While Emerald Isle is primarily a small family vacation town with few shopping centers, the main Emerald Plantation shopping center (where Food Lion is) offers a nice variety of stores.

Two of our favorites in town are both in Emerald Plantation. Compass Rose and Planet Wear offer some of the most unique items you will find in Emerald Isle. Planet Wear is a true hippy shop, with loads of hand-made tie-dyes (made by the Planet Wear owners), as well as more consumer-oriented Liquid Blue tie-dyes, hemp jewelry, gorgeous skirts and dresses, incense and accessories, and all sorts of interesting trinkets and baubles.

Compass Rose (right) is a new age shoppe located behind Planet Wear and across the walkway. This mystical hole in the wall offers an extensive selection of silver jewelry, sun face art, statues, mystical power accessories, books, soothing new age music CDs, tarot items, incense, and much much more. Don't miss the frequent guest readers that frequent Compass Rose.

If you stop by either shop during your stay in Emerald Isle, make sure to tell Linda (right) or Phil that Dave and Tiff sent you!

The 17th annual Emerald Isle St. Patrick's Day Festival will be upon us soon. Everyone in town looks forward to the local rite of spring that takes place in Emerald Plantation, this year falling on March 15th from 9am to 5pm. There will be bands, a beer garden, food and craft vendors, rides, and more:

8 am at the Eastern Regional Access (2701 Emerald Dr.) Emerald Isle Parks & Recreation will sponsor an 8k road race. Registration is from 6:45am to 7:30am at the access. Fees for the race are $15 before March 10th and $20 after. The first 100 registrants receive a free t-shirt. There are seven age categories that have awards.

At 11 am on the main stage catch the Little Ms. And Mr. Leprechaun Contest. Boys and girls ages 2-3 and 4-5 will be in leprechaun costumes and judged on originality, creativity, and overall stage presentation. The contest requires pre-registration no later than 12pm Friday March 14th. Registered participants are asked to be under the main stage tent by 10:30am n the day of the contest.

One of our favorite places to dine in Emerald Isle is Rucker Johns. Situated in a beautiful canal-side spot in the Emerald Plantation shopping center, the restaraunt features seafood, steaks, burgers, huge fresh salads, island favorites, and much more. They offer crayons and coloring pages for kids, and have a fully stocked bar and bar area for adult patrons.

Having eaten there dozens of times over the years, I'd say my favorite appetizer is the calimari, and my Tiff would undoubtedly pick the beer-battered mushrooms. You can't go wrong with any of the main courses, and the specials are often some of the best fresh seafood Emerald Isle has to offer.

For a bit of history, we turn to the official Rucker Johns about page:

Our immediate family/owners right now is made up of Chris Johns, his wife Polly Rucker Johns and Deborah Rucker who has the double pleasure of being the Mother-in-law of Chris and Mom of Polly. Now just because the order ended up being Rucker first (SO IT WOULDN'T be called JOHNSRUCKER or JOHN RUCKER), Polly and Deborah will be the first to tell you that the success behind this business goes mainly to Chris' great leadership and wisdom. Chris and Polly had gained restaurant experience while attending college and after they were married. I don't think either of them had any idea God was putting them together for a bigger plan such as the one that developed and was born right here on Emerald Isle in 1987. Yes we gave birth (it felt like it) to RuckerJohns that February and I (Mom) had to go home on opening night and keep a sick grandchild for Polly's sister Cyndi who started off helping them with bartending and serving. ”I was the most expendable one that opening night so I lay on the couch with a sick Steven and prayed for my family. This was to be pretty much a role of mine continuously through many of the growing steps we had to master."

For more on Rucker Johns in Emerald Isle (or sister location in Wilmington), visit their website, where you can also view the Rucker Johns menu.