Morehead City – The Crystal Coast plays host to the 7th Annual Carolina Chocolate Festival. Today there was a charity golf event at Brandywine Bay Golf Course. Tonight there was an Evening Wrapped in Chocolate at Shepard’s Point in Morehead City. This tasty event benefited the Girls and Boys Club of Coastal Carolina.

The tickets for the Shepard’s Point event were a bit steep for me, but tomorrow is when the good stuff happens. The festival opens at 9am and I’ll try to get there for some photos and pick up some chocolate for a special someone

Tickets are $8 for adults, Kids 5-12 are just $2, and kids under 5 are free admission.

The festival will run until 6pm so make sure to drop in for an hour and peruse the exquisite chocolate treats. This event should be a hit with most of the kids too. Really though, who doesn’t like chocolate?

Also check out the Chocolate Spa at the Sheraton Hotel in Atlantic Beach. For $60 a person you can immerse yourself in chocolate relaxation. There will be facials, hand massages, as well as mini-massages. All of this accompanied with champagne and gourmet chocolates.

From 1-4pm on the 2nd floor of the Crystal Coast Civic Center there will be a Champagne and Truffle VIP Party. This party will showcase local artists, and have cooking demonstrations.

On Sunday the Chocolate Festival is open from 10am to 3pm. Admission is the same as Saturday. Except it is FREE for Active Duty military personnel with ID. This is good, because I’ll let you in on a little secret. Sunday the prices on chocolate goods come down, as the vendors do not want to have to pack all of it up and take it home.

Carteret County PAWS will also be hosting a brunch from 11am to 3pm. The brunch benefits our local pet welfare and adoption society.

So as you can see there’s going to be plenty to do this weekend. Come on down to Morehead City and check it out.

But I have good news…The parade has since been rescheduled for Saturday, December 13th at 4pm. According to the town’s website, the parade route is the same as in years past. Basically it starts at the intersection of Emerald Drive (Hwy 58) and Mangrove Dr. So if you were as bummed out as me about the rain out, be sure to come back and check out the parade. Hopefully this time the weather will go easy on us. Below is a map of the parade route. Hopefully it will help those not familiar with the area to find a good place to view the parade.

View Larger Map

The flotillas that take place along the Crystal Coast tend to help you get in the holiday spirit pretty quickly. It really is a sight to see all of the different boats cruise by illuminating the night with their Christmas lights. I’ve never been to the one in Morehead City and Beaufort. But I’m certain there will be big boats as well as little decked out with all of the usual holiday gear.

Ususally though, from my own observations of the Swansboro Flotilla there will be one or two boats that are comletely unique, creatively done, or have some extremely comical quality about them that they could be considered works of art.

If you’ve never caught one of them I would reccommend checking out this year’s Crystal Coast Flotilla. There is going to prizes and great fun for all ages at a party as well. For more information on the boat parade please call 252-728-2762.