Carolina Beach Travel Guide

A favorite summer getaway for families is Carolina Beach. The town in North Carolina is perfect for a chilled out vacation, complete with golden sand beaches and beautiful blue waters. Of course, Carolina Beach offers more than just beautiful beaches. Stroll along the boardwalk and admire the views, with food stands serving delicious donuts and ice cream. If you're a fishing enthusiast, the pier is a fantastic spot to see what you can catch. There are also opportunities to go shopping to pick up some souvenirs and browse the local speciality shops, which have nautical art and treasures. For dinner, there are plenty of casual restaurants and seafood grills to choose from, which boast ocean views.

Things to Do in Carolina Beach

Top things to do include visiting Carolina Beach State Park. Enjoy relaxing on the Cape Fear coastline, as well as exploring the miles of trails for hiking. There are also water sports where you can go kayaking or boating. You can also wander around the Carolina Beach Boardwalk which is packed with food, games and live music. There is also a Ferris wheel where you can take in the views of the stretches of beach. Afterwards, head to Freeman Park where visitors are welcome to go fishing and surfing.

Best Time to Visit Carolina Beach

Families flock to Carolina Beach to soak up the sun and vibrant atmosphere. If you're looking to vacation on a budget, you can head to this sunny destination in the springtime and between September and November to enjoy the cheap rates and pleasant weather.

A Local's Guide to Carolina Beach

Staying in a beach condo is a great way to have a family-friendly vacation, and North Carolina has a lot to offer travelers. A North Carolina beach vacation gives the whole family a chance to relax, soak up some sun and enjoy themselves.

Along the coast of North Carolina, the Beach State Park is a great place to go fishing and spot carnivorous plants on the Flytrap Trail. Elsewhere, the Carolina Beach boardwalk is one of the main attractions and offers places to eat, play and shop as well as amusement rides.

One of the top spots for a day in the sun is Kure Beach. This popular town in New Hanover County is about 15 miles south of Wilmington and only has about 2,000 people living there. In the summer, this quiet resort in Wilmington Metropoliotan area gets much busier with tourists looking for a space to relax. Beachgoers can take a swim or just soak up the rays but the area is also a great spot for fishing.

The Cape Fear River meets the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean at Kure Beach which brings a wide selection of fish and aquatic animals to the waters.

Water Sports

Surf fishing, bottom fishing, shell fishing and deep sea fishing are all on offer at the beach as well as grabbing a seat on the pier. The iconic 712ft Kure Beach Fishing Pier welcomes visitors for a day of catching fish as well has hosting arcades.

Further along the coast is the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area which has a beautiful six mile long beach completely unspoilt and undeveloped. This beautiful spot is home to nesting loggerhead sea turtles while offering a public beach access for visitors. There’s additionally a protected swimming area, picnic area with grills for beachfront barbecues and a visitor center giving tourists local information. It is the perfect place to enjoy a lazy afternoon or weekend.

See & Do

Take a walk along the Fort Fisher shoreline to discover the former home of the Fort Fisher Hermit. This Second World War bunker was home to the local legend for some years.

Four-wheelers can be driven onto the sand at certain times of the year and surf schools run taster lessons for more active vacationers. Plus, a display of military vehicles is available at the North Carolina Military History Museum.

While in North Carolina, families should check out the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher. This marine exhibit shows off the wide range of species found in the Cape Fear River Basin and nearby beaches, estuaries and ocean. The prime exhibit is the aquarium’s 230,000 gallon saltwater shark tank. There’s also the huge half-acre Cape Fear Conservatory with alligators, sturgeon and other freshwater species. Other displays inclide the marine creatures in the Open Ocean galleries as well as the lionfish, cuttlefish and Pacific reefs in the Exotic Aquatics section.

There are plenty of oceanfront beach houses to choose from in Carolina Beach.

From pet-friendly beach cottages to apartments with full kitchens and large living rooms and villas with direct beach access.

March to May or September to November are the best times to stay in a beach vacation rental in North Carolina. Book a vacation home in these times and it is easier to get a place with ocean views outside of the peak season.

Condos in Carolina Beach

The vacation rental market is strong on Carolina Beach and you can find everything from beach houses to beach cottages and oceanfront condos. Many of the condos in the Carolina Beach area offer stunning ocean views or easy beach access. The condos are close to top attractions and places to visit, such as Pleasure Island, Kure Beach, the Carolina Beach Boardwalk, Fort Fisher and Freeman Park. If you’re bringing your pet pooch along with you, you’ll also find plenty of pet-friendly vacation rentals in the area, with tons of spacious condos that are happy to accommodate your furry friend. The best thing about staying in a condo is the privacy and the fact you can really settle in and make it a ‘home from home’.