Crystal Coast – Perfect North Carolina Shores Vacation Destination

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Beaufort Historic Site

We spent another afternoon touring beautiful historic Beaufort.  We took the tour from the top of a double-decker bus, which the kids absolutely loved! I enjoyed learning the history of the area and seeing the wonderful old houses and buildings of Beaufort.

I even saw some wild horses across the water, but didn’t get a photo in time. This area of the Outer Banks is known for the wild horses that run free in small areas of the islands.

The Hammock House, the oldest home in Beaufort, dates back to approximately 1700 and is rumored to have been visited by Blackbeard. Very cool!

After long days on the beach and out sightseeing, we looked forward to a delicious dinner and weren’t disappointed. We ate at several area restaurants and really enjoyed them all.

Beaufort Grocery Co.

The Beaufort Grocery Co. is right in the historic district where we’d just taken the double-decker bus tour.  As we enjoyed our dinner, we saw horse carriages ride by and families strolling down the street. 

Our dinner at Beaufort Grocery Co. was wonderful. The restaurant is a little more upscale than the others we visited on this trip, but everyone was very welcoming of our family with three kids in tow.  🙂

We started our dinner off with the hot Gorgonzola and Fresh Spinach Dip with Grilled Pita and Lavosh Crackers. It was sooooo good, we could have ordered another order or two and just all eaten that for dinner!

For dinner, we had the Shrimp & Scallops and Caesar Cardini Salad. The kids all enjoyed salads and pasta. Everything was delicious.

Beaufort Grocery Co. has lots of amazing desserts, so we saved a little bit of room to try them. Our whole family sampled the Lemon Pie, Peach Cobbler and Pecan Pie a la mode. They were all delicious and perfect with a cup of coffee after dinner.

We loved our dinner at Beaufort Grocery Co.. I’d love to go back again and sit outside next time to enjoy the beautiful scenery while having more delicious “Beau Gro” food!

Amos Mosquitos

We all thought that Amos Mosquito’s was such a fun restaurant!  Besides the delicious food, the unique decor and gorgeous outdoor seating with a water view are also reasons to come for a great meal. There are lots of fun design elements like iron mosquito lights and branches hanging from the ceiling – we loved looking around at everything while we had dinner!

I had the server bring a bartender specialty drink. It was fruity, sweet and delicious and came in this fun glass.

We tried several yummy appetizers at Amos Mosquito’s, including the Coconut Shrimp, Fried Dill Pickles and Iceberg Wedge Salad.

For our main course, we had the Shrimp and Grits and Shrimp and Scallop Alfredo. The kids all had the “Snake Skins”, which were buttered noodles with parmesan cheese. We loved everything!

Even with the delicious drinks, appetizers and entrees, our favorite part was definitely the make-it-yourself indoor S’mores! The kids had a ball making their own desserts. I thought it was such a cute idea!

Even though there were a lot of fun elements at Amos Mosquito’s that we all loved, the decor wasn’t the reason so many people were enjoying dinner while we were there.  The food is creative, original and absolutely delicious!

Beaufort Grocery Too

Owned by the same people that run the Beaufort Grocery Co., Beaufort Grocery Too brings the same great quality of food in a more casual, fun restaurant.

The attention to detail was clear throughout the design of the restaurant, the art on the walls and the food we were served, all the way down to the kids’ sides of fruit.

Our server suggested the Saganaki for an appetizer and we were glad she did. It was a Kasseri cheese served flaming in brandy with a big bucket of homemade breads. It was amazing!

For our entrees, we had the Southern Fried Chicken and Waffles and the Mo’ Better Cheeseburger and the kids had waffles.  Everything was so unique from the appetizer through the dinners and we loved it all!

We had a great time at Beaufort Grocery Too. Our server was so knowledgeable, helpful and sweet.  We took her recommendations for several of our orders and it was clear she knew her stuff. We loved the entire experience and will definitely be back!

Thanks for reading all about our wonderful trip to the Crystal Coast in the Southern Outer Banks of North Carolina!  I could write so much more about the fun we had (and I just might do that!).  It’s a beautiful, unspoiled area of the Outer Banks that had enough restaurants, shopping and activities to keep us happy and entertained without being overrun by crowds of tourists.  It’s by far one of our favorite beach vacation spots and we will be back again in the future!

I would love to thank everyone we met during our trip to the Crystal Coast.  You all made our entire vacation magical and enjoyable!  We’ll be back.  🙂

If you’d like to learn more about these awesome places,  check them out online:

Atlantis Lodge – http://www.atlantislodge.com/

Beaufort Grocery Co. – http://www.beaufortgrocery.com/

Amos Mosquito’s Restaurant – http://www.amosmosquitos.com/

Beaufort Historic Site Tours – http://www.beauforthistoricsite.org/

North Carolina Aquarium – http://www.ncaquariums.com/pine-knoll-shores

I received a discounted rate and complimentary meals in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. The Crystal Coast ROCKS!