Don't Put Away The Suncreen! Fall Is Just An Extension Of Summer On the NC Coast

Summer takes its final bow next week and fall moves in. At least that's what the calendar says. But while the folks up north are getting out their sweaters and thinking about raking leaves, the southern part of the NC coast is still warm and toasty.

Average September air temperature is just under 84 degrees by day and around 65 at night.

The ocean off this part of the NC coast is still around 65 to 70 degrees during fall — that's about the temperature of the water at the Jersey Shore in the heart of summer.

Gotta love that Gulf Stream!

If you like the hustle and bustle of a vibrant town, make your home base Wilmington, NC and you'll be just a short drive out to area beaches.

If you're looking forward to just lazing around over a long weekend or stealing one more week away from the office to lay in the sand, choose one of the beach towns like Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach or Kure Beach as your place to stay and play.

These towns are some of the most popular summer vacation spots on the East Coast. In summer, they're crowded with vacationers who pay premium prices to stay at the beach. What those folks don't know is that the activity and fun offered by these places in the summer just keep going into the fall.

Call it the “secret season,” “the new summer,” or whatever. Fall is the time to get big price breaks and still enjoy all the perks of summer.

Because when the kiddies go back to school, beach towns downshift their pace and their prices drop too.

Hang out on the beach, ride bikes, canoe, kayak, and paddleboard. Fish off the piers, in the surf, or charter a boat for some deep sea fishing.

And eat.

Uncrowded restaurants serve up some of the freshest and best-tasting seafood you will ever taste.

Last but not least, there are almost as many fall events as summer goings-on. Triathlons, championships for canine athletes, 5k runs, parties in celebration of seafood, blues and jazz.

Check out the special fall rates and stay and play packages for Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach or Kure Beach.

On the Cape Fear Coast of North Carolina, they don't pull the plug on summer just because the calendar says the season's over. The fact that daylight hours are shorter makes the time we can spend in the warm sun and ocean all the more precious.

It's been our secret, but now that it's out, why not take advantage of the values and make fall your secret summer too?

Make The Last Weeks Of Summer Count

Hard to believe but we're already on the downside of summer. The kids will be heading back to school soon. Maybe it's time to regroup and treat yourself to one more summer trip to the beach. But where to go?

Tucked on the eastern side of Wilmington, N.C., there's a little bitty town with a lot of stuff to do. Kure Beach. This is a place where you don't have to step over wall-to-wall sunbathers on the beach to find a spot to gaze out at the ocean. This is a place with one stoplight for crying out loud! That's because the hoards of beach goers haven't yet discovered how great it is.

Just think: one more weekend in the warm summer sun with the cool ocean water lapping at you swimsuit. Catching up on your favorite read. Add some more color to that skin. Take the family to the Fort Fisher Military Recreation Area for a free concert and get your groove on. Get up close and personal with a sea turtle or sea star at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher. Or slip away from the kids and take a little romantic hike with your honey.

Kure Beach. Try it. You'll like it.

FIREWORKS! It's Summer At Carolina Beach

Some destinations offer beautiful fireworks displays around July 4th.

Carolina Beach, N.C. certainly plans to put on a show that weekend. But they don't stop there. All summer long this charming little beach town offers a free “Film And Fireworks Series.” And the movies are no moldy oldies.

We're talking recently released, family-friendly movies like “Avatar,” “The Blind Side” and “The Princess and the Frog.” Every Sunday at Carolina Beach Lake Park.

Every Thursdays, you're treated to a spectacular fireworks display after a free live musical performance by local bands that starts at 6:30 p.m.

Add in the beautiful beach, the boardwalk, world-famous Britt's Donuts (MSN's City Guide ranks this 70-year old business' donuts among the best in the nation”), an amusement park, water sports galore , great fishing, museums and historical attractions, and the North Carolina Aquarium right next door in Kure Beach, and Carolina Beach has everything you need for a great family vacation. And, chances are, whether you choose to stay in a beach cottage, a bed & breakfast, a villa or a hotel, you'll discover it's much more affordable than trendier beach vacation spots.

Check it out before you plan your next vacation. It's a genuine Carolina deal.