The Crystal Coast – A Great Family Summer Vacation

Family Summer Vacation

A few weeks ago, my family and I headed over to the beach for our family summer vacation. There are a lot of beaches within driving distance, but growing up in North Carolina gives me the advantage of knowing the difference between them.  There are some areas that everyone has heard of, of course, where many people from all over come to enjoy a summer vacation.

And then there are places like the Crystal Coast. A secret gem in the Outer Banks not overcrowded by throngs of visitors, their cars and their noise.  It’s a secret that many who are take the family summer vacation there don’t share with many others so they can keep it as beautiful and serene as it is now.

Crystal Coast Southern Outer Banks

Here are just a few photos of our trip to the Crystal Coast. 

The Crystal Coast is a beautiful place to enjoy the natural surroundings and wildlife, but there is so much more to this area in the Southern Outer Banks.  With award-winning restaurants, historical tours, horseback riding, boat tours, kayaking, fishing and more, there are so many fun things to do!

I have a lot of things to share about our favorite places in the Crystal Coast, so read on!  🙂

Atlantis Lodge, Pine Knoll Shores

On our trip, we stayed at the Atlantic Lodge, a wonderful hotel right on the coastline.

It’s a sweet little place with lush greenery, a wide open beach and all of touches of home that only a family-run hotel would provide. Look at this beautiful walkway down to the beach:

The Atlantis Lodge has an enormous family room complete with pool table, ping-pong, wide-screen tv, board games and more. It’s the perfect place to escape an afternoon shower or take a pizza and have dinner over a board game with the kids. There are free DVDs to check out, a gorgeous pool with a waterfall down right into the secluded baby pool and plenty of cozy areas to sit and enjoy the beauty. 

Out of everything I loved about the Atlantis Lodge, my absolute favorite was the Beach Attendants and complimentary beach gear!

Every one of you with kids knows how much gear a day at the beach can require. Carrying beach chairs, umbrellas, buckets, shovels, kites, cars and toys can make a fun day turn into a lot of work.  At Atlantis Lodge, the beach chairs and umbrellas are complimentary and there is even a beach attendant waiting to set it all up for you!  And for the kids, Atlantis Lodge has a huge storage bin full of sand toys to keep them busy all day long. My husband and I carried a cooler and a few towels and the beach attendants did everything else. I loved, loved, loved it!

There is something for everyone at Atlantis Lodge, including Fido. You can bring your dog to Atlantis Lodge and have him enjoy your vacation with you. They’ve thought of everything from the many doggie clean-up bag stations to the doggie sand-rinse station.  There’s even a welcome biscuit for your furry friend:

We had the best time at Atlantis Lodge and hated to leave. Hated it so much, in fact, that on the day we were supposed to leave, we decided to stay another night. Our room was already booked, so we moved the entire family into a smaller room and headed back out to enjoy another day in Paradise.  

We have so many wonderful memories from our vacation and we’ll definitely be back to the Atlantis Lodge in the future!

I have sooooo many more awesome things to share about our trip to the Crystal Coast, so be sure to stay tuned.  Crystal Coast Part Two will include some great restaurants, an amazing aquarium and the great sightseeing we did around the Southern Outer Banks. Be sure to check back and see how it went.  🙂

Be sure to check out what a summer family vacation at the Crystal Coast has in store for you!

Crystal Coast: www.crystalcoastnc.org

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