Carolina Beach, NC – A little slice of Carolina Paradise!

Carolina Beach, NC

Carolina Beach North Carolina is a small town on an island located on the southern end of North Carolina’s coastline. The island is called Pleasure Island and is part of the Atlantic coast’s Inter-coastal waterway. The island forms the tip of a peninsula between the Cape Fear River to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east and is comprised of two small beach communities, Carolina Beach and Kure Beach.

Things to do in Carolina Beach:

• Rent a boat and get out on the Inter Coastal water way for the day!
• Take the ferry over to South Port to shop and have lunch.  If you can time it just right, take the ferry back at sunset.
• Visit one of the best boardwalks in the Carolinas!  There is lots to do on the boardwalk from special events, restaurants, music venues, and of course a beautiful beach to relax and catch some rays!
• Go visit the North End (Freeman Park we call it)! You have to have a 4WD and a pass to enter the North End (you can buy anything from a day pass to an annual pass).
• Take a drive into Wilmington (about 20-30 minutes) and visit all the neat shops, great restaurants, and beaches!
• Visit Fort Fisher Museum and learn about the history!  Also walk the shore line along the Live Oaks!
• Visit Carolina Beach State Park and see if you can find the Venus Flytraps!
• Every Thursday night at dusk the city puts on a firework show at the Boardwalk! It’s quite an impressive show!
• For the young ones, there is a small amusement park at the Boardwalk during the season (Spring – Fall).

Restaurants and fun venues to visit (this is not an exhaustive list but some of our favorites):

• Tiki Bar – best spot on the ocean side for good food and even better cocktails!  The Tiki Bar is located on a pier with all outdoor seating unless you prefer to sit inside you can go to the Ocean Grill just off the pier.
• Fat Pelican – this is a must visit place!  You get your beer out of a semi that is attached to the building and the selection is endless)! They only serve beer and “descent” wine! If you like wine you will not like the wine they serve (well at least I don’t like it) but you are not there for the wine, you are there to see all the eccentric faces and meet some super nice people! Its a must visit kind of place!  If you find 2 pieces of furniture that match, you are in the wrong place! Also watch your stepping as the floor is a bit unlevel but that’s what makes it the Fat Pelican!
• Silver Dollar (Thursday – Saturday Karoake with DJ Freddy! He does a mix of fun dance music and Karoake throughout the night
• Deck House – dining in an old church (we usually go here when we are looking for a fancy night (it’s not too fancy but fancier than the Fat Pelican :)).  Good food (usually big portions) and in the season plan on waiting for a bit!  The bar is a great option if you can get a seat and say hello to Mike the bar tender!
• Ida Thai – excellent Thai Food! Small quaint place with great staff!
• Freddie’s in Kure Beach – excellent Italian cuisine!
• Gibby’s – sit on the deck overlooking the harbor! My favorite meal is the blackened Shrimp taco’s.
• High Tide Bar – this is one of the only bars at the North End and looks out over Freeman Park!  They have a grill and serve burgers, and other sandwiches but mostly an afternoon hangout as folks are coming off the North End and are thirsty for a tasty beverage!
• and how did I forget this one on my original post – World Famous Britt’s Donuts! (if you are local you don’t stand in the long line, rather just got sit at the bar and you get waited on immediately – the tourist don’t know this trick!)

Few tips:

• Do not drink and drive – period! Carolina Beach has the best law enforcement that a city could ask for, and they are big on keeping us all safe! If you drink and drive you are just asking these nice folks to get you off the streets!
• You can pretty much get an Uber driver most any time of day but Lett’s taxi is also a great choice and they run 24 hours a day!
• Golf carts can operate on any road that has a speed limit of 35 mph or less so keep an eye out for locals on their golf carts

Jump in the car and head to the coast!