Whether you call it your home, or your favorite vacation retreat, or you are thinking about moving here, one thing is for certain. The Crystal Coast has a little bit of everything for absolutely everybody. Our beaches are of the cleanest in the world, we experience all four seasons of the year in their full and unique beauty, and our history includes the Golden Age of Piracy, most notably, Blackbeard.
From the Beach, to the Sound, to the City, to the Country, Carteret County has it covered. What we like about that is we can find the perfect primary or secondary Home for anyone who wants to live here. Whether you are a First Time Home Buyer with a limited budget, an Investor in Real Estate, or are newly retired and looking for your Forever Home, we have worked with people just like you to achieve their goals in real estate and are confident we can help you reach yours also.
If you enjoy living close to dining and shopping areas, take a look at sound side Morehead City. The Gem of The Crystal Coast; Morehead City is the largest town in Carteret County, the hub of the Crystal Coast. Incorporated in 1860, this seaport town is chock full of history, tales, and mystery. A visit to The History Museum of Carteret County, located at 1008 Arendell Street in Morehead City, will provide historical insight and readings of this “Fisherman’s Paradise” and the surrounding towns and villages that form the County of Carteret. Downtown Morehead features a walkable waterfront showcasing local shops and restaurants while a ride westward on Route 70 encompasses franchise businesses and restaurants, fast food and convenience stores, and Big Box stores including Walmart, Lowes, & Best Buy. The North Carolina Seafood Festival has been named one of the Top 20 Festivals in the Southeast and attracts over 200,000 people to the Morehead City waterfront every year in the month of October.
Historic Beaufort, North Carolina is the County Seat of Carteret. Established in 1709 and incorporated in 1723, Beaufort-by-the-Sea is arguably the third or fourth oldest town in North Carolina. This charming maritime town is walkable, bikeable, boatable, and amazingly enjoyable. Home of the Olde Beaufort Farmers Market, the Beaufort Pirate Invasion, the Old Homes & Gardens Tour via the Beaufort Historic Site, just to name a few. Downtown Beaufort features a boardwalk situated on beautiful Taylors Creek with a view of the water, docks, boats & yachts, wild horses on the islands of the Rachel Carson Reserve on one side and local stores, boutiques, restaurants / pubs, and coffee / wine shops on the other.
Newport, North Carolina, the Town with Old-Fashioned Courtesy, is quite diverse inside of its own boundaries with Downtown Newport and the country outskirts and sound side Newport located along the inner banks of Bogue Sound. New developments are abundant in Newport along Highway 24 / Bogue Sound with opportunities for new home construction and water views. The Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point is the largest employer of Carteret County residents and many people live in Newport and work at MCAS located in Havelock, North Carolina.
Harkers Island & the communities of “Down East” include Bettie, Otway, Straits, Gloucester, Marshallberg, Smyrna, Williston, Davis, Stacy, Sea Level, Atlantic and Cedar Island. These unique seaside villages radiate with vibes of a classic Nicholas Sparks novel, archived with captivating stories of the past. The atmosphere is natural and serene and the pace is slowed down to where you can actually enjoy life and the elements of it. Although the area is most definitely being discovered more and more by travelers and vacationers, there are still many areas Down East where you can truly get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. A pole in the water in a place renowned for generations of commercial saltwater fishing, a pair of binoculars and a camera for bird watching & photography. View Blue Heron, Brown Pelican, Canadian Geese, Snowy Egret, Osprey, & so many more birds of the sea in their natural habitat, uninterrupted. Take a boat ride or the Island Express Ferry to the Lighthouse, Cape Lookout National Seashore or to the southern tip of the Outer Banks, Ocracoke Island. Clamming, crabbing, & shrimping are popular activities of the area and The Core Sound Decoy Festival is a big attraction to the area in December. The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum is a landmark in Harkers Island offering an abundance of resources and insight into the history and mystery of Down East, North Carolina.
The Western Region of The Crystal Coast includes Cape Carteret & Cedar Point, near Bogue Sound, and Stella & Peletier, near the White Oak River. Just over the western border of Carteret County is the quaint & charming town of Swansboro, North Carolina and Hammocks Beach State Park. Conveniently located close to the beaches of the Crystal Coast, this side of Carteret County is home to many unique shops, cafes, and boutiques with a friendly southern atmosphere and relaxed country vibe.
The Crystal Coast Island; Bogue Banks. Spanning over 20 miles from Fort Macon State Park to Emerald Isle, Bogue Banks is home to
Navigable by a bridge, the Atlantic Beach Causeway first constructed in 1928, which connects Morehead City to the heart of Atlantic Beach, and Route 58, the island is rich in history. Fort Macon, built by the Army Corps of Engineers, was standing and complete after 8 years of construction in 1834 and served as a monumental fort of the Civil War in 1861. Today Fort Macon State Park is the second most visited park in North Carolina, attracting millions of visitors each year.
The town of Atlantic Beach hosts the AB Music Festival, the NC Kite Festival, and the newly constructed $1.6 million 7 acre AB Town Park, complete with a large playset, a swing set, merry-go-round, basketball goal, miniature golf course, splash pad, & skatepark. Across from the Park is the Atlantic Station Shopping Center featuring the Food Lion grocery store, the Atlantic Station Cinema, Battle Works Tactical Lazer Tag, Ace Hardware, shopping boutiques, and restaurants.
The North Carolina Aquarium is located in Pine Knoll Shores, a magical experience for both young & old. Pine Knoll Shores is a history book within itself, as it was originally owned and developed by the Roosevelt family.
Indian Beach; The Best Kept Secret on The Crystal Coast. Some of the nicest condos on the island are located in Indian Beach including Summerwinds, The Ocean Club, & Grand Villas at the Preserve. Also, home to Indian Summer RV Park for campers and a public beach with 4X4 access. Salter Path is a small village located within Indian Beach with a deep-rooted history going back to the original residents who moved their houses and families by boat across the water southwestward from the barrier islands – The Banks – to Bogue Banks and continued to make their living as fisherman in Salter Path.
The farthest westward location on the island narrows down to a 12-mile isle with views of Bogue Inlet on one side Atlantic Ocean on the other. Emerald Isle, Sea Turtle Sanctuary, original home of Native Americans and later settled on by whalers and fisherman. Walking, Biking & Golf Cart friendly, visit the Bogue Inlet Fishing Pier, the Salty Pirate Water Park, the 41 Acre Emerald Isle Woods Park, and so many more shops, cafes, and boutiques.
Bogue Banks, the Island of the Crystal Coast, is unique to other popular beach towns and tourist attractions. There were covenants established hundreds of years ago in these small communities to maintain the value of the area and purpose of the land, balancing the natural habitats with new developments. Most of these ordinances are still in place today and protect the magnificent beauty of the seascape, the sand dunes, the salt marshes, the aquatic vegetation, and the maritime forests. This is why you find yourself feeling like you belong here when you visit the Crystal Coast. Rather than feeling overwhelmed and rushed to check out by 11:00 am and fly down the highway, you are relaxed and feel like you are Home. At Barefoot-Chandler & Associates Real Estate, we understand that we are blessed to live here and work here and we always welcome the opportunity to help people Experience The Crystal Coast.