To the coast we go! Part 1
Back to our regularly scheduled recap of the travel year that was 2023…
The summer of 2023 saw two scheduled beach vacations in the month of July, first off to Southport, NC, then down Highway 64 to NC 12 and a week long stay in Duck, NC.
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Southport is a spot that is very familiar to us - Taylor’s parents live down there for a good part of the year to run their concierge vacation rental business (check them out here). Consistently named one of the best small coastal towns not only in North Carolina, but across the country, this once-quaint fishing village has turned into a bustling vacation destination for folks of all ages. While it does lack tons of activities for much younger children (there is no actual ‘beach’ in Southport), you are not far from a plethora of family friendly outing locations. You are a short ferry ride from the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher, or a quick drive over to the beaches at Oak Island (be aware of their updated public parking requirements).
One thing Southport does have - incredible seafood and dining options. Depending on the length and timing of your stay, there are at least three restaurants that you should not miss: Provision Company, Fishy Fishy Cafe, and Mr. P’s Bistro. The first two on the list do not take reservations and an early arrival is a must if you want to avoid a wait. Mr. P’s Bistro does take reservations, but also offers a bar-dining option for those hoping to get a last minute seat. The purpose of our visit, aside from time with family and my annual intake of all-things seafood, was for the NC 4th of July Festival.
The 2023 version of the festival marked two-hundred twenty seven years (yes…227) of celebrating the Festival of the Free Men, as it was originally known. Approximately 40-50 THOUSAND people visit Southport & the surrounding areas (Fort Fisher, Oak Island, St. James) to celebrate American Independence. If you’ve ever been to Southport, you know that’s a LOT of people for this little coastal town. There are some logistical frustrations coming into town, however, this event is managed so well that you hardly notice any major issues with the exception being parking. Honestly, what do you expect though? Thousands of people, pouring into a small town, there are going to be some difficulties. We are very fortunate to have family already in town and able to hold a parking spot for us when we come visit. The past year’s visit was intended to be a full week in Southport. In 2022, a rare July tropical storm came through and cancelled a lot of the planned events. We were looking forward to a week of sunshine, and maybe even a quick trip over to Bald Head Island. The drive down from Raleigh is not bad at all, so long as you don’t get stuck on I-40. With the car loaded, kids strapped in, off we went until the map turned blue.
As mentioned, Taylor’s parents have a wonderful home in Southport that is within walking distance to my favorite restaurants. It’s a bit tight when we all come to visit, however. 2023 arrangements were no different as Taylor’s middle brother was also visiting with his wife and their young son, not to mention that Taylor’s youngest brother resides with their parents in Southport. For those counting along at home…that’s four of us + three more + three who already lived in the home for a grand total of….TEN people (three of whom are toddlers under the age of four at the time of the trip) in a three bedroom house; outside of the bedroom arrangement, there is ample room for all. For us, that meant kicking Taylor’s youngest brother out of his room and into an office with an air mattress. Our kids also have their own air mattresses, which we found on Amazon that have been a lifesaver (find them here - hiccapop Inflatable Toddler Air Bed). Our youngest fit well into an oversized closet that made him feel like he had his own room, and our oldest was at the far end of our bedroom. Sleeping arrangements aside, once unpacked and air mattresses full of air, we were ready for our Southport family vacation. Unfortunately…the dreaded summertime cold that would visit us would have other plans for us later in the week.
The festival features food vendors, craft vendors, live music, tons of events spread across Brunswick County, an awesome parade, and a couple of spectacular fireworks displays. It’s a lot to take in, especially if you’re planning to drive back and forth from Southport to Oak Island, which is not very far away but given the traffic and parking, it can be difficult to maximize events. We strongly recommend mapping out and being strategic with regards to the events you want to experience. Our focus has always been what is walkable or within a golf cart’s ride from home base in Southport. This encompasses A LOT. The vendors in Southport were moved for 2023 to the main park in town, which meant a one-stop-shop for everyone instead of splitting up food from crafts. The live music stage remained by the waterfront. I will say, a lot of the food tents are what you’d expect at a county or local fair. Our experience in 2023 was abysmal, at best, when it came to ordering from one of these vendors. It’s a shame on me because, unlike 2022, Southport Hotdog Company (previously Trolly Stop - Southport), was open on July 4th. This is the best place to get a hot dog or hamburger at a very reasonable price in all of SE North Carolina. Also, unbeknownst to me at the time, Southport Smokehouse was open through lunch on the 4th. Both are awesome options outside of the festival, and are significantly better than any of the tent food vendors.
For the parade, we lined up about 20-30 minutes before it was scheduled to begin. This meant we would be about three or four rows back from the main route, but still able to see everything going by in front of us. We parked our golf cart as close to the street in the lot of The Painted Mermaid, and made our way over to Burney's Bakery of Southport for some ice cream because IT WAS HOT! We weren’t the only ones grabbing ice cream - the line was out of the door at 10AM. Finally, got our cold treats and back across the street just as Southport’s finest were coming through to clear the road….the parade was ready to begin! The kids were glued - for about eight minutes. Then, they were ready to get back into the air conditioning, but not without a quick visit to the craft vendors to pick up some patriotic ribbons and banners. Kids fed, down for a nap, now it’s time to have a terrible food experience. For some reason, I’m assuming the demand on wireless signal, almost all of the vendors were unable to accept a card due to their readers being down. The one that could accept cards is where I went and would later regret. Three cheesesteaks and homemade chips. The bread was moldy, the cheese cold, and chips beyond greasy. How can you have cold cheese in 95 degree heat? Regardless, once the moldy bread was noticed, I booked it to get some hot dogs and burgers, which I should have done in the first place.
A couple of ice cold beers and some downtime while the kids were napping and we were ready to venture down to the waterfront with the family to take in all that Southport had to offer. They had vintage fire trucks for the kids and great local bands for the adults. As the daytime heat gave way to the evening breeze, it was coming time to find our spot for the fireworks. Away we went on the golf cart to find us a good spot. Something that everyone else in the town was attempting to do at the exact same time. The houses down by the water have the best vantage points, depending on where the barge sets up. The parking lots further down by the restaurants offer the second best vantage point, but get PACKED with cars and golf carts (which can be a not so good combination when it comes time to leave). We ventured down towards Fishy Fishy Cafe to find a spot, only to be met by a rising king tide. We slid the cart over a couple of spots to delay the inevitable tide reaching our tires and forcing us back home. The show started and the kids were in awe - the barge, due to the wind, had to drift down the waterway to just in front of us. We had a front row seat, even if that seat was getting closer to the tide by the minute. After several minutes of watching fireworks it was time to caulk the wagon and ford the river back home, where we would finish taking in the nighttime spectacular. Grand Finale and the kids were ready to head to bed, as were we.
At this point, that dreaded mid-summer cold was hitting Taylor’s mom after it had already sent her middle brother back home with his family. So it was early to bed for some much needed rest. The cold, though, was here to stick and change our plans for the week. Seeing that our kids were feeling great, while Taylor’s mom was not, we knew it was time to cut the vacation short to allow her time to rest and recover. So, into the car we went after deflating their mattresses and loading everything into their suitcases. Back up I-40 to Raleigh and back to our home. We took advantage of already being off of work by spending some time at our local pool with the kids, while also enjoying the time at home without employer obligations. It was a great trip and we thoroughly look forward to our annual visit over the 4th of July.
Watching the Grande Finale from the comforts of the porch during the Southport NC Fourth of July Festival.
