The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nearly every aspect of life from our biggest cities… to the far reaching corners of rural North Carolina and all the way to the coast. So I wasn’t sure what to expect when I made the drive to Ocean Isle Beach. Ocean Isle was trip number 10 out of 50 places I’ve never been the year I turn 50!
The signs of social distancing were everywhere including popular places like Ocean Isle Fish Company (Sip on the Dreamsicle Hurricane) and Pelicans Perch Bar and Grill (I recommend the blackened Haddock Pelican Bites and fried pickles). If you aren’t comfortable being around a lot of people you might want to consider going for a late lunch or early dinner rather than typical meal times.
A rainy afternoon offered the chance to experience a wine tasting at The Silver Coast Winery. The European style winery (no muscadine or scuppernong varieties served here) is full of local art. The first winery in Brunswick County even uses local artists to design their labels.
For this quick trip, I didn’t need a rental house. The Ocean Isle Inn offers sea side rooms with a view. Plus it has an indoor (heated) and outdoor pool. They are also adopting extra cleaning and social distancing practices including limiting people in lobby, and elevators.
Fortunately, the sunsets are one thing that haven’t changed at the beach. They are still every bit as beautiful as they always were.
