Pictures of a trip from Raleigh to the beach at Emerald Isle (Wilson: house, prices)

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

My wife and I took advantage of the holiday weekend and made a day trip to the beach at Emerald Island on Sunday. In the past we have gone to places like Wrightsville Beach which is closer, but we wanted to try something new. Being that we left on Sunday we hit no traffic on the way down. The trip took 2 hours and 45 minutes from our house in North Raleigh.

Parking was a bit difficult (to be expected since it was a holiday weekend and we did not arrive until 11:30). We spent about 20 minutes circling a free public parking lot and eventually got lucky and snagged a spot. There were vending machines, bathrooms, and hoses with water to wash the sand off your feet at this location. The beach was a bit crowded if you hung around the access to point from the public parking, but if you walked down a couple hundred yards it became quite private.

After a long day on the Beach we grabbed a bite to eat at a local place called Flipperz. It is a small place with an Island theme. It is located in a strip mall just a minute down the road from where we were at the beach and it seemed to be quite popular (there were several families waiting to get in when we left at 6:00). Good burgers and salads among several other nice choices (steak, catch of the day ect..). Decent prices for a place near the beach (although there have more expensive options they have a lot of salads and sandwiches in the $8 range). A great little place to grab a bite to eat before hittting the road back to the Triangle!

All in all we had a great fist trip to Emerald Isle. Here are a few pictures from our trip!

Map of our route from Raleigh to Emerald Isle


Heading out of the Triangle on I-40 (No traffic in sight on Memorial Day Weekend!)


Some of the Scenery along the Way




Getting closer to the bach!




Some pictures from the beach

[beckycat]

Do they allow dogs there? I saw the 2 dogs in the pics, but didn't know if they were really supposed to be there. That would be cool! Nice pics NRG!

[Grizzmeister]

Thanks for the wonderful pictures! My wife and I can’t wait to start making our summer time pilgrimages to a beautiful little strip of ocean front located between Carolina and Kure beach. We usually go down midweek when there are so few people that we almost feel like we have the whole beach to ourselves; quite a change from the polluted tourist trap that is Ocean City back in our native state of Maryland.

[boardmember10000]

Nice post and pictures NRG. What is the road like after you get off of 40? Country Highway or 4 lanes?

[uncletupelo]

Great pics. You can also get to EI by going Highway 70 to highway 58 or my favorite is 264 to Wilson then take 258 to Snow Hill then pick 58 in Kinston staight to EI. Going to AB or PKS/Indian Beach just stay on 70 after getting off 58 in Kinston. Less traffic than going straight down 70 from Raleigh.

[uncletupelo]

I screwed uo on my directions slightly.And it is too late to edit. Take 264 to Wilson to 58 and then to 258 in Snow Hill to 70 in Kinston to go to AB/PKS/ Indian Beach. Or get back on 58 in Kinston to EI.

[ty320f]

Nice. We were there this weekend, just like every weekend

We usually take 40 to exit 373 just like NRG. Definitely faster, but just more interstate driving.
Coming home this afternoon there was a lot of traffic when you hit I-95, but before that it was fair.

When you exit 40, the road is a nice 4 lane road with pig farms on either side
Unfortunately the speed limit is only 55mph and there are cops out all the time...


Oh and the Town of Emerald Isle does allow dogs on the beaches - as long as you pick up behind them! (Oh, and they have to be leashed.)

[flipster]

OMGosh how crowded! I much prefer another part of EI. Thanks for the pics and how nice to be able to make a day trip.

[ty320f]

Yeah that does look crowded, but it was because they were closer to the public beach access.
We prefer to stay on "Brissy Island" (name given by us, came from our dog's name)
(I believe it's the one highlighted yellow..)

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

Originally Posted by ty320f

Yeah that does look crowded, but it was because they were closer to the public beach access.

Exactly. A short walk down the beach away from the public access point proved to be much more private with the crowd dwindling down to just a few people. Thanks for the map!