Calabash, North Carolina
Calabash, North Carolina (located in Brunswick County) is known far and wide as the "Seafood Capital of the World." Located on North Carolina's southern coast 25 miles north of Myrtle Beach, SC, and 50 miles South of Wilmington, NC, Calabash has about one seafood restaurant per 10 residents.
A frequent diner at Coleman's (one of the area's first seafood "fish camps") during this era was entertainer Jimmy Durante. Lucy Coleman remembers he always jokingly called her Mrs. Calabash. Durante later began closing his shows by saying, "Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are."
The town's fame increased locally, and other restaurants opened to meet the increasing demand. By the 1960s, large crowds from nearby Myrtle Beach were flowing into the small community nightly to get a taste of Calabash.
Then, Calabash attracted national attention and restaurants across the South began advertising their Calabash-style seafood.
Calabash's original fish camp aesthetic is gone. Brightly lighted signs on newer restaurants with dishes like
shrimp and linguini with wasabi ginger sauce have forever changed the town's character. Commercial development aside, the food is still great. And, pioneering restaurants like Beck's and Coleman's still serve up the Calabash-style seafood that earned the town its fame.
Sunset Beach is a barrier island just off the coast. The two-and-a-half-mile island is connected to the mainland by a swinging pontoon bridge, one of the last of its kind on the East Coast. Ocean Isle Beach, also a barrier island, offers seven miles of white sand beaches and a small, but thriving travel industry.
Approximately 5,000 residents live in the Calabash area year-round, though many more spend their vacations here. Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle Beach are both known for being family beaches. Recreation revolves around the clean air, white sandy beaches and beautiful outdoors. Golf, tennis, hiking, fishing and water sports are popular, as are shopping for antiques and crafts. Golfers enjoy over 20 local golf courses, and many more in the surrounding communities. Real estate options in the communities consist of single-family detached homes, estate properties, condominiums, townhouses and land lots.