There is a sleepy little town on the coast of North Carolina named Swansboro. They claim to be "The Friendly City by the Sea". Their claim is correct; this little town is tucked away and if you blink, you will miss the best part, the historic waterfront. If small coastal shops with little nick-knacks and nautical items are your thing, then you would love it here! 
On the second weekend of October, the "friendly city by the sea" host The Mullet Festival. Now, I can only guess that the reason for the festival is to celebrate the mullet (again, the fish, not the hair) and the fishermen who go to sea to catch them. This year was the 56th Mullet Festival, and I swear it gets bigger and bigger every year. The streets are small and the later in the day of the festival, the more crowded the streets get, so as always, try to go early. You don't need to bring much; money, a camera and an appetite.
The most difficult thing about the festical is the parking. Since most of the streets are closed down for the festival and parade (did I mention there was a parade), the best bet is to park and take a shuttle...at least that is what my crew did. The shuttle cost $1.00 per person, per ride (which I think is the deal of the day).After taking the shuttle, the crew started the 56th Annual Mullet Festival and started cruising the merchandise. Of course, all festivals have very simialr items for sale, but this was a little different. There were vendors selling hand painted glass, bowls, plates, hand crafted stools that looked like turtles and birdhouses that looked like lighthouses. There was a plethera of jewelry vendors; gold jewelry, silver, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings, rings made out of shells.
You name it, there was probably a vendor who was selling it. There were more homemade items for sale, rather than the commercial type vendors ( I was shocked, I only saw 1 sunglasses vendor). There were also a lot of local organizations handing out flyers or having raffles to win a trip of a tv ( both would have been nice to win).
After crusing the vendors, we made our way down the street towards the waterfront for our Lunch Adventure. This year's meal deals were a little toned down from previous years. There were no "Alligators on a Stick" or "Chocolate Covered Bacon". There were, however, lots and lots of SEAFOOD!!!
You name it, there was probably a vendor who was selling it. There were more homemade items for sale, rather than the commercial type vendors ( I was shocked, I only saw 1 sunglasses vendor). There were also a lot of local organizations handing out flyers or having raffles to win a trip of a tv ( both would have been nice to win).
After crusing the vendors, we made our way down the street towards the waterfront for our Lunch Adventure. This year's meal deals were a little toned down from previous years. There were no "Alligators on a Stick" or "Chocolate Covered Bacon". There were, however, lots and lots of SEAFOOD!!!
My sister and mom jumped right in line for the shrimp burger; this is nothing more than fried shrimp placed in-between 2 hamburger rolls. Dad wasn't feeling as adventourous, so I walked with him to find the perfect lunch. On our quest, we ran into Fried Crab Cakes, Hot Dogs, Funnel Cakes, Hamburgers, Ribbon Fries covered in Cheese and Bacon, Quesadillas, Burritos, Gyros, Fried Mullet Plates...it was like a buffet on wheels! Not being able to make a decision, we headed back and I ordered dad a hamburger (fail safe) and I ordered the shrimp burger.
As you can tell...I enjoyed the shrimp burger very much. I would have given it Two Thumbs Up...but that would have meant I had to put my shrimp down, and that wasn't going to happen!After we ate our burgers, Dad and I were informed that Miss North Carolina had suggested that we try the Deep Fried Oreos. Now, I have tried these at the fair and told my family how great they were... I guess it takes a beauty queen to convince them otherwise. So my sister and I scampered off to find the deep fried goodness.
It was a little piece of Heaven! After getting our grub on, we needed to walk and shop...but first, we had to dance!
The stage was set with beach music groups who played nothing but good music. We aren't the dancing crew, well, my sister is, but none of us knew how to shag...so we stood and listened, along with lots of other folks. Nothing like beach music to put someone in a great mood! We contiued on, ready to shop a little bit (Christmas is close, so good time to get a little shopping done), so we checked out all the small stores. As my sister and dad checked out probably the smallest jewelry shop known to man.....
mom and I took to the waterfront. The tide was up, but it was a beautiful site!
My sister and dad finally emerged and we went to catch the shuttle back to the car, the festival had come to an end for us.
We loaded the shuttle adn talked about the great time we had and the sites and overheard everyone else talk about their great time. The shuttle ride was about 10 minutes as we headed back. Still in a great high from our festival experience...we took some family pictures:
I hope that I have convinced you all to take a trip to the coast and take part in next years Mullet Festival...maybe I will see you there!
And if you go and see the guy in the Mullet hat...tell him Annie sent you!
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