The 2023 ILDA Conference in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina has concluded. Here are Conference attendees after the Awards Banquet and Presentation.
Just after the Awards Presentation ended, showing the Career Achievement Award recipients onstage. L-R: Greg Makhov, Christine Jenkin, Roberta McHatton, Tim Walsh, Patrick Murphy, Tom Harman.
Top photo courtesy Michael Meyer, bottom photo courtesy Christine Jenkin.
The material below has been left in its pre-Conference state, so you can see the events, registration, hotel, etc. for the 2023 Conference.
The 2023 ILDA Beach Conference will be at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Atlantic Beach Oceanfront in North Carolina, September 17-20. The host is Michael Meyer of Emerald Owl Productions, Inc.
Atlantic Beach NC, where ILDA's hotel is located, has been named “Best Spring Break” by Outside Magazine and one of "21 Best Beaches" by Coastal Living Magazine.
A highlight of this Conference is a public outdoor laser show from the pier just outside our hotel. This beach show will feature ILDA Award winners and entrants. ILDA Conference attendees have a Welcome Dinner on the beach, prior to the laser show scheduled for Sunday, September 17.
Just after the Conference we have an optional boat trip and walking tour of Shackleford Island to see the wild horses.
We have received generous sponsorship grants from the Crystal Coast Tourism Development Authority. The CCTDA website gives an excellent overview of the area, including things to do and see while you're in North Carolina.
Location
We will meet in North Carolina, in the middle of an 85-mile stretch of beaches known as the Southern Outer Banks. The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Atlantic Beach Oceanfront has a pool, private pier, and of course meeting rooms.
We expect — but cannot guarantee — clear, rainless, warm days that should be perfect for outdoor activities.
The average air temperature for Sept. 17-20 is high around 83°F (28.3°C) and low around 67°F (19.4°C). The average sea water temperature is around 80°F (26.7°C), which is perfect for swimming.
Check out the Conference location
A welcome invitation from our host
Host and Sponsor
Preliminary schedule
• Sun, Sept. 17: Conference registration, Welcome Reception and Dinner, outdoor public laser show on the beach (from the hotel's pier) featuring ILDA Award winners and entries.
• Mon, Sept. 18: ILDA General Business Meeting and Advanced Technology Workshop. NEW: Business and Marketing Seminar. In the evening, either the rain date of the beach laser show or an informal Lase-Off.
• Tue, Sept. 19: Seminars on the ILDA Digital Network and on artistic aspects of laser shows. A session about ILDA's Category A Laser Show Standard will give an overview to everyone, followed by a free Cat A course. The ILDA Awards Banquet and Presentation takes place in the evening.
• Wed, Sept 20: Cultural Day (optional extra). We take a bus and ferry to see famous wild horses on Shackleford Island, and then shop and sightsee in quaint Beaufort. You can then return to the hotel for some beach time, for the Audience Scanning class, or do other sightseeing such as the Cape Lookout lighthouse, fishing or other watersports, and golf.
• Thu, Sept 21: Emerald Owl Productions is organizing a few optional ALL DAY excursions. These will be for Members who wish to take advantage of another night on the Crystal Coast before the hotel rates go up for the weekend. All conference activities will have concluded by this time. These excursions will have different end times based on the activity and the distance from Atlantic Beach. Those who are interested should plan on a Friday morning check-out.
Click for full-size preliminary schedule. Events subject to change.
Registration and room reservations
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Full Conference (all events)
Full Conference and Spouse/Guest registration
For ILDA Members, and interested non-members
• Full Conference registration includes all ILDA meals, Opening Reception & Welcome Dinner, the Beach Laser Show, Lase-Off, Awards, business meetings, seminars, Cat A course, and workshops.
• Spouse/Guest registration includes all ILDA meals including the Opening Reception & Welcome Dinner, Lase-Off, and Awards. It does NOT include any business meetings, seminars or workshops. (A Spouse/Guest is defined as a person related to a Full Conference registrant. The relationship must be that the spouse/guest is married, is a significant other, is a family member, or is a personal friend who is not employed in a lasershow-related business.)
Full Conference and Spouse/Guest registrations include the Cat A Laser Show Standard course, but do NOT include the three paid laser safety courses, or the Cultural Day tour. These are separate events.
Full Conference and Spouse/Guest registrations do NOT include hotel room reservations. Make these separately with the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Atlantic Beach Oceanfront (click the wide blue button farther down on this page).
Free laser safety course
Included with Full Conference registration
Students at the August 9, 2023 Category A course held during the SELEM meetup in Newark, Delaware. These persons had previously taken ILDA's LSO course. They all passed the Cat A test, and received an updated LSO certificate which includes a Cat A endorsement.
There is one free laser safety course during the Conference, at 4 pm Tuesday Sept. 19. It is for Full Conference attendees who want to create and operate shows that meet the ILDA Category A Laser Show Standard.
Attendees who take the course and pass a 27-question test at the end, will be qualified under ILDA's Cat A standard to create, produce and operate Cat A-specific laser shows. The course plus the test will be about 1 hour long.
This course is for two types of people:
1) Those with no prior laser safety course experience, who want to do Cat A-specific laser shows.
2) Anyone who has already earned a Laser Safety Officer certificate (from either ILDA or from Laser Safety Services; see lists on this page) and who wants to update their LSO certificate to also have a Cat A endorsement. This means they are qualified by ILDA to create, produce and operate Cat A-specific laser shows.
Any Full Conference registrant, whether an ILDA Member or a non-member, may attend this course for free.
An ILDA LSO certificate, with the green Cat A logo and text stating that the holder successfully passed the course tests, including ILDA Category A Laser Show Standard requirements.
Register for the Full Conference
Click the button to register:
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You may be asking "Why are some rates higher this year?"
We have tried to keep the 2023 Conference registration cost as low as possible. But since the COVID pandemic, hotel room rates and other costs are significantly higher than in past years.
Please be assured that our Early Registration rates are just above our actual costs, e.g., what the hotel charges us for food and meeting rooms plus our other Conference-related expenses. Early Registration spouse/guest rates are just above only our food costs.
We are being charged more in 2023 than we were pre-pandemic. Just like groceries, automobiles, electronic parts and so many other things have gone up in price — so have the hotel, food, beverage, awards production, etc. that go into a Conference.
For example, the cumulative rate of inflation in the U.S. is 18.1% from 2019 to March 2023. Based on that, the 2019 Conference (Orlando) Early Registration rate, which was $565, would cost $667 in March 2023. Our 2023 Early Registration rate of $645 is actually less than inflation.
(The only reason our 2022 Conference in London came in at $565 was because we did not meet at a hotel. Our host, ER Productions, generously gave us use of their new laser facility. We still had other expenses of course, but ER helped lower the price.)
We are trying to make the Conference as affordable as possible. Our Regular Registration rate of $795 is only $30 more than the Regular Registration rate at the past three in-person Conferences (2022, 2019 and 2018). And the Late Registration rate of $945 is actually $20 less than the past three in-person Conferences.
Finally, the laser safety class rates have not changed for many years. They are not as affected by the hotel and other expenses.
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You may be asking "Why are some rates higher this year?"
We have tried to keep the 2023 Conference registration cost as low as possible. But since the COVID pandemic, hotel room rates and other costs are significantly higher than in past years.
Please be assured that our Early Registration rates are just above our actual costs, e.g., what the hotel charges us for food and meeting rooms plus our other Conference-related expenses. Early Registration spouse/guest rates are just above only our food costs.
We are being charged more in 2023 than we were pre-pandemic. Just like groceries, automobiles, electronic parts and so many other things have gone up in price — so have the hotel, food, beverage, awards production, etc. that go into a Conference.
For example, the cumulative rate of inflation in the U.S. is 18.1% from 2019 to March 2023. Based on that, the 2019 Conference in Orlando's Early Registration rate, which was $565, would cost $667 in March 2023. Our Early Registration rate of $645 is actually less than inflation.
(The only reason our 2022 Conference in London came in at $565 was because we did not meet at a hotel. Our host, ER Productions, generously gave us use of their new laser facility. We still had other expenses of course, but ER helped lower the price.)
We are trying to make the Conference as affordable as possible. Our Regular Registration rate of $795 is only $30 more than the Regular Registration rate at the past three in-person Conferences (2022, 2019 and 2018). And the Late Registration rate of $945 is actually $20 less than the past three in-person Conferences.
Finally, the laser safety class rates have not changed for many years. They are not as affected by the hotel and other expenses.
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Only selected Conference events
Some persons may not be able to attend the full ILDA Conference. We do have some Conference events which are available individually. This is also good for guests, for example, if you want guests at the Awards Banquet.
ILDA General Business Meeting
Free, for Members not attending the Full Conference
If you are an ILDA Member who is NOT registering for the Full Conference, you still can attend the General Business Meeting for free. This event is where votes are taken for ILDA Board Members and for ILDA President, and where association business is discussed and voted on.
To attend, you must register in advance for the General Business Meeting; click the button below. Registration for this event will be visible only to current ILDA Members (it will not appear for non-members).
Individual conference event tickets
For anyone not attending the Full Conference
We have tickets available for persons who want to attend selected events, and who don’t have a Full Conference or Spouse/Guest registration
• Lase-Off/Laser Jockey dinner and event only, Monday September 18, $150. To register for this event only, click the button:
• Awards Banquet and Presentation only, Tuesday September 19, $150. To register for this event only, click the button:
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Laser safety courses
Laser safety courses
There is one free laser safety course during the Conference, at 4 pm Tuesday Sept. 19. This is the Category A Laser Show Standard course, which is discussed elsewhere on this page. Click the blue button "Full Conference (all events)" for details.
ILDA is offering one other laser safety course, which is not included in the Full Conference. This is a separate registration event: Optional Audience Scanning Safety, Wednesday September 20, 2 pm - 6 pm. How to do safe, legal and effective audience scanning at laser lightshows. For both operators and show designers. Prior laser safety experience or courses are recommended.
Anyone may pay for and attend this optional laser safety course. You do not have to be an ILDA Member, and you do not have to register for the Full Conference.
More info on the course content is at the laser safety course page.
Click the button to register:
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Cultural Day tour, Wed Sept 20
Click the button to register:
The optional $85 Cultural Day tour is Wednesday September 20. At 7:45 am we'll take a bus to Beaufort, where we board a ferry to Shackleford Island for a 1½ hour walking tour. (Sorry for the early departure, but this company only has one tour per day and it is early in the morning).
This free-roaming herd of over 100 horses is believed to have descended from horses that were brought here roughly 400 years ago. They still survive as one of the last isolated groups of wild horses in the United States.
You help your guide track the horses and see first-hand the fascinating behavior of horses in the wild, a rare experience with nature that you’ll never forget. Bring your camera for pictures that will forever remind you of this amazing place and its fascinating inhabitants.
Next, you are directed to one of the best shelling beaches on the U.S. East Coast. You can spend some time shelling, where you can find conchs, whelks, queen’s helmets, scotch bonnets, olive shells, sand dollars, and more.
There is more information below about how strenuous the tour is and what to bring. Please review this if you are going.
AFTER THE WILD HORSE TOUR: BEAUFORT
After the official tour is over, you have two options:
1) You can take the 12 noon ferry back to the quaint town of Beaufort where you can have lunch on your own, shop and sightsee in the quaint town. Or,
2) You can remain on Shackleford Island for an extra hour where you can shell, swim, fish, bring a picnic lunch, etc. It is a wild island so bring whatever you might want for the extra time (see below for more information). The extra-hour ferry will leave for Beaufort at 1 pm.
There will be two buses leaving Beaufort for our hotel.
• One bus will leave after the first ferry comes back from Shackleford Island at around 12:30 pm. This is for people with an early flight out on Wednesday, or for students who signed up for the optional 2 pm Audience Scanning Safety Class.
• The second bus will leave at approximately 2:30-3 pm, and will arrive at the hotel at 3-3:30 pm.
You do not have to take either bus. You could instead take other tours or do activities in the area, such as a fishing trip, or a boat trip to the iconic Cape Lookout Lighthouse. You would need to arrange your own transportation (e.g., Uber) back to the hotel. Our Conference host, Michael Meyer will have some good ideas and recommendations for you.
BACK AT THE HOTEL
At the hotel of course you can spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the beach in front of the hotel, swimming in the hotel pool, or doing similar relaxing activities.Click the button to register:
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IMPORTANT caution for the 2-mile walking tour
The Wild Horse & Shelling Safari is a guided tour that takes place on a wild yet beautiful island. There are no sidewalks or boardwalks on the island, and the tour is of a strenuous nature.
You will walk a total of up to two miles. This is over soft, deep sand, up and over sand dunes and through potentially muddy salt marshes, hiking into the interior of an uninhabited, undeveloped island. You should wear sandals with a heel strap, Crocs, water shoes, or the equivalent — something you don't mind getting sandy, muddy or wet.
The tour is NOT recommended if:
1) you have any trouble walking, or have any pre-existing conditions that affect your health in a way that would make it difficult for you to handle the terrain and physical demands described above
2) it would be dangerous for you to be far away from the possibility of emergency medical attention. -
What to wear, what to bring
What do I need to wear?
You should wear what you would normally wear for a day at the beach. Many people like to wear their bathing suit so that they are able to swim if they choose.
A hat, sunglasses and sunscreen are good ideas, as there is very little shade on the island.
You will want to wear shoes that you don’t mind getting sandy, muddy or wet. We find that the best choices are sandals with a heel strap, Crocs, water shoes, or the equivalent. You probably don’t want to wear sneakers and socks, or any type of shoe with a heel.
What do I need to bring?
You are welcome to bring as much or as little as you like with the captain’s discretion. You should definitely bring some water.
Other things to consider: insect repellant, drinks, snacks, camera and/or binoculars.
If you are bringing a picnic lunch, also bring trash bags. You must take out any trash you make.
What can't I bring?
Glass bottles and flammable liquids are prohibited on the ferry. Also, do not bring large items such as wagons, large folding chairs, huge strollers, etc.
If you want to stay an extra hour
After the tour is over, you can take the 12 noon ferry directly back to Beaufort. Or you can spend an additional hour on the island. Bring a picnic lunch, spend more time looking for shells, go swimming, go fishing, or just relax and soak up the sunshine.
Feel free to bring coolers, beach chairs, umbrellas, beach bags, fishing rods, etc.
What can I buy on the island?
Nothing; it is a wild island. There are no concessions of any kind on the island, so you will need to bring whatever you need to be comfortable with you.
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Two days after the Conference - Thu Sept 21
Our host, Emerald Owl Productions, is organizing a few optional ALL DAY excursions on Thursday, September 21. These will be for Members who wish to take advantage of another night on the Crystal Coast before the hotel rates go up for the weekend. All conference activities will have concluded by this time.
These excursions will have different end times based on the activity and the distance from Atlantic Beach. Those who are interested should plan on a Friday morning check-out. Pricing and how to sign up will be announced later.
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Make a hotel room reservation
ILDA Conference registration does NOT include your hotel room at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Atlantic Beach Oceanfront. Make a separate reservation as described in the box below.
Hotel room rate if reserved by August 16 and under the ILDA group block:
Oceanview, $169/night
Oceanfront: $209/night
Oceanfront Suite: $269/nightThese ILDA rates are available for three nights: Sunday Sept. 17, Monday Sept. 18 and Tuesday Sept. 19 (e.g., checking out the morning of Wed. Sept. 20.) You can reserve a room (if available) for the days before or after Sept. 17-19, but the hotel rates and availability are subject to change.
Check-in time is 4 pm, check-out is at 11 am. Guests must be 21 years or older to reserve a room.IMPORTANT NOTE 1: Try very hard to reserve on or before Wed. August 16. Rooms are only being held for ILDA through August 16. If you try to book rooms after that date, they may not be available. (If the hotel still has non-ILDA rooms, they will be at higher rates.)
IMPORTANT NOTE 2: Reserve by calling the hotel directly at 252-240-1155. Do NOT use the Hilton website, or any other website such as Expedia or Hotels.com.
IMPORTANT NOTE 3: When you call, be sure to tell them you are booking with the "ILDA group" in order to get the group rate. You may need to use a "group code"; try these: ILDA, LDA, C-LDA, International Laser Display Association. A key reason to book using the ILDA group code is so that ILDA gets credit on our contract for your room stay. Otherwise, your reservation looks like any normal, non-ILDA reservation.
IMPORTANT NOTE 4: After making your reservation, you must send to the hotel this credit card authorization form. Instructions are on the form for filling it out, and then faxing or emailing to the hotel.
IMPORTANT NOTE 5: Even if you see slightly lower rates online for similar rooms, just book directly with the hotel and tell them you're with ILDA. Pay the ILDA rate as listed above. This way, we can fill our contract with the hotel to have attendees book a certain number of room nights.
If you experience any difficulty in booking your room, please contact ILDA.NOTE FOR THOSE TAKING THE LSO OR LASER OPERATOR COURSES ON SUNDAY SEPT 17: We are aware that you will probably need to stay the night of Sat. Sept. 16, so you can be ready for the class which starts at 9 am on Sunday Sept. 17. The Sat. Sept. 16 date is NOT in ILDA's block. Because it is the summer season at the beach, the room rate for Sat. Sept. 16 is likely to be higher than the ILDA rates for Sept. 17, 18 and 19. Go ahead and reserve your Sat. Sept. 16 room. But also tell the hotel you're with the ILDA group for the other dates, so you get the lower rate and so ILDA gets credit for your room stays.
Register for the ILDA Conference
OR
Register for optional course and tour
Reserve your room
Helpful information
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See what a Conference is like
The videos below give you a quick overview of what an in-person ILDA Conference is like. The first one, from Christopher Short, shows lasers during the 2018 Lase-Off in Montréal, hosted by LaserTech Canada.
The second video shows meetings and seminars in the day, and the Lase-Off and the ILDA Awards in the evenings. Thanks to KVANT, host of the 2017 ILDA Conference, for producing the video.-
Getting to Atlantic Beach, NC
Below are the three closest airports to our hotel in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. For most attendees, it will be easiest to fly into a major hub such as Charlotte, NC or Atlanta, GA, and then take a smaller plane to either EWN or OAJ.
You could also fly into Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) or Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTI) and then drive, but the drive will be long — 3 hours and 4 hours, respectively.
GROUND TRANSPORTATION
Our goal is that if you fly into the EWN and OAJ airports, there is no cost to you, to get to and from the hotel. You can either take an ILDA-provided shuttle, or you can take an Uber, Lyft or taxi and ILDA will reimburse you (but you must provide us with receipts as proof).
If you want to be picked up from EWN or OAJ, send an email to ILDA with all of the following information: your hotel confirmation number, your arrival airport, arrival date and time, flight number, number of bags (don't count any bags you can hold on your lap), and also your departure airport, departure date and time, and flight number. Email this to ILDA with the subject line "ILDA Hotel/Airport info".
If you're coming into EWN or OAJ, pickup information is here: https://www.emeraldowlproductions.com/ilda.html. If your name is not listed, contact ILDA as soon as possible.
Note that we do NOT have any pickup or reimbursement from ILM or other airports. We also do NOT reimburse for car rental or for driving, from any airport or location.
FLIGHT SCHEDULES VARY
For all three airports, flight schedules vary depending on the season. There are more flights in summer, fewer in winter. When looking at flights be sure you have availability both arriving and departing.
Coastal Carolina Regional Airport (EWN), New Bern, NC
37 miles / 60 km to our hotel in Atlantic Beach, NC
As of March 2023, this airport has three flights per day by American Airlines from its Charlotte-Douglas (CLT) hub. Flight availability may vary seasonally.
Note that this is NOT EWR (Newark Liberty International Airport) located in New Jersey which is 550 miles away! So be sure you are booked into EWN, not EWR.
Albert J. Ellis Airport (OAJ), Richland/Jacksonville, NC
55 miles / 89 km to our hotel in Atlantic Beach, NC
As of March 2023, this airport has three flights per day by American Airlines from its Charlotte-Douglas (CLT) hub, and one Delta flight daily from Atlanta. Flight availability may vary seasonally. The airport's website has a potentially useful calculator comparing costs with OAJ, Raleigh (RDU) and Wilmington (ILM).
Note that this is NOT Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) located in Florida which is 500 miles away! So be sure you are booked into OAJ, not JAX.
Wilmington International Airport (ILM), Wilmington, NC
93 miles / 150 km to our hotel in Atlantic Beach, NC
As of March 2023, this airport is served by American, Delta, United and Avelo from various cities including Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas Ft. Worth, New York LaGuardia, Newark, Philadelphia, and Washington Reagan National. Although there are many more direct flights, the airport is also roughly twice as far from our hotel and beach laser show, compared to EWN or OAJ. We recommend EWN or OAJ if at all possible. Flight availability will vary seasonally.
Note that this is NOT Wilmington Airport (ILG) located in Delaware which is 470 miles away! So be sure you are booked into ILM, not ILG.
Local transportation
ILDA has arranged airport transportation from EWN and OAJ during arrival times before, and departure times after the Conference. We will not have ILDA-arranged transportation from ILM. (See above for details.)
Instead of using ILDA's transportation, you may want to consider renting a car. This will give you more flexibility, especially if you want to do some local activities on your own like fishing or golf. Overseas visitors should be aware that U.S. cities do not usually have adequate public transportation.-
Rooms and features of the DoubleTree Oceanfront hotel
Our Conference hotel
The official ILDA Conference hotel is the DoubleTree by Hilton Atlantic Beach (NC) Oceanfront. It offers direct beach access, a pier, and a beachfront bar/restaurant. There is an indoor pool as well as an outdoor pool with whirlpool, and a fitness room.
The 300-foot (91m) private pier is for hotel guests only. You may be able to watch dolphins swim by. Also from the pier, you can see the sun rise in the morning AND the sun set in the evening — one of the few spots on the U.S. East Coast where this is possible.
On Sunday, Sept. 17, laser equipment will be set up on the pier and we will do an outdoor laser show, viewable by the public (and of course Conference attendees) from the beach.
Every hotel guest room has a balcony and ocean views. Standard rooms have a work area, mini-fridge, HDTV and free WiFi. You can upgrade to a suite and get a spacious separate lounge area. Parking is complementary if you're coming via rental car.
The hotel's main restaurant, Prime 1079, has indoor and outdoor dining. (For ILDA Conference attendees, meals are included. Some will take place in the meeting rooms or ballrooms.)
Molly's is the outdoor bar and restaurant where you can get drinks, snacks and meals by the pool, beach and pier.
The street address is 2717 West Fort Macon Road, Atlantic Beach, NC, 28512. The hotel phone is 252-240-1155.Gallery
An oceanfront king bedroom is shown above. ("Oceanfront" means a straight-direct view. Some rooms are "ocean view"; they are on the side of the hotel and do not face the ocean straight on. Be sure to reserve the type of view that you prefer.)
The living room area of a suite room.
The lounge and bar of the main restaurant, Prime 1079.
The indoor pool. There is also an outdoor pool as well which is open seasonally.
View from the hotel private pier of the beach.-
Area attractions and activities
The Crystal Coast is located along North Carolina’s central shore. It is a 90-minute drive from Interstate 95, approximately two hours from Raleigh, NC and approximately five hours from Richmond, VA.
Crystal Coast beaches offer 85 miles of sandy shores, perfect for swimming, surfing, scuba diving and wreck diving (U-boat submarine shown above), kayaking and paddleboarding, jetskiing … and some of the best inshore and offshore fishing offered anywhere.
Atlantic Beach, where ILDA's hotel is located, has been named “Best Spring Break” by Outside Magazine and one of "21 Best Beaches" by Coastal Living Magazine.
Ten miles (16 km) away from ILDA's hotel, Beaufort is North Carolina's third oldest town, dating to the 1700s. It has been named “America’s Favorite Town” by Travel + Leisure Magazine, “America’s Coolest Small Town” by Budget Travel Magazine and the “Best Yachting Town” by Yachting Magazine.
Six miles (10 km) from our hotel, Morehead City was named in the top ten “Best Fishing Towns in America” by www.worldfishingnetwork.com. It is also the site of the October 1-3 North Carolina Seafood Festival — the largest North Carolina festival.
Cape Lookout National Seashore is home to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse where visitors can climb to the top for the most breathtaking view east of the Mississippi.
Wild horses, descendants of Spanish mustangs, swam ashore when their ships wrecked on the shoals of the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.”
These waters are home to the “Best Wreck Diving” along the East Coast, according to Scuba Diving Magazine. There are near perfect conditions and crystal-clear water with the average temperature hovering around 80° F and more than 100 feet of visibility. Guided dives, equipment rentals, nitrox fills and training are available through several local, professional dive shops.
Beaufort Historic Site
The salty-sweet smells of an ancient maritime heritage wafting in from the Atlantic permeate the painstakingly preserved Federal Period buildings at the Beaufort Historic Site. Personal guided tours showcase the collection of 10 historic buildings, including a jail, courthouse, apothecary and doctor’s office as well as three homes, all dating back to the 1700s and 1800s. In addition to the guided walking tours, explorations of the Historic District are available aboard a vintage 1948 English double-decker bus. Stroll the docks and watch glorious sunsets.
Cape Lookout National Seashore
A 56-mile strand of silken beaches makes up the coastal islands of eastern North Carolina, one of the few remaining natural barrier island chains in the world, accessible only by boat. History comes alive at the Cape Lookout Lighthouse and Keeper’s Quarters built in the mid-1800s to warn passing ships of the dangerous coastal waters. Standing at 163 feet tall, the lighthouse was painted with a distinctive black and white diamond pattern in order to distinguish it from other North Carolina lighthouses and is open to visitors to climb during the summer.
North Carolina Maritime Museum
A haven for the unconventional history of the Crystal Coast, the museum is the official repository for all of the artifacts discovered on the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship captained by the infamous pirate, Blackbeard. Learn more about this historic underwater excavation just off the Beaufort coastline and view cannons, grenades, belt buckles and more from the storied ship. The museum is also home to an interesting contraption known as the “Life Car,” a mini submarine used to rescue mariners stranded at sea.
Morehead City, and the North Carolina Seafood Festival
The largest town on the Crystal Coast, Morehead City has a vibrant waterfront with fishing charter boats that unload their catches every afternoon. Charming shops and restaurants feature views overlooking the water and Sugarloaf Island. On October 6-8, 2023, Morehead City presents the most popular festival in North Carolina. During the North Carolina Seafood Festival, vendors line the waterfront with all types of seafood and arts and crafts. Morehead City is just 6 miles / 10 km by car from our ILDA hotel.
Shackleford Banks wild horses
For more than 400 years the wild horses of Shackleford Banks have taken care of their young, frolicked on pristine deserted beaches and foraged for food with not a saddle or fence in sight. Scientists, historians and nature lovers alike have speculated on the origins of the Shackleford horses, or “Banker ponies” – the most popular theory being that the horses swam ashore after a Spanish ship exploring the New World met with a tragic fate off of North Carolina’s shores. Visitors make their way to the island on one of the ferries running from Harkers Island and Beaufort.
Crystal Coast brochure
You can read a 99-page Visitor's Guide brochure from the Crystal Coast Tourism and Development Authority.
It has an overview of the cities and attractions in the area.
You can also visit the Crystal Coast website for up-to-date lists of dining, attractions and events.-
No more U.S. COVID entry restrictions
U.S. travel information (COVID-19)
As of May 11, 2023, the U.S. government has no COVID-related restrictions on travelers to the U.S. Proof of vaccination is no longer needed to enter the United States.
If you have any questions, the following websites may be useful:
U.S. Department of State COVID-19 Travel Restrictions and Exceptions
IATA COVID-19 Travel Regulations Map (click on the U.S. and on your country to see the regulations)
For more information, visit our other ILDA websites:
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"Washington Crossing the Delaware" painting by Emanuel Leutze, 1851, collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Water Symphony" photograph background by Visual Sensation, 2019.