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Sunset Beach: a blissful haven for weary travelers
(July 6, 2010) -- Ahhhhh! Even if just for three or four days, vacations are well worth the effort and expense -- especially at one of North Carolina's beaches, such as Sunset Beach.
The Marshall Family discovered Sunset Beach while living in Graham (then Asheboro, North Myrtle Beach and Wadesboro). At first we spent a week at the Continental Motel (at the time, the only hotel on the island), then graduated to a beach house (on the south end, east end to some folks) that allowed us easy access to the beach via a boardwalk and our annual trek to Bird Island. When we resided in North Myrtle Beach, we drove the 45-minute ride to Sunset Beach to escape the vacationing crowds.
We strayed from Sunset Beach occasionally -- spending a week with my brother and his family at Holden Beach one year; going to Emerald Isle several times, including three Cantrell reunions and exploring the Outer Banks with stays in Hatteras village and, the year we were married, a week in a tent at a Frisco campground. But, we always came back to the allure of Sunset Beach.
Last month, Carla and I spent three wonderful and restful nights at the Sunset Inn, a 14-room bed and breakfast-style lodging on North Shore Drive overlooking the marshland between the island and the Intercoastal Waterway. The inn has specific room names, such as Dogwood, Magnolia, Oleander, Hatteras, Bird island and Old Baldy. We had the second floor Scotch Bonnet Room that included a screened-in porch with rocking chairs and a small table for our in-room brewed coffee or a breakfast tray from downstairs.
Although we missed breakfast call on the first day, we enjoyed a ham and egg quiche and boiled eggs one morning; and a muffin-like egg and sausage the next. Eating breakfast and drinking our coffee on the porch was quite idyllic for a couple from Anson County.
For more information on the Sunset Inn, click here or call 910.575.1000 or toll-free at 888.575.1001.
To us, the quaint character of Sunset Beach always has been the one-lane bridge that spans the waterway. At high tide, you climb a "hill"; at low tide, you are in a "valley." And if a tall-masted yacht or sailboat needs passage, the bridge rises to allow easy access to the other side. Sunset Beach is the last North Carolina beach without a high-rise, monstrous concrete bridge -- until now. A new high-rise structure is scheduled to be completed by December.
The new bridge is a point of contention. To vacationers, waiting for the greenlight to cross the single-lane bridge can be tedious and they welcome a two-lane bridge without any wait time. To others, the high-rise bridge destroys the uniqueness of Sunset Beach and, sort of, adds an eyesore to the otherewise picturesque postcard-worthy setting. Most Sunset Beach residents or business employees just shook their head and made no comment when asked what they thought of the new bridge on the horizon.
Without our boys, we didn't spend as much time in the surf this trip. Carla would sit on her beach towel and read while I waded the surf looking for a seashell or sand dollar. I did swim a little. We passed up a walk to Bird Island this visit. The temperature had to be hovering around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. (We'll return come November and take our walk to the Little River jetty and stop by the Kindred Spirit mailbox to read notebook entries of previous visitors.)
Sunset Beach (the island part) hasn't changed much. The Continental Motel is now Continental Condos. The Island Market is still open. The fishing pier is open. The Sunset Beach Trading Co. is now across the street from the Island Market (a definite must for an ice cream cone). There are more beach houses, and the north end (west to some) is a private, gated community. Other than that, Sunset Beach is still Sunset Beach -- a haven for weary travelers.
We located and enjoyed several restaurants that are on our "Must Eat At List" -- the Purple Onion Cafe in Shallotte, La Cucina Italian Grill in Sunset Beach (but away from the island) and The Bridge Pizza and Grill.
The Purple Onion Cafe offers breakfast, lunch and supper. We ate lunch there after taking in an early showing of "Knight and Day" with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz at the Coastal Cinemas. I tried the portobello mushroom quesadilla with a roasted corn and black bean salad. Yummy! Carla enjoyed the homemade crabcake sandwich -- and gave it four stars.
For more on the Purple Onion Cafe, click here or call 910.755.6071. The restaurant is located at 4647 Main St. (N.C. 130) in Shallotte.
For supper, we found La Cucina Italian Grill. I had the lasagna, which was delightfully, well, Italian with pasta, ground beef, sausage and ricotta cheese. Carla tried the eggplant parmigiana and loved it. For a look at La Cucina's menu, click here or call 910.579.9777. The restaurant is located at 1780 Chandlers Lane (just off N.C. 179-Business in Sunset Beach).
To some, the Bridge Pizza and Grill would be a hole-in-the-wall establishment, but it is more -- a bar, ESPN sports on the flat-screen TV, picnic tables for diners, high chairs with a high table for the more sophisticated and a miniature golf course. I had the Carolina Burger, a beef patty with slaw and chili on a bun. My only complaint was that the bread succumbed to the juiciness of the burger and fell apart. Carla tried their version of the crabcake sandwich and enjoyed it.
For more information, click here or call 910.579.5004. The grill is located at 305 Sunset Blvd.-North.
Across the highway was Crabby Oddwaters. We thought about visiting the restaurant but, perhaps, we were too crabby. It's on our "next time" list, though.
A trip to Sunset Beach cannot be fulfilled without a trip to Calabash for seafood and a vist to browse Callahan's Nautical Gifts. Our favorite seafood place is Capt. John's, located on the Calabash River where early diners get the window seats to watch the fishermen dock their trawlers and clean the day's catch. I had the combo with oysters, scallops, shrimp, fish and crabcake. Carla ate a lighter fare -- a shrimp plate. Capt. John's is located at 9887 Oak St. SW. For more information, call 910.579.6011.
Ever wonder how Sunset Beach got its name? All you have to do is stand on the beach or lean against the railing of a boardwalk and watch the sun set for the day. It'll be a memory worth cherishing forever. Carla and I have.
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