Friday Five

Happy Friday loves! Today wraps up my two week vacation with the family at Topsail Beach, NC.  Topsail is located on the coast of North Carolina about 2 1/2 hours from Raleigh. I have enjoyed his little vay-cay so much and appreciate every second I got to spend with my family at the beach. For today's Friday Five,  I'm sharing five of my favorite must dos when visiting Topsail Island.

One. Visit Lea Island. Lea Island is an undeveloped barrier island located adjacent to Topsail Island. We have been visiting Lea since I was a kid. Years ago my grandparents had a beach house on the island which you can only access by boat. Sadly all the cottages of the island were destroyed by years of wind and water and then was designated as a wildlife sanctuary for thousands of birds. It has a beautiful wide beaches as well as tidal marshes perfect for fishing and clamming. My favorite activity is watching Charlie chase crabs on the beach. Heavens knows what he would do if he actually caught one!

Two. Bike Rides. I believe that no beach trip is complete without a long bike ride around the beach. While at Topsail, we enjoy long bike rides in the evening when the temperature cools down. You can always catch a beautiful sunset at the point.

Three. Local Shops & Restaurants.  Topsail is packed with adorable shops featuring crafts from local artists as well as the most adorable beach gear. We always go out for ice cream after dinner or enjoy a meal at a local restaurant at least once while on vacation. Some of my favorite shops are: Bumblebee Market, Quarter Moon Books & Gifts & Topsail Island Trading Company. My favorite restaurants are Island Delights & Daddy Mac's Beach Grille.

Four. Beach Bingo/ Missile & More Museum. Every Thursday night in the summer, Topsail Historic Society hosts bingo. Bingo is held in the Assembly Building which was built during WWII. The building also hosts the Missile & More museum which tells about the island's history as a Navy test site for guided missiles. At bingo, the crowd is a mix of families vacationing and locals. While I did not win anything, it was fun to try to keep up and compete with my family. The prizes are all pretty good ranging from $50 to $300 a game. All the proceeds go to the local historic society. 

Five. Paddle Boarding. Paddle boarding or kayaking is a perfect way to explore the sound or even the beach. I enjoy paddle boarding in the canals as it protects you from any boat wakes that may knock you over. This trip, we saw a few kayakers in the sound be able to get close to a pod of dolphins.

What are some of your favorite beach vacation activities? Where do you typically vacation in the summer?

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Linking up with Tiff, Clare, Karli, Amanda & April .