Cottages Old and New - Adventures in Southport NC

Hi ya! Hope your week is going well. Mine is great so far! This is a long post, so grab yourself a drink and a snack. :)

Today I wanted to share an adventure David and I took on Sunday. We decided to take a little drive (40 minutes) to Southport, NC.

This small, seaside town is packed with Southern charm and character.

There were delightful shops and restaurants everywhere. We had lunch at the Fishy Fishy cafe. Yummy! If you ever go to Southport, you should eat here.

The best part of the adventure for me was seeing all the cottages. Give me small and charming any day. I admit, there were several times I almost hyperventilated with all the cuteness. David started counting how many times I said, "Oh My Gosh! That is sooooooooooooo cute!" Then he gave up because it was pretty much all I said.  hee,hee,hee

I thought it would be fun to share the photos with you. First, we will start off with the old cottages. Most of these were built in the late 1800's.

This was the first one we came to. This 3 bedroom, 2 bath 1200 square foot cottage has been completely remodeled and is a quick hop and a skip to the water. However, it's super pricey at $595,000!!! Can we say "location, location, location." Yep. 

I could have moved right into this one too. That little deck up top is so sweet!

I love the salmon and white colors of the house against the green of the grass and the brown tones of the tree, front door and stone fence. I think these would be gorgeous in a quilt. ;) Hmmm...noted.

Is it just me, or are yellow cottages always so friendly? You can't help but smile when you see a yellow cottage.

While we are looking at the old cottages, I must point out one of my favorite things about this area. The trees!

You know how much I adore trees.

There are Live Oak trees everywhere. Many of which have moss hanging from them. My favorite! These trees are hundreds of years old.

This cottage was surrounded by trees and there was even a tree swing in the yard. Fun!

I loved the Victorian details of this cottage. It was quite large compared to the other homes on the street.

The same with this one, which was an inn.
 

Even the side view of this home was welcoming. The yard, or garden as my UK and Aussie friends say, was beautiful.

This one was very patriotic. Notice the details on the bay window.

This one had been remodeled. I think they did a wonderful job. The windows on the front porch with the shutters were very interesting. They are not what you would normally see on a bungalow style house. Again, note the tree swing on the right. ;) 

This one had charming details, trees and a gorgeous yard. I could take a nap under a quilt on that porch any day! Well, except when it's 100 degrees out like it was on Sunday.

The last stop in the "Old Cottage" section is this majestic home with a widow's walk. It was really fun for David and I to find this house. Lyd told me that her mother in law grew up in this house! It was built by her great grandfather who was a famous blockade runner. Lyd's husband, John, said great, great, grandfather's photo is in the local museum.

Here is the historic marker across the street from the house and...

here is the view from the house! Incredible. Of course, Lyd and I both chatted about living there during a hurricane. NOT!

Now, we will hop down the road a bit and go into a brand new cottage neighborhood. These homes have all been built within the last few years. They are twice the size of the old cottages and half the price. The trade off is location. You would have to drive to the water from here. Also, there are no trees. Like many new neighborhoods, the developer comes in and clear cuts everything (insert grumbling here). :(  I will admit though that I fell in love with the neighborhood despite the fact there were no Live Oak trees.

The homes are simply charming and completely up to date with modern, energy efficient finishes.
Like most new neighborhoods, there are several home plans to choose from. This plan is called the Sandpiper.

Here it is again in a taupe/gray color

and a slightly different version in a salmon or coral color.

This one is called The Seaside.

Here it is again in aqua

and here's another yellow version.

This is The Sandfiddler model.

and this one is The Seahaven.

This one is called, The Surfside Cottage. It's my favorite style out of all of them. I love the roof lines, the porches, the columns and the floor plan.

Here is another variation

and another

and another. David and I both liked this one best as we like more neutral earthy colors. Plus, this had a big detached garage out back that David really loved!

Here's a link to the floor plan and some interior photos of you would like to take a peek. :) While you are there, you can look through the other models. They are all equally as charming.

My friend, Jean, mentioned that we should take the ferry back home. It only cost $5 and we decided it would be fun. Although, it was really, really, like really hot as you can tell from the melting look on my face. Thank goodness for the sea breeze.

The seagulls were riding along with us. It made me laugh how they would sit on top of the ferry and ride along like they were just too hot and tired to fly across.

This little one came by to say hello to me. He also asked if I had a snack to share, which I did not. I thought the light shining off his wings against the Carolina blue sky was so beautiful.

The pelican boys came flying by. They were headed out to the "Buoy Bar" to meet their buddies.

It was a packed house. hee,hee,hee. You know I couldn't help it. I just had to have a little critter story in here somewhere.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little adventure to the sea. Which cottages to you like better, the old or the new? What color would you paint your cottage?

I'll see you back here next Wednesday hopefully with an update on our little cottage.

Hugs,
Michelle