Carolina Shore - Ocean, Seafood, History & More!

[giradman]

Neighborhood Walk Today

Took another walk this morning heading to a different area which led to some spectacular views of the wetlands; of course in the way background of the last wetlands pic is the G.V. Barbee Bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway - a little summary below (more at the link). We'll be crossing the bridge this afternoon on our way to Southport and the NC Maritime Museum there.

The G. V. Barbee Bridge carries NC 133 across the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), connecting Oak Island, North Carolina to the mainland. The 4,250-foot-long (1,300 m), 65-foot-high (20 m) structure, built under contract to the NC DOT, consists of 37 concrete girder main spans and 28 hollow core concrete slab approach spans. In the 2018/ 2019 time frame, DOT replaced all 28 cored concrete slabs and the barrier rails, resurfaced the roadway and made substructure repairs to include work on the pier caps, columns, piles and footings. (Source)

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[giradman]

Maritime Museum Southport & Solar Brewing Company

Well, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, downtown Southport was completely filled up - a parking place was not available near the museum - now we had been there several times before so not a loss to us, but below the first four pics from the web portray a feeling of the small museum. North Carolina has three maritime museums, i.e. in Southport, Beaufort, and Hatteras (the latter nicknamed Graveyard of the Atlantic, which we have not visited unfortunately) - of the two seen Beaufort is my favorite with a LOT of pirate emphasis since Blackbeard's ship the Queen Anne's Revenge sank in Beaufort harbor and underwater archeological findings are presented at that museum (more in another of my travelogues).

As a substitute and being thirsty, we stopped at Solar Brewing Company (last 4 pics below) on Oak Island - would have tried their pizza but have an early dinner reservation at a place overlooking the Atlantic Ocean with fresh shucked oysters (more on food later in case those reading this post might be visiting Oak Island) - did not want to spoil our appetite! Dave

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[giradman]

Southport - Boat Ride - Oyster Snack

Well, our last day and drove into Southport and headed for the marina area (labelled 'Boat Ride' below) for a 2 PM hour boat tour - passed Battery Island, a famous Audubon nesting island for many species of wading birds (see description next to pic - many of the darker objects on the beach are hundreds of birds), then headed between Bald Head Island and Oak Island; the lighthouses on each clearly visible - thought that we would see some dolphins but none appeared today. Susan felt like a mid-day snack, so went to the downtown area for a visit to the Moore Street Oyster bar - shared a dozen of two types of New England Coast oysters which were delicious.
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[giradman]

Southport - Civil War & Blockade Running

On our boat tour, the guide talked a lot about the Civil War and blockade running and the importance of the islands and forts around the mouth of the Cape Fear River with Wilmington just 20+ miles upriver. We saw the Thompson House (shown below) which was built by Thomas Thompson during the Civil War; he was probably one of the most famous of these runners in the area (kind of like the local Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind). The Museum in Southport dedicates a lot of space to this topic. The 10-minute video is a short overview on the local blockade running. Dave

North Carolina, Southport, Thomas M. Thompson House​

The Thompson House was built at the mouth of the Cape Fear River around 1868 by Civil War blockade-runner Thomas M. Thompson. Thompson was one of the few Southport native pilots to make a success out of blockade running during the Civil War. The Thompson House, with a center cupola, known as a widow's walk, also widow's watch, was built as a vantage point to scan the nearby waters for vessels entering the Cape Fear River. The house is in the Southport Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is pivotal property.​

 

[giradman]

OUTER BANKS - MARCH 2026 - NEW TRIP TO COMPLETE OUR BUCKET LIST -

Over a period of about 50 years, this is our 4th trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina - this has been the topic of many previous posts in this thread that dates back over twelve years. As to the meaning of 'bucket list' there were just three items I wanted to complete. First, crossing the 'new' bridge over Oregon Inlet (again the old bride has been a previous topic, so check back if interested.), which was under construction during our last stay. Second, visit to the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras. Third, visit to the new Wright's Brother Museum which we missed before because under construction.

This time we arrived in Nags head just across the bridge from Roanoke Island and are staying at a condo for 4 nights (location shows below as blue dot on the map) - we are on the 4th floor so great views of the ocean - will likely walk the beach but too cold for any swimming. I'll just do a post or two of the items in my itinerary. Dave.

 

[giradman]

Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is located at the lower end of Hatteras Island near the ferry boat terminal to Ocracoke Island - one of three maritime museums in the state (other two located in Beaufort and in Southport, topics of previous posts in the thread). The Wiki article provides some background information - the waters around the Outer Banks is responsible for thousands of loss ships due to many causes, from storms to wars. Below are a few pics of my own (except for the first of the building) showing the contents of the museum - that are plenty of interactive exhibits that could provide hours of reading. Dave
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[giradman]

The Marc Basnight Bridge opened in 2019 and replaced the older Bonner Bridge, both crossing the Oregon Inlet connecting Bodie and Pea Islands - the new bridge in 2.8 miles long and cost $254,000 to construct (more HERE if interested) - the bridge was still being built on our last visit, so this time our first chance to drive the structure - aerial pics below plus a video driving the bridge as we did. Dave
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[giradman]

U-Boats in the Outer Banks Early WW II - check link for more information - but an exhibit at the Graveyard of the Atlantic - the museum had a small gift shop but a good book selection - the short one on U-Boats was rather expensive so I checked Amazon for a Kindle edition which was only $5 with my bonus points - expect to enjoy! Dave

P.S. Plenty of YouTube videos on the topic, if interested, and much research going on exploring the 'wrecks' of the area over the the centuries.
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During 1942, German U-boats turned the North Carolina coast into "Torpedo Alley," sinking over 80 to 100 Allied ships. Known as the "Second Happy Time," this period saw U-boats attacking largely unprotected, un-convoyed shipping just miles off the Outer Banks. Key wrecks, including the U-85 and U-352, were sunk by US forces, leaving behind a significant underwater, battlefield.

Key Facts About U-Boats on the Outer Banks

• "Torpedo Junction": The area, particularly around Cape Hatteras, was so hazardous it was nicknamed "Torpedo Junction" due to the high density of attacks.
• Massive Losses: Roughly 1,600 lives were lost in North Carolina waters, with ships often burning within sight of the shore.
• Targeting Shipping: U-boats targeted tankers and cargo ships bringing fuel and supplies to Allied forces.
• U-Boat Casualties: Several U-boats were sunk in the area, including the U-85 (sunk by the USS Roper in April 1942) and U-352 (sunk in May 1942).
• Local Impact: Residents could see the explosions and fires, with wreckage and bodies occasionally washing ashore.

 

[giradman]

Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina - The Visitor's Center & Museum

On our last visit to this Wright Brother Memorial, the Visitor's Center and Museum were under construction - we saw the rest of the grounds including the impressive monument on the hill - visit the Wiki article HERE for a much more impressive discussion and also the National Park Service for video presentations.

The museum is not large but impressive, mainly two rooms with many exhibits that thoroughly discuss the Wright Brothers history towards powered flight; another room with a replica of the original plane with information on the technology (of the time) behind Wilbur and Orville's ideas and designs. The pics below present just a portion of the exhibits and one could easily spend 2-3 hours inside depending on one's diligence in reading everything! There is also a spacious gift shop - wife bought a tee shirt plus a fridge magnet and mug, and I picked up a tee shirt - we enter for nothing with a 'Senior Pass' and also received a discount at the gift shop for my Veteran's status - a MUST SEE if you're visiting the Outer Banks. Dave
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[giradman]

Roanoke Island - our last full day and rather over cast and chilly - but decided on a short excursion to Roanoke Island, a quick drive from our Nags Head Condo - plenty about this island in previous posts but in 1585 was the first English attempt at a settlement on the North American continent - several years later it became known as the 'Lost Colony' - BUT for those in the area interested in this history, a visit to the 'Fort Raleigh National Historic Site' (northern end of the island as shown below) is a MUST. Our visit today was to the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island (the state has 3 aquariums here, at Pine Knolls, and at Ft. Fischer) - an easy google search if interested. Tomorrow, 300 miles to home and likely our last visit to the Outer Banks. Dave
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[scifan57]

A most informative travel story.

 

[giradman]

A most informative travel story.

Hi Scifan – about half way through the UBoat book - well written, factual, and with a lot of archival pics (and short!) - suspect the type of history you'd enjoy.

 

[scifan57]

Hi Scifan – about half way through the UBoat book - well written, factual, and with a lot of archival pics (and short!) - suspect the type of history you'd enjoy.

Have you seen the UBoat at the museum of science and technology in Chicago. It’s one of only 4 wwII UBoats still existing.

 

[giradman]

Have you seen the UBoat at the museum of science and technology in Chicago. It’s one of only 4 wwII UBoats still existing.

Yep - several times but has been years since my last visit - I've also been down a sub - the one in Mobile, AL (WW II USA); visited Patriot's Point in Charleston several times, main attraction USS Yorktown but no subs - doing a ChatGPT, there are about 10 submarines in the USA that can be visited, so I'm WAY behind - the one I've loved to see is shown below (been to Mystic Seaport, so was close) - now does the H.L. Hunley count - Dave
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[scifan57]

Yep - several times but has been years since my last visit - I've also been down a sub - the one in Mobile, AL (WW II USA); visited Patriot's Point in Charleston several times, main attraction USS Yorktown but no subs - doing a ChatGPT, there are about 10 submarines in the USA that can be visited, so I'm WAY behind - the one I've loved to see is shown below (been to Mystic Seaport, so was close) - now does the H.L. Hunley count - Dave
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I’ve got this book in my Kindle app.