the most popular lodging choice for all 

 seaside visitors, followed in most cases 

 by cabins, condominiums and cottages. 



When it comes to spending money, 

 out-of-staters are freer with their 

 pocketbooks. Non-resident visitors to 



Banks in order of preference are the 

 Wright Brothers Memorial, the 

 lighthouses, the Cape Hatteras 

 National Seashore, the N.C. 

 Aquarium at Roanoke Island and 

 "The Lost Colony" outdoor drama. 



Two-wheeling along the Tar Heel coast. 



the northern coast spend an average of 

 $789 per trip; down south, they spend 

 less: $607. Frugal North Carolinians 

 average spending only $578 on their 

 coastal vacations. 



The top three expenditures in all 

 cases were lodging, eating and drink- 

 ing establishments, and food and 

 supplies bought at stores. 



Once they unfurl their towels and 

 pop up the beach umbrellas, Tar Heel 

 vacationers are inclined to stay put. 

 More than 50 percent of the state's 

 resident vacationers never visit an 

 attraction such as the USS North 

 Carolina or the Wright Brothers 

 Memorial. And if they do venture 

 away from the cottage, they tend to 

 visit only one site. 



Our out-of-state guests are more 

 adventuresome. Twenty percent of 

 those staying along the northern coast 

 and 16 percent along the southern 

 shores visit three to four attractions. 



The most popular attractions for 

 non-resident guests along the Outer 



Southward, non-residents like to 

 visit the Wright Brothers Memorial, 

 the N.C. Aquariums at Bogue Banks 

 and Fort Fisher, the USS North 

 Carolina, the Cape Hatteras National 

 Seashore, Fort Macon and the 

 lighthouses. Obviously, these folks 

 need a geography lesson because 

 neither the Wright Brothers Memorial 

 nor the Cape Hatteras National 

 Seashore are located along our 

 southern coast. 



North Carolina natives prefer 

 these attractions: the N.C. Aquari- 

 ums, the USS North Carolina, Fort 

 Fisher, Fort Macon, "The Lost 

 Colony" outdoor drama and Tryon 

 Palace. 



Of the non-natives who came to sit 

 a spell along our northern shores, 



81.5 percent were repeat guests, with 



45.6 percent of these having visited 

 one to five times in the last five years. 

 Even more surprisingly, almost 10 

 percent said they had come calling to 



Continued 



They seek the beauty 

 of the lighthouses, 

 explore coastal fortresses 



and a battleship, 

 educate themselves at 

 aquariums and museums, 

 and gorge themselves 

 on plates heaped high 

 with some of the best 

 seafood the East Coast 

 has to offer. 



COASTWATCH 1 3 



