There is always fun to be found when building sandcastles on the shores of Ocean Isle Beach. Though the bucket shaped castle is a classic, why not get creative with your sand sculptures and create something that stand out to people enjoying a walk down the beach?

Here's an Ocean Isle Inn version of Sandcastle Building 101:

First of all you’ll need to do some planning and you’ll need a few things:

• Lots of imagination
• Sand Castle Carving Tools- putty knife, spoons, etc. - use your  imagination (see above)
• Shovels
• Sunscreen
• Paper And Pencils
• String
• Buckets

Step 1 - On paper draw a rough sketch of the castle you’d like to build.

Step 2 - Choose a square site near the water, but not so close that waves will destroy your castle as the tide comes up. Make sure the square is large enough for your castle plans.

Step 3 - Bring up large buckets of water from the ocean.

Step 4 - Scoop wet sand onto the center of the area in which you’ll be working.

Step 5 - Work fast so the sand stays wet.

Step 6 - Build towers by forming and stacking sand patties about the size and shape of thick pancakes. Place larger patties on the bottom, and gently shake the patties from side to side as you pile them so that the sand settles. Seal your towers by gently pouring water over them.

Step 7 -  Build walls to connect the towers of your castle by jiggling - gently shaking from side to side - wet sand into brick shapes and laying them on top of each other.

Step 8 - Carve the towers and the walls into shapes using tools such as a small trowel, a putty knife or plastic utensils.

Step 9 - Dig a moat around the castle to protect it from invaders, such as breaking waves and dogs.

There you go. 9 simple steps to create a truely magnificent fortified sand castle during your next stay at our Ocean Isle Beach resort.