A Crystal Coast Get-Away

I attended the Crystal Coast trip all day Saturday, September 21, 2013. The group’s first stop was the Cape Lookout Lighthouse (via ferry), which seemed daunting at first, but the climb was actually not bad at all! Of course, once we reached the top, there were selfies galore. After that, we walked over to the beach area where we set up a picnic lunch (there was even hummus!) at the benches. We were then free to go swimming, explore the area, or chitchat and get to know each other! We were there for an hour or two, and then we walked back to the bus to travel to the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knolls Shores, where we were surprised with sand dollar gifts courtesy of one of the members of the Honors College Advancement Council. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been to an aquarium, so I had a great time walking around and “playing” with the fishes! I (along with a few others) became obsessed with the sea turtles because they appeared to be playing hard-to-get, and it was quite amusing to watch; I even got a sea turtle globe souvenir!

Sea turtle globe!

The aquarium was definitely my favorite part of the entire trip. After spending about an hour at the aquarium (armed with trinkets and stuffed animals from the gift shop), our last stop for the day was Fort Macon, where we got to tour various executive buildings as well as see Civil War weaponry.

Group shot at Fort Macon!

All in all, it was a fun-filled and relaxing trip, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to go!!! If this trip were done next year, I would definitely want to go again.