Weekly memberships are even available for temporary Pine Knoll Shores vacationers, and can be purchased, during any time of year, at the country club's website at. The town is also home to a scenically quiet country club, the Country Club of the Crystal Coast, which features an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, a swimming pool, and a clubhouse which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner overlooking the scenic Bogue Sound waterfront. Sand dollars, colorful coquinas, angel clams, small periwinkles and augers, and whelks or oyster drillers, all make regular appearances, generally clustered in small piles along the ocean wash. With a gradual sloping ocean floor, visitors will find plenty of room to wade and splash around in the ocean, as well as some fantastic shelling opportunities along the uncrowded shoreline. The biggest attraction for most Pine Knoll Shores visitors, however, is the beach itself, and with well-planned clusters of vacation rental homes bordering the oceanside, the beaches in this Crystal Coast town are pristine, uncluttered, and offer miles of privacy. Home to a collection of representative local residents, rare deep water species, and remarkable rescued marine life, (including a rare White Sea turtle), the aquarium has become a "must see" destination for virtually all Crystal Coast visitors since opening its doors in 1976.Īdjacent to this favorite Crystal Coast attraction is the Theodore Roosevelt Natural Area, a legacy of Alice Hoffman's estate, and a 265 acre undeveloped nature preserve that takes up a large section of Pine Knoll Shore's northwestern terrain along the Bogue Sound. The town's most distinctive landmark also has a natural legacy, the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.
PINE KNOLL SHORES FREE
Relatively free of big development, Pine Knoll Shores is instead a vacation destination that is comprised of small inns and resorts, and vacation homes that are secluded and bordered by towering live oaks and dark green cedar trees. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., who donated a portion of the land to North Carolina, and focused on developing the rest as a coastal vacation destination, cumulating in the formation of a new and vibrant Crystal Coast community.Īlice wanted Pine Knoll Shores to maintain its wild and natural allure, and that sentiment is evident in virtually every aspect of the town. Upon her death, she left the estate to her niece and her husband, Mr.
PINE KNOLL SHORES PATCH
Quiet and perfectly preserved, this stretch of beach was an isolated patch of shoreline that bordered the busier, and certainly commercialized Atlantic Beach. Hoffman purchased 8.5 miles of the Bogus Banks in 1917, and made the coastal retreat her private home during the latter portion of her life, from 1938 to 1971. The town of Pine Knoll Shores was originally a grand, private tract of land that was purchased by a wealthy, part-time local, Alice Hoffman. The wide stretch of coastline, with few crowds even during the height of summer, has made this small town a North Carolina coastal paradise, and a true treasure along the renowned Crystal Coast beaches.
While many of the big local attractions of Morehead City and Atlantic Beach are certainly within a 5-10 minute drive, Pine Knoll Shore vacationers typically don't stray too far from the beach. Located in between the western beaches of Emerald Isle and bustling Atlantic Beach, this beach town is just a five minute drive away from the Atlantic Beach Causeway, (the bridge which connects the mainland with the Bogue Banks), and yet feels miles away from everyday mainland life. Filled with charming vacation rentals, natural preserves, an acclaimed country club, and little else to draw attention away from the postcard perfect beaches, Pine Knoll Shores is a perfect beach lover's retreat.
The oceanside community of Pine Knoll Shores is a shining example of the Crystal Coast beach scene.