Create a 10-word scroll-stopping headline for: Itinerary Help (for a Minnesotan) | Vibe NC

Hi, all! My wife and I will be taking my 9 year old nephew to North Carolina in the beginning of August for 6 days. He's going to be having a lot of firsts…first time flying, being in NC, seeing the ocean, etc. He's expressed a lot of interest in looking for seashells, doing ocean related things (like swimming and snorkeling), hiking and climbing, finding shark teeth, and just generally seeing things that we can't see in MN (like alligators). With that said, I was thinking the areas and coastlines west of Jacksonville, New Bern, and Washington look like they would be the best based off my nephew's interests. I'm honestly not a super big planner when it comes to trips, and instead I just mark a few key areas and let each day just happen. What I have as my key areas for this trip are: Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, Cape Point, Ocracoke, Cape Lookout, and Emerald Isle.

Wondering if anyone has any suggestions on what to add and/or change with the key areas or if you have any specific recommendations related to some activities that you feel a 9 year old kid might enjoy in the key areas? Also, wondering if anyone has suggestions on a good city for a home base…I have some marriott points that I was thinking of using to save a little bit of money and it looks like there would be good hotel choices in Jacksonville, New Bern, and Washington; I don't mind having to drive a little bit to get to some of the destinations as I feel like that is part of the fun, but also will definitely listen if someone tells me that making one of those cities our homebase for the trip is a stupid decision or if someone says I should split the time up between different cities. Appreciate any advice anyone has. Thank you!