From Harker's Island, 3 competing ferry services will take you out in their launches to Cape Lookout to see the lighthouse, or if you want to be off the beaten path, you can go to Shackleford Banks. This is a deserted island that used to have cabins, wild cattle, wild pigs, wild goats, etc. Everything has been removed except for the wild horses, ponies really, that are descended from shipwrecked Spanish Mustangs several centuries ago. These are hardy, wild horses that seem to subsist on the grass and limited brackish water on the island. We spent several hours there last week and managed to locate 5 groups of 8-12 horses on the Eastern end of the island. The horses let us get fairly close to them although they were wary and didn't eat the apples we tried to feed them. Going inland from the beach was an adventure as we encountered mosquitos, flies, mud, quicksand, and many sharp mussel shells as we followed the groups of horses around. My four year old son was with us so a lot of this was accomplished while pushing a stroller (one with pneumatic tires!). We got some great pictures and even saw some young horses that had yet to be "numbered" by the forest service.

All together, there are about 100 horses on Shackleford Banks. We also had a great time swimming on the beautiful beaches and found some great shells as not too many people comb these beaches. Since my family loves animals and especially horses, we didn't mind the bugs, mud, etc. and really had a great time. I would recommend this adventure to anyone with time to spend on the Crystal Coast (we were staying in Atlantic Beach). After all, the beach and pool scene gets old after awhile.



Recommended: Yes