Emerald Isle NC: The Hidden Jewel of the Outer Banks

My family has perfected the fine art of vacationing at Emerald Isle, NC, and we're willing to share some of our secrets. The steps are easy, and they will help you create wonderful memories that will last a lifetime.

Don't get me wrong; we didn't always have it figured out. We used to be a camping family, and we had our share of vacation mishaps and memorable experiences. Adversity can lead to the best of memories, even if it doesn't seem so wonderful at the time.

But let's face it, you get a little older and the kids get a little bigger and those sleeping mats in the camper just don't cut it any more. You want more comfort; you want clean toilets and showers; you want to go on vacation without having to pack up half your house to take with you.

Fifteen years ago, we discovered Emerald Isle Realty, and it's been heavenly for us ever since. We know the house we are renting will be clean, well stocked, the linens will be fresh and waiting for us. We have plenty of room for everybody, and we have no worries because Emerald Isle Realty takes care of everything. (And no, we have absolutely no connection with this company, except that we rent from them every year.)

So that's STEP 1: Always make your reservation with Emerald Isle Realty as early as possible. Unless you like to take chances with your vacation and live dangerously, don't mess around with anyone else. It's just not worth it.

STEP 2: Plan ahead. Watch for nonperishable items on sale and stock up. We always set up a "staging area" designated for vacation items. Could be anything from snack foods to games, flip flops to binoculars (to watch the dolphins from the deck!).

A good jigsaw puzzle is a must. Last year, we had a scavenger hunt; we spent the week looking for such things as purple hats on the beach, red Hummers, black dogs with white spots, and so on. Each family unit worked as a team and everyone got into the spirit of it.

Someone gets picked on every year; it's a happy tradition which might even include advance production of specialty T-shirts.

In my family, it's our Mom who plans most of these things ahead of time, like making the scavenger list and looking for the puzzles, but anyone who has the party-planning gene could do it.

STEP 3: Gather the family from all over the United States. Some of us have come from as far away as Pennsylvania, Florida, and even California. Our vacations are actually annual family reunions.

When it's time to load up the cars and head out, get an early start on your memory-making by caravanning together for the drive to Emerald Isle. Take your time; mosey. Meet up to eat and shop. This is the time to start shifting into lower gears so that, by the time you reach the island, you're ready to take a deep breath and relax.

STEP 4: Check in with your gracious hosts at Emerald Isle Realty. They will take care of your family's accommodations with southern hospitality and unwavering smiles. If you're not the one doing the checking-in, grab some free ice cream and relax with it on the front porch while you wait.

STEP 5: Hurry. You'll be in a terrific hurry to get to your house, but a word of advice here: don't speed on the island! But once you're at the house, get the business of unloading and unpacking over with as quickly as possible.

Here's the goal: get down to the beach. That's right, as soon as you can, get to the beach, get those shoes and socks off your lily-white feet and dip your toes in the ocean. Let the water lap at your legs and your feet sink in the sand while you take in the sights and sounds of the mighty Atlantic. Take a deep breath and smell the briny breeze. Let yourself be still for a moment to fully appreciate God's handiwork, and then thank Him for the magnificence of this gift.

Now you should be in the proper frame of mind to have one of your best family vacations ever.

STEP 6: As early as possible, decide which days will be set aside for any big, everybody-wants-to-go activities. For example, a deep sea fishing trip needs to be planned ahead of time and reservations made (hint: check the weather forecast for the week!). There's also the aquarium, Cape Lookout lighthouse, wave runners and such to rent, and so on. These are things that everyone may want to participate in, and some things are just more fun when you all do them together.

One of the traditional family events we plan for is a fish fry; this will be on the same day that the more stalwart and steely-stomached among us go deep-sea fishing. Mom counts on us bringing back a mess o' fish, hopefully some red snapper or sea bass. Mmmm-mmmm.

And we always plan on the whole gang going out together for a nice meal, usually at Rucker John's Restaurant, the night before we leave. (Hint: their croissants are incredible; order extra.) While we're there, it's family tradition to feed the turtles behind the restaurant; look for them if you go there.

So plan special events like these ahead of time, but otherwise, one of the secrets of our success is encouraging total freedom for each family group to go their own way. We all "do our own thing," and usually come back together for dinner.

Some might spend the day sunbathing while others fish from the pier and still others go shopping. Someone might offer to babysit so parents can get a much-needed break. There are wonderful shops and galleries in Beaufort, and stick around to check out the fishing boats and their catches for the day when they pull into the docks. There are arcades, miniature golf courses, go-carts and such for entertaining and spending quality time with the kids. We always work a large jigsaw puzzle and groups of three or four are usually gathered in that area.

And there are innumerable things to do that won't cost a cent: beach-combing, collecting shells, building sand castles, flying kites (and no, you don't have to have kids to do these things).

We've even been flounder-gigging in the bay at night; talk about memories! That was an exciting and scary experience, like something out of Wild Kingdom or Tarzan! Did we "gig" any flounder? Well, no. But we laughed the entire time! Three kids and two adults, fully dressed, walking around in the bay all huddled around one little lantern, trying to "shush" like Dad said, but giggling like crazy. We still talk and laugh about that night. We didn't get any flounder (go figure) but what did that matter? No flounder, but plenty of laughs.

There is never a shortage of activities to please everyone and bring your family closer together. We're still finding new things to do and see after fifteen years of vacationing there.

STEP 7: Relax and go with the flow. Take your time. Enjoy each other's company. Get reacquainted with family members you haven't seen much lately, reconnect. Appreciate the good things about your family and let the not-so-good things fall away, rather than looking for arguments. Be alert and watch for opportunities to actually talk with each other. We all lead such busy lives that finding time for real conversations can be difficult sometimes; take advantage of any chances you get.

STEP 8: Shake things up! The best memories crop up out of nowhere, when they're least expected. The best way to invite this phenomenon is through laughter and fun activities. For some families that means playing fast-acting games like Pictionary or Guestures. Now, my family is richly blessed with more than it's fair share of clowns and comedians. When we get together, sparks fly and funny things happen around us and to us all the time! We're lucky that way. I can't explain it, but I am sure grateful for it. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for teaching us how to laugh!

The idea here is to get everyone in the family to "let their guard down" with each other. That's when it gets good; that's when the great memories are born. It may not be obvious to you right away, like a Polaroid picture, but given a little time, it will develop into sweet spots in your heart.

STEP 9: Take lots of pictures. Yes, it costs money and it can be a hassle carrying the camera everywhere. But trust me when I tell you, if you don't, you'll regret it. Years go by and things change, that's guaranteed. Next year may be a different group, someone may be missing or not able to make it, hair gets grayer and more scarce, the little ones grow up and change so fast. Memories can be wispy and fragile and short-lived unless you cement them somehow. So chronicle your family vacations with plenty of photographs and films, then every once in a while, do a review; you can taste the sweetness of it all over again.

STEP 10: Checkout. When you return to the Emerald Isle Realty office for checkout, a smile just may cross your face despite yourself. For convenience, they offer a drive-through checkout option, but if you can drag your sad, tanned self into the office, breakfast awaits you. Free. Juices, coffee, muffins, donuts, etc. It's as if they know how sad you'll be, leaving to drive home, and at least they can see to it that you leave with a full belly. Now that's southern hospitality for you.