The Crystal Coast area has a variety of other areas to visit:
Atlantic Beach
Emerald Isle
Morehead City
Harkers Island
Swansboro
Further afield, there are some interesting destinations for daytrips:
Havelock
about 30 minutes north on US-70.New Bern
about 1 hour north on US-70.Jacksonville
about 1 hour west on US-24.Bath
about 3 hours north.Ocracoke Island
about 3 hours east.