Costantini","ncst_show_custom_author":true,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-immersive-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"backgroundColor\":\"custombg_one\",\"caption\":\"Visitors can climb Big Kill Devil Hill, a 90-foot dune, for the best view of the Wright Brothers Memorial Monument. Photo courtesy VisitNC.com\",\"displayCategoryID\":707,\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[660,602,707],"tags":[],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[725],"class_list":["post-9491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-660","category-fishing","category-winter-2018"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":707,"name":"Winter 2018","slug":"winter-2018","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":708,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":660,"count":10,"filter":"raw"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2018\/03\/Nags_Head_web.jpg\")
Middle March<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2018\/03\/The_Harvey_W_Smith_Watercraft_Center_North_Carolina_Maritime_Museum_Beaufort_North_Carolina_Interior_web.jpg\")
Southern Cultures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Aquarium Attractions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2018\/03\/Diver_Bailey_Intern_2017_sk02.jpg\")