Short videos filmed around the island, made for people deciding whether this is where they want to be. Two of them go town by town through what Tanner likes and does not like; the rest are the parts of living here that a listing site will not tell you about.
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Surf City NC | 7 Likes and Dislikes Topsail Island NC
Seven things Tanner likes and dislikes about Surf City, from living and working on the island. He is explicit that these are his own opinions rather than a verdict on the town — the point is to help you work out which part of Topsail Island suits you.
Area guides
What each town is actually like, including the parts Tanner does not rate. Watch these beside the written area pages.
North Topsail Beach NC | 7 Likes and Dislikes
The same seven-point treatment for North Topsail Beach: what Tanner likes about it and what he does not, based on what he has run into himself. Worth watching next to the Surf City video if you are weighing the two ends of the island against each other.
Around Topsail
Places and things to do on and around the island — the part of living here that a listing site will not tell you.
Topsail Island NC Clamming Catch Clean Cook | Clamming on Topsail Island NC
Catching, cleaning and cooking clams on Topsail Island. Tanner compares harvesting by hand with using a rake, and spends real time on the part most guides skip — what to wear, why the bottom cuts you, and treating a cut from brackish water properly. He points viewers to the state's shellfish information for closures before anyone goes out.
Lewis Seafood and Lewis Food Shack | Topsail Beach NC with Topsail Tanner
A visit to Lewis Seafood in Topsail Beach and the food shack beside it, including the Baja tacos and a conversation with the owners. Tanner's own phrase for the operation — boat to cooler to food truck — is a fair summary of why he buys his seafood there.
Surf City Smash | The Burger Joint Everyone's Talking About
A look behind the counter at Surf City Smash, with the owner and chef talking through the smash burgers, the cheesesteak and the chicken sandwich, and how the kitchen runs during a service.
More on the channel
Tanner publishes regularly, and not everything makes it onto this page. The rest is on the channel.
Something you want covered?
If there is a town, a question or a corner of the island you want filmed, tell me. Several of these started as somebody asking.