The tourist guidebooks often use the phrase "historic fishing village" and "quaint" to describe Southport. It is both those things, but it is really so much more. The main street of North Howe ends at the mouth of Cape Fear River, a glorious vista of sparkling blue from nearly anywhere on the street. Here you can see the Atlantic Ocean beyond, the big ships making their way upriver to Wilmington, and the shores of Bald Head Island and Caswell Beach in the distance. The best way to see Southport is on foot by doing The Southport Stroll. Make your way up North Howe, browsing in the antique shops, the amazing Christmas shop and the sea captains' homes. Stop in the art galleries, the artisan shops. And EAT! Everything from good hot dogs to amazing crab cakes in phyllo to the best fried green tomatoes on the east coast. The side streets are filled with beautiful homes in the southern style, designed for front porch living. Stop and stroll in Southport. You may not leave!
This part of North Carolina's coast is not one of the major beach destinations. Sure, folks from Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte, Atlanta and Winston-Salem have known for generations that the beaches here are among the best on the east coast. Oak Island, Ocean Isle, Sunset Beach, Holden Beach -- fabulous sand and sea with long stretches that are uncrowded even in mid-July. So a topic of conversation in these parts is often "how did you get here?" People are interested in how we found this amazing piece of heaven. The stories are varied. Some people started in Savannah and Charleston and choked on the beach prices, so they drove up the coast. Others spent many summers in the Outer Banks and choked on the crowds (and the deserted island with snow in the winter) and drove down the coast. Some had heard of Bald Head Island and then discoverd the charming fishing village of Southport. Some ventured out of the Myrtle Beach strips and found Calabash and Ocean Isle. The end result, though, is no matter how we got here, we are darn glad we did!
