On our recent vacation to Carolina Beach we had the pleasure of dining at El Zarape. It is an authentic Mexican restaurant that has food that makes adults and kids alike clean their plates. Our group included 4 adults and our 15 month old son. The staff doted on my son. Nearly each time one of the servers passed by they'd wave, play peek a boo, or stop to say hello to our little guy. They were happy to bring his meal out before the rest of our food, since his patience level is short when he is hungry. He ate a ton of his soft taco, rice and especially his black beans. The prices are extremely reasonable and you get very large portions of excellent food. On our way back to the condo, I asked if anyone wanted to go back and eat there again the next night :-)

We wanted to get out of the house one Saturday, so we decided to take a drive up to Jetton Park. The best part about Jetton Park is the playground area. It is in a great shady part of the park, so you don't have to worry about sunscreen the whole time. There are baby swings and swings for older kids. The ground is cushioned with mulch, so even running (and tripping) toddlers don't get hurt :-). We also enjoy the beach area. It isn't meant to be used to enter into the water, but it is great for a picnic, or simply a place for the kids to build sandcastles. A great and inexpensive place to have some family fun.

Jetton is usually free, but they charge $3/car in the summer on the weekends.

The NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher was a great side trip when we were visiting Carolina Beach. When we were there they were featuring the albino alligator. What an amazing creature! Our son is 15 months old and enjoyed being able to walk around and look without mommy and daddy worrying about him touching everything. His favorite part was getting to touch the starfish and the horseshoe crab. Great, hands on, area that kids and parents can enjoy!