Swansboro town

Swansboro is a cute little town, and nice place to stay if you visit Emerald Isle Beach. Flowers grow along the road, and there are many strip malls where you can get pizza or enjoy a cafe like Olea Mediterranean. The historic part of town, on Front Street, has a touristy feel. Here, you can eat at Church Street Irish Pub or Icehouse Waterfront Restaurant, right on the water. An adorable area are the banks of the White Oak River, which is very wide in the town. Here you can walk along the boardwalk at Riverview Park or check out the wide open water views at Bicentennial Park, and end your walk with a meal at White Oak River Bistro, right on the water. It's so appealing how there are grass islands in the water in this part of the world.

From Swansboro, you can catch a ferry to Hammocks Beach State Park- come early though because the ferry fills up (see address below). At the Hammocks Beach State Park ferry dock there are lovely views of the water, plus a state park visitor center. 
If you want to drive to Emerald Isle Beach from Swansboro, leave early because there is a lot of traffic in the congested bridge areas.
In July, there are sunflowers along the west side of Highway 58 just before you get to the bridge over to the island. Many people stop to take portraits with a lovely background of yellow.

Directions

The historic part of Swansboro is on Front Street. 
Church Street Irish Pub (closed Mondays),105 W Church St, Swansboro, NC 28584.
Icehouse Waterfront Restaurant (lunch and dinner), 103 Moore St, Swansboro, NC 28584.
White Oak River Bistro (lunch and dinner), 206 E Corbett Ave, Swansboro, NC 28584.
Riverview Park, 310 W Corbett Ave, Swansboro, NC 28584.
The ferry dock and state park office for Hammock Beach State Park is located at 572 Hammock Beach Rd, Swansboro, NC 28584. There is plenty of parking and nice views of the water. Come early before the ferry fills up!

Click on map for interactive view