One of the ireporters just submitted this video of flooding in Atlantic Beach. http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-661164?ref=feeds

Here is a quick update. For everyone who has been calling me, the Emerald Isle, NC July 4, 2011 fireworks display will occur this year off the Bogue Inlet Pier at 9PM Monday night. If you’re leaving the Crystal Coast Sunday, it’s a shame as you’ll miss the sight of the fireworks being launched over the Atlantic Ocean.

Shoot and Tell!

If you happen to take any photos of the 4th of July fireworks celebration in Emerald Isle (like the one to the right that I took several years ago), be sure to email me those photos to info@crystalcoastblog.com and I’ll post your photos here on the Crystal Coast Blog for all to see!

Everyone have a safe and enjoyable 4th of July 2011!

Bobby – Your Crystal Coast Blogger!

The town of Emerald Isle has just announced the 2011 4th of July fireworks display will return to the Bogue Inlet fishing pier. After a two year absence, the town agreed to renew it’s partnership with the Bogue Inlet Fishing pier.

The 4th of July Emerald Isle Fireworks Launching Pad?

Which launch pad do you prefer for the Emerald Isle 4th of July fireworks display? The Bogue Inlet pier or the location at the McLean Park near mile marker 18 in Emerald Isle? Leave a comment and cast your vote?

Visited by thousands of NC bound vacationers and the permanent home to many, the Crystal Coast is situated along North Carolina’s Southern Outer Banks. Comprised of the mainland communities of Beaufort, Morehead City to the east and Cape Carteret, and Swansboro to the west, the Bogue Banks barrier island towns of Atlantic Beach, Pine Knoll Shores, Indian Beach, Salter Path, and Emerald Isle are sandwiched in between. If you’re seeking the ultimate NC beach vacation escape, it’s here on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina!

NC Crystal Coast Vacation Tools

1. Beach Access Points and Maps
2. Beach Condo Developments
3. Golf Courses
4. Restaurants
5. Attractions
6. Fishing Piers
7. Things To Do
8. Annual Events
9. Shopping
10. Crystal Coast Photos
11. Emerald Isle Boat Ramps

The NC Crystal Coast – What’s Not to Love!

Comprised of pristine NC Crystal Coast beaches, historical landmarks, abundant wildlife, fabulous shopping, sumptuous local restaurants, fun-filled attractions, memorable events and awesome natural wonders, the Crystal Coast is all of this and so much more! Before you plan your NC Crystal Coast vacation trip you’ll need to search for your perfect Crystal Coast rental property. The Crystal Coast Blog is loaded with great Crystal Coast vacation resources and condo information.

Need Help Locating That Perfect Crystal Coast Rental Property?

With so many NC Crystal Coast visitors traveling from Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, South and North Carolina, you need all the help you can get to plan your perfect Crystal Coast vacation. Always mindful to protect your private information, feel free to contact the Crystal Coast Blog today! Your Crystal Coast Blogger and this resource is here to help you with planning your NC beach vacation. No strings – no pressure and completely free, email today if you need assistance!

I relish every opportunity to travel to the Crystal Coast of NC! My upcoming trip to the NC Coast will be extra special as I get to combine my visit to the Southern Outer Banks with the opportunity to do what I’m passionate about – helping Crystal Coast real estate agents understand the power of the Internet. The prospect of meeting and sharing at real estate conferences and events is something I really feel I’m made to do. In fact, I’ve been asked to speak to the local chapter of the Women’s Council of REALTORS®!

See You at the Crystal Coast Women’s Council Luncheon!

I want to offer a tremendous “thank you” to Kathryn V. Gorham for this terrific opportunity. As the 2010 President of the Women’s Council of REALTORS® for the Crystal Coast Chapter, Kathryn is a top notch real estate pro and blogger. If you are a member of the Women’s Council of REALTORS® along the Crystal Coast, I trust I’ll see at this event!

Bobby Carroll – Speaks for the Crystal Coast Women’s Council of REALTORS®

The luncheon is scheduled for February 24th Wednesday, at 11:30am – 1pm at the Country Club of the Crystal Coast in Pine Knoll Shores.

Internet Tools Needed to Connect With Women Buyers

What online marketing tools do you leverage when connecting with women homebuyers? Kathryn has asked me to speak on the topic “I am Woman Hear Me Roar” – Marketing to Women Buyers! In case you didn’t know, female homebuyers are a growing segment in our real estate market place.

Below is a brief summary of some of the tools Crystal Coast real estate agents should use to connect with women homebuyers. The tools I’ll discuss include:

1.    What is the “hub” of your online presence? How about your real estate website and your blog? Does your hub answer the questions female homebuyers are asking?
2.    Concerned about the time drain to maintain a real estate blog? YES! Blogging can be easy. Learn about The 5 minute blog post women love to read and agents love to write!
3.    Do you use Facebook? FB is the single largest social networking site for women. Are you using your personal profile to “listen” for “social triggers” and engage with your FB friends? Are you even aware of these opportunities to respond to these social triggers?
4.    Are using Facebook Fan Pages to connect with women homebuyers? Fan pages are FREE websites within FB! What’s the best strategy to attract women prospects and encourage them to be “your fan”?

Crystal Coast Real Estate Agents – See You Soon!

I’m so excited at the opportunity to share at this event. If you are a Crystal Coast real estate agent I trust I will see you will be at the Crystal Coast chapter of the Women’s Council of REALTORS® Wednesday, February 24th at 11:30am.

Bobby Carroll

P.S. If you are interested in having me speak at your event, be sure to complete this real estate speakers request form today!

Now that we have returned home from our Crystal Coast vacation, I wanted to offer “our best of the Crystal Coast” highlights. If your family took your summer vacation to the Crystal Coast, don’t forget to list your personal favorites by leaving a comment below. Here are our best of nominations!

1. Best dinner value: Jordan’s Seafood. Excellent prices, fair portions, and good reliable service is what makes this Emerald Isle restaurant tops for a dinner value.
2. Best lunch value: The Crab Shack in Salter Path with their $7.95 Baby Flounder lunch special plus 2 side items is our choice for the best lunch value on the Crystal Coast. We received 3 large pieces of Flounder making this one excellent lunch value.
3. Best ice cream: The Emerald Isle DQ soft serve followed closely by The Candy Shop Hersey ice cream are our choices for best ice cream on the Crystal Coast. Glenn and his great staff at the DQ provide awesome service even when the line is out the front door!
4. Best meal overall: The consensus of the Carroll family was our Friday evening meal at Rucker Johns. While the service on 2 of our 3 visits during the week was just “ok”, our final meal on Friday (9-11) was most tasty and the service quite improved over our previous visits. What made this particular meal special was the seared tuna entree with mixed veggies and sweet potato. For $8.95, the portions were good and the flavor outstanding! Special kudos to Becca, our RJ waitress, for her attentive service.
5. Best family activity. Hands down the trip to Beaufort with a water taxi to Shackleford Banks is a must for any family vacation to the Crystal Coast. Kids of all ages will enjoy spotting the ponies of Shackleford Banks, shelling (go early for large conch shells) and a swim in the sound. Take care not to forget to wear foot protection while roaming this barrier island as prickly burrs are plentiful. Swimming on the ocean side can be tricky as the water gets deep quickly and the currents are swift so take caution.

Can’t Miss Things To Do in Emerald Isle

For family fun, I wholeheartedly recommend the following fun things to do on your Crystal Coast vacation:

• Putt-putt golf at Emerald Forest. Every trip to Emerald Isle should include a game of putt-putt.
• Biking anywhere in Emerald Isle on those wonderful bike paths is a pure delight! Mega kudos to the Town of Emerald Isle for providing these awesome strips of asphalt for residents and visitors alike!
• A walk on the Bogue Inlet Pier after a cone of ice cream at the DQ. It’s a Carroll tradition.
• Favorite rainy day activity at the beach? A trip to the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is a must!

Your Crystal Coast favorite Things To Do?

Now that you know our favorite things to do on vacation on the Crystal Coast, it’s time you listed your personal favorites by leaving a comment.

Helping you create wonderful vacation memories here on the Crystal Coast,

Bobby

This week the Carroll families are renting 124 Heverly Drive in Emerald Isle. A popular component of many Emerald Isle beach vacation rental properties is a guest book or renters journal. The property owners of Carefree Sandancer West offer such a journal for their rental guest. Curious to know what other renters have documented, I peeled back the pages to find some interesting observations about the unit and what activities visitors enjoy when they come to the Crystal Coast.

What’s on the Minds of Emerald Isle Vacationers

The format of this particular guest book went like this:

• Date you arrived
• Date you departed
• The weather during your stay
• Guest/visitors
• What we did
• New encounters (friends/creatures)
• Projects (started/completed)
• Favorite moments
• Notes (some used this section to leave feedback to the owners like what needed to be repaired or comments about the rental property)

Carefree Sandancer West Guest Journal Entries

Here are a few of the more interesting entries written in the Carefree Sandancer guest journal.

“I was a Carefree Sandancer. No husband, no sons. Spent the week with friends reading, talking and listening. It was a much needed break to rest and refresh. I feel like a beautiful woman again.” June 25, 2006.

“As I put pen to paper, it’s easy to know why Hemingway loved island life. The tastes from food, smells and seafood. It’s well worth the trek every year.” August 4, 2007.

Among the many family themed entries was this warm-hearted thought; “This is our 6th year. We have special memories every year. We are taking our youngest child off to college next week and this has been great to be together before her new adventure.” August 16, 2008.

I found this entry to be very interesting as it was offered by someone visiting from Northern Ireland. “Just loved this Emerald Isle. The color of the ocean is definitely emerald green but the weather is much better than it is on the olde sod“. August 18, 2007.

Our Entry in the Carefree Sandancer West Journal

Stay tuned when we let you know what our entry will be about our family vacation to Emerald Isle.

Bobby Carroll
Your Crystal Coast Blogger

If you live or vacation along the beaches of the Crystal Coast of North Carolina, you already know taking long walks on the beach is a popular pastime. In addition, the sights and sounds of the Atlantic Ocean are pretty amazing. But did you know that leisurely walk along our Southern Outer Banks offers you some significant health benefits too?

Avoid Long Walks Off Short Piers

Bad joke… but yes, we have a pier on Emerald Isle (The Bogue Inlet Pier) and it’s a great place take a short stroll after your flounder meal at Jordan’s Seafood or maybe the spicy shrimp at Rucker Johns before you dive into that banana split at the DQ. For those seeking a real challenge, leave the hard surfaces behind and opt for walking in the sand. Sure, it requires greater effort than walking on a hard surface, but remember, your testing those muscles and tendons making them work harder as you motor up and down the beach.

Slow Down!!

Exercise experts all agree that walking at a slower pace requires more effort than walking fast or even jogging. By instantly adding the ingredient of  sand and it requires 2.1 to 2.7 times more energy over walking on hard surfaces. If you prefer to pick up the pace, jogging on the beach uses1.6 times more energy than jogging on hard surfaces.

When Walking the Beaches of the Crystal Coast…

We all know how too much exposure to the sun can have a terrible impact on our skin. Be sure to heap large amounts of sunblock when taking your stroll along the beaches of the Crystal Coast especially during those mid-day walks. Be sure to take care of your feet too. A quick stroll down the beach in bare feet is fine, but if you are going for a longer distance then make sure you walk in shoes. Walking shoes are an excellent choice or better yet a good pair of sandals is an excellent choice too. That way you do not have to worry about getting your shoes wet. Podiatrist also warn against walking too far in the sand in bare feet as it can result in shin splints or a sore tendon in your heel.

What to Bring Along

In addition to the sun protection mentioned earlier, if you are walking in the heat of the day, I suggest you bring along these items:

• wear a hat
• a bottle of water
• loose fitting clothing
• should you experience overheating, just stop and take a cool dip in the Atlantic

Your Feedback

When is you favorite time of day to take a walk on the beach – early morning, late evening, or midday? Please feel free to leave a comment and let the rest of us know your preference.

Your Crystal Coast Blogger,

Bobby Carroll

If you are wondering if the town of Emerald Isle will be launching it’s 4th of July fireworks display from the Bogue Inlet Pier, you can only hope it happens in 2010. Apparently, there are sign ordinance issues between the pier and the town of Emerald Isle that prevents the Bogue Inlet Pier from serving as the launching pad for this year’s Independence Day fireworks display.

Where will the Town of Emerald Isle Host It’s 2009 Fireworks Display?

Sources now report the town of Emerald Isle’s Fourth of July Celebration will light up the night at McLean Park near mile marker 18 in Emerald Isle. For more details be sure to dial 252-354-6350.

New Crystal Coast Photo Blog!

If you happen to snap a great Emerald Isle 4th of July photo, I would love to see it and share it with the thousands of readers who stop by my new Crystal Coast Photo Blog.

Drop me an email at info@crystalcoastblog.com and I’ll share your photos for all to see.

I have received many calls and questions emailed to me from readers wanting information about Crystal Coast homes and specifically about Emerald Isle condos for rent and for sale. Most of these questions center around the local Emerald Isle real estate market, and questions about things to do in Emerald Isle.

My Personal Favorite Entries From the Crystal Coast Blog

To help provide the answers many visitors to this blog have asked, here are some of my personal favorite past Crystal Coast Blog post.

Which Type of Emerald Isle Real Estate Agent Should You Select? One Who Blogs or One Who Doesn’t?

Internet Connectivity High on the List of Crystal Coast Hotel Guest

Questions for Crystal Coast Home Buyers

Factors that Impact the Success of Selling Your Emerald Isle Property

Is There Such a Thing as a Long-term Emerald Isle Rental?

The Cool Things You Can Do With Your iPhone on Emerald Isle!

Great Coffee on Emerald Isle – Beans-N-Screens

I hope you enjoy reading these post as much as I enjoyed writing them!

Feel free to leave a comment and let me know which one was your “personal fav”!
Bobby Carroll – Your Crystal Coast Blogger