Coming to Kure Beach never gets old!!! We were excited to get our 2018 trip underway!
The weather was beautiful and ocean was calling our names!
As with any day at the beach, a pop up storm arrived and gave us a great opportunity to get unpacked and take a little rest. But first, we ventured out to take a few photos! It's one of my favorite things to photograph at the beach!
It did not end up being too bad but it was absolutely beautiful and made the temperature drop which was much needed!
After the storm passed we did one our favorite things to do in the evenings, walk to the pier!!
These swings are the perfect place to sit and watch the ocean!
Day was still a little gloomy in the morning so we headed to breakfast and took a little drive down to Fort Fisher!
The weather cleared up for a wonderful day full of pool fun and the beach!!!
He is in his happy place!
The beach was so quiet. We love that it's rarely crowded and always peaceful.
Hot tub time with Daddy!
We had dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant up in Carolina Beach. Took a stroll on the Carolina Beach boardwalk and discovered one of Hensley's favorite things in life...... a new arcade!!
The name of the restaurant is El Cazador which means "The Hunter" and Hensley loves climbing up on the deer statues out front!! It's an excellent place to eat with a wonderful second floor balcony dining room and amazing food!
Stumbling upon the new Carolina Beach Arcade (which was under construction when we were here last year) was Hensley's favorite part of the night! We always go to the Hi Tech Arcade in Kure Beach which is a little smaller. This new arcade has a ton of games and BIG jackpots!
Of course our lucky little guy hit one as soon as he got there!
Most of the new arcades have cards that load your money and winning tickets on it. It was super cool to hit the jackpot at an arcade where there are real tokens and tickets!! He was amazed at how many there were! And it took forever to load them all into the cash out machine!
A stroll on Carolina Beach oceanfront boardwalk on a perfect evening!
We spent the next day as a family taking it easy and embracing the island attitude.
We had breakfast at Andy's favorite place, Gulfstream and took a walk on the docks across the street.
We saw the pelicans, a crab and lots of fish.
We spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool and boogie boarding in the ocean. I so wish my phone was waterproof because I would have loved to have recorded the fun we had in the ocean on this day! Hensley LOVED the waves and we went super far out to the sand bar and rode the waves for hours. He loved it so much and smiled the whole time! It was my favorite part of the whole trip! I vow to have a Gopro next year!!!
Last year we wanted to go play BINGO at the boardwalk so badly, however it was rained out. They do it every Wednesday night so this year we made it happen! No rain and it was a beautiful evening!
It was so fun! The caller was very funny and there was a huge crowd playing! Over 200 people!!! We didn't win a thing but we had a blast!
Of course this kid convinced us to stop by the arcade before heading home!
Later that night we took a walk on the beach and found TWO crabs!!! It was so fun!!!
The next day on Thurday, we rode the ferry over to Fort Fisher. We have been there before but it's always a fun experience! There are great sites to see, wonderful restaurants, and cool shops!
Waiting on the ferry!
The view from the ferry is always so serene and beautiful. This part of the island is so untouched and its really spectacular.
We decided to try a new restaturant this time in Southport and it not disappoint.
The Frying Pan is located on the water with amazing views and even better food!!!
If you are ever in Southport visit The Frying Pan and get the shrimp chowder, it's to die for!!!
And the hush puppies are the best I've ever had!
We took a stroll down to the water and snapped some pictures. We searched for shells and watched the boats go by.
Southport is truly a gem and I hope next time we can come here for the whole day!
Hensley and I saw these and thought they were hilarious. They are some sort of drain but we only saw their happy face and sad face :)
We got back tot he hotel from the ferry just in time to see the evening storm roll in.
We took a little dip in the pool and walk to the pier for one more famous pier ice cream cone!
The next morning we decided to cut our trip a day short. I had been feeling bad for a few days with flu like symptoms and finally went to Urgent Care that morning. I had a bad lower respiratory infection on top of fluid behind both ears and a very inflamed throat. I hated for the trip to be cut short because of me but the boys were getting home sick as well so we packed up and headed inland.
We had a fabulous time at Kure Beach again this year and it truly feels like home. A big part of that is staying at Kure Keys and the amazing hospitality of David and the other staff at the hotel!
This time each year is so special to the three of us. A time to reconnect, relax and enjoy each other with no schedule or responsibilities.
