On Black Friday, some shopped and others slept. We tackled a ferry, an Aquarium, the beach, a railroad museum and the USS North Carolina.
It was hailed as an adventure!
Last Friday, armed with sandwiches of turkey and PB&J, vanilla wafers and a thermos of hot chocolate, Skyler, aged eight, Ian aged five and me well over twenty one set off on a Cape Fear adventure.
First stop was the 40- minute ferry ride from Southport to Fort Fisher. The winds were blustery resulting in a quick wardrobe adjustment. Namely wrapping Skyler several times in my oversized jacket and fashionably securing the overblown hood with an animal print scarf.
Once again landlubbers, the wonderful North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher beaconed.
“Fishies,” was Ian’s delighted squeal at spying the entry’s metallic sculpture. His pleasure multiplied upon entering. First the Cape Fear Conservatory allowed us all to view huge active alligators and sleeping tree frogs. Plus we all learned a new word – brumate that is what resident box turtles do when the temperature sinks below 60 degrees.
Spunky horseshoe crabs seemed to enjoy our two finger massages at the touch pool. The feeding of stingrays made us hungry, the film on dolphins made us smart, and the spiny lobster appeared to be scratching his head as we waved our hands in front of his watery enclosure.
But most important we learned how vital each of us was to the health of the ocean. The Atlantic’s waves crash on the sand just a few yards from the museum’s entrance.
Nearby Fort Fisher provided a spot for our impromptu picnic. Trust me – hot chocolate is essential when one is freezing one’s little butt off at the beach.
We finished lunch in record time. The lure of more adventure called.
The blog continues.
