From the Crystal Coast (perhaps better known as the “Southern Outer Banks”) to the Brunswick Islands, North Carolina’s southernmost coastline, you and your pet can expect to have tons of seaside fun. (If you’re looking for information on the Outer Banks, click here.) We’ve got plenty of pet-friendly lodgings that are waiting to welcome you and your best friend, from hotels and motels, to cottages and cabins, to bed and breakfasts and campgrounds.

If you’re vacationing on the coast, you’ll want to hit the beaches, and North Carolina offers lots of opportunities for you to enjoy the sand and surf with your pet. You’ll want to check out our pet-friendly guide to beaches of the Crystal Coast, Topsail, Wilmington/Cape Fear, and the Brunswick Islands.

Hard to believe it could happen, but if you need a day away from the beach, there’s plenty more to do up and down North Carolina’s coastline. If you’re visiting during the first week of October, don’t miss the North Carolina Seafood Festival, held in downtown Morehead City, which attracts more than 200,000 people each year. You and your pet can enjoy your fill of delicious seafood from streetside vendors, as well as participate in the Blessing of the Fleet.

If you want to take a walk on the wild side, you and your pup can check out Croatan National Forest, outside of New Bern. A fascinating system of diverse ecosystems, this park contains bogs, saltwater estuaries, coastal forest, and what’s known as “raised” or “elevated” swamps, literally swamps located on top of hills. It is home to black bear, alligators, and three species of carnivorous plants. It’s also on the Atlantic Flyway, so it’s rich with birdlife, including egrets, peregrine falcons, and bald eagles. Pets on a 6-foot leash are permitted throughout the forest, including the hiking trails. But keep an open eye: in addition to ‘gaters, this park is home to a number of poisonous snakes, include three kinds of rattlers, copperheads, and cottonmouth moccasins.

*New Bern
*Jacksonville
*Cedar Island
Lola
*Atlantic Beach
*Sealevel
Stacy
Davis
Williston
Otway
Bettie
*Beaufort
Marsballberg
Harkers Island
Atlantic
*Morehead City
Pine Knoll Shores
Indian Beach
*Salter Path
*Emerald Isle
Cape Carteret
*North Topsail Beach
*Sneads Ferry
Peru
*Surf City
Vista
Topsail Beach
Hampstead
Scotts Hill
Wrightsville Beach
*Wilmington
Seabreeze
Carolina Beach
Wilmington Beach
Kure Beach
*Southport
Caswell Beach
Oak Island
Holden Beach
Ocean Isle Beach
Sunset Beach
Calabash
Seaside

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