New next door: Atlantic Beach dive bar gets an update
The Tackle Box Tavern has been an Atlantic Beach hangout for more than 50 years. In all that time, it had only closed for a single day: as Hurricane Florence passed over.
But owner Janice Bynum said she's known for years that change was inevitable. When she bought the bar 13 years ago, the property owner warned her that one day he'd tear it down.
When that day came, Bynum decided to build new, right next door. Now the bar once featured in Dive Bar magazine has a spiffy new look, but Bynum promises "the same beachy, sand on your shoes, casual bar feeling."
"The building looks a little fancier because it's brand new," she said, "but beer's not going up!"
The regulars will recognize some of the decor. The new bar, just like the old one, is designed to look like the back of a Hatteras fishing boat.