Escape to Emerald Isle

Did you have a beautiful Labor Day weekend? I got one last shot at a beach day, thank goodness. Ashleigh's sweet family invited me to spend a couple days with them in Emerald Isle, North Carolina.

You can see where the name comes from...the water is a beautiful blue-green. We had a great day swimming and playing with a Waboba ball that bounces on the water.

For dinner, we ventured to Jackie's American Grille, where we couldn't resist ordering their signature JAG fries: spiral fries that come with an entire menu of choices for toppings, sauces and gourmet add-ons. We split an order with roasted red peppers, artichokes, white cheddar, goat cheese and on the side, sriracha aioli and garlic cream sauce. They were delicious, and the shape of the fries was so unique!

We also split a Smoke Burger, featuring smoky blue cheese, smoky applewood bacon and smoky mayo.

We finished the trip with a complete taffy binge at The Sweet Spot, splitting a pound of taffy in every flavor you can imagine.

My takeaway? You basically can't go wrong with Carolina beaches. They're all lovely and have something great to discover. I'm sad to say we won't make it to Ocracoke this year, but I can't wait to have a triumphant return next year!