Missiles and More Museum & Topsail Beach

I saw a brochure for the Missiles and More Museum and thought, "Okay, that sounds like something my boys would think is cool.  I should try to go there while I'm here."  But I actually stumbled upon the building when I was aiming for something else.  I was on my way to the beach that a friend of a friend recommended to me.  I found ocean, then I found public parking, and when I got out of the car, I looked across the street and saw the sign for the museum. 

Obviously the beach would have to wait while I went in and wandered around a bit. 

Eli has long had a fascination with aircraft, so the pictures I took were mainly for him. 

The Missiles and More Museum is a small but interesting record of military and pirate history in the area.  The docents are friendly, and there's a small "gift shop" area for souvenirs. 

I got to see Ospreys flying, which was a treat.  When I was near the airbase, they were really low and looked huge. 

I was looking forward to getting to the beach, so I took this picture to read more about the Osprey at home. 

How would you like to be walking along the beach and stumble across a WWII era missile?? 

After the little museum, I walked over to the ocean.  I pulled my shoes off and walked barefoot in the sand, and it felt wonderful!  It's been over a year since my last visit to any beach. 

And, this was my first time at the Atlantic Ocean. 

I walked along, picking up shells for Hannah and Katie.  I used my shoe as my "bucket" for them.

I'm pretty sure Topsail Beach was one of my top three experiences in North Carolina.