The park is primarily a barrier island with ferry service, though there are some onshore trails…read morethrough the forest and ample picnic space while you're waiting for the boat. The ferry is reasonably cheap and does not take advance reservations. They limit capacity on the way over, but obviously this does create a situation where passengers can build up by the end of the day, to which their solution appears to be to have the last scheduled ferry service double up if need be (they had at least two boats it seemed). The island has ample uninterrupted beach, which had plenty of sea life, including a sand dollar which I would more typically see farther south. There was a modest paved walk through the island to get to the beach, passing primitive campgrounds and some bathroom facilities on stilts. During my visit, they emphasized that the water available on the island was not drinkable; apparently they had to repair facilities after a hurricane and the intent was to produce drinkable running water, but there was still some unsolved technical issue. They cautioned us in advance to bring plenty of water, and there were working fountains on the mainland. Every island is different, and in this region, most of them are settled. The next really wild one heading north is Shackleford I think, and heading south would be Masonboro (which I haven't found practical to get to). The atmosphere here is worth preserving.

Really nice park. Nice trails. Well maintained infrastructure. Top notch campground with very…read morenice bathrooms. This is a good place to check out.

We booked for a week for our daughters wedding. Everyone was very kind and helpful. nice quiet…read morecampground tucked back out of the way. We will definitely be back.

The campground is well maintained and holds a quiet family atmosphere. I see regular improvements…read morebeing implemented frequently. It has a very convenient location to Hwy 25 and Hwy 172 making it easy to go to Camp LeJeune, Jacksonville, Swansboro and Emerald Isle.

I travel full time in my little RV so I am always looking for new places to stay between…read morevolunteering as a campground host at some places. I decided to give Cedar Point a try because it is close to Camp Lejeune Marine base. I like being near military bases for use of their facilities. I know it was off season, so the natural beauty would be waning. Still, the facility is disappointing. The sites are nice and well spaced, but the place is tired and worn. They do have electricity available but no water at the sites. There is a dump station in the campground. The bathhouse is terrible. The showers are old and unheated. The shower is not inviting and I couldn't get hot water to ever show up. Just a push button so no way to control temperature. The men's urinal is out of order. I will say that the place is very clean but that is the only positive aspect of the shower. There is a short hiking trail within walking distance of the campground that runs along the marsh. It's also well used but pretty, even in December.

My husband and I stayed at this USDA Forest Service campground for one night in mid-March, 2025. We…read morewere "walk-ins" without a prior reservation, but we were able to secure one of the "first come" sites, paying to the campground host. You can also make reservations through recreation.gov. We paid $17 for a site with electric and water hookups with my husband's NPS lifetime Senior pass. It's a relatively small campground with all sites in one loop. Pros. *well-priced for a site with electricity and water. *sites are very large, with long-g-g driveways to accommodate large RVs. *each site had a fire ring and picnic table. *good restrooms and showers for paying guests. *friendly and helpful camp host. *clean, with a feeling of being in nature with frolicking squirrels. Cons. While the camp guests were quiet, given its location, the campground itself wasn't. There was quite a lot of air traffic noise from nearby military installations (Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point; US Coast Guard), as well as some traffic noise from a few streets over. Nonetheless, we would stay here again if in the area.

Great place, very close to beaches, aquarium and lots of things to do. Very friendly people.read more

I will start by saying that the staff onsite and the community was very friendly. Thankfully, since…read morefrom the moment we arrived we had a whole crowd of onlookers wondering how in the world we were going to fit our 41 foot 5th wheel into the lot they sent us to. Let me go ahead and warn you - if you have anything bigger than a 35 footer DO NOT STAY HERE. If it is going to rain - DO NOT STAY HERE. The lot they put us in they claim can fit up to 42 feet - absolutely not the case. The roads are narrow and if it's a weekend of holiday, packed with trucks, boats and trailers. It took nearly an hour to finally get into our spot (which we could only do by the help of the neighbors and we had to drive through someone else's lots which thankfully the grass was dry, if it was wet at all there's no way we would have been able to get in there.) in fact we would have just left immediately but it was Memorial Day weekend so everything was full. So we finally get into the spot and the water hook up is way in the back of the lot behind the electric box, so unless you have an extra long hose (which we have NEVER needed at any other park) your hose isn't going to reach. Then the rain came. I've attached video and photos to show you how flooded this spot got. We had to walk through 7inches of rain every time we left our house and this was just after a few hours of rain, not like a torrential downpour or anything. With kids and dogs this was absolutely terrible. In order to get the rig out we had to have use plywood in order to avoid getting stuck. After emailing the management team about this, they claim they have put many rigs our size in that spot - though the staff on site specifically told me ours was the first of that size they tried to fit in there. The staff onsite also said they've continuously asked corporate to do something about the way that spot floods and that they agree we shouldn't have been placed there. Corporates response was that it was our fault for having trouble getting in and that there's nothing they can do about the flooding. Perhaps try paving the spot or at least putting down gravel. The fact that this company thinks it's acceptable to place ppl in this muddy mess blows my mind. Thus my warning for future travelers.

You've driven by, wondered how to take that micro adventure. It's too expensive, I've never kayaked…read morebefore, it's too sunny... Well STOP it and stop on by. Book online it will shave off some precious sand dollars. No waves? That's great, too easy. You don't have to put a boat in the water, they have a cool slide to launch you so you don't look like a weirdo. Service was friendly, helpful and able to launch even the stockiest of gentlemen. (Also bring cash for tip)

I'm writing this review a little late in the season but better late than never! I used Pogies from…read morethe spring to recently as my primary spot for bait. They always have a couple of chest freezers stocked with a great selection of fresh frozen baits packaged in nice sized packs that I used up in a day or two of fishing. The freezers are always clean,organized & not overstocked,translating to nice,quality baits.They also keep nice sized live & kicking green crabs when they can get them. Another great offering is single/tandem kayak rentals at a really fair price.I rented one for a whole day for the price other places quoted me for a half day to just a couple of hrs & if you book online you get a $$ break.You can also fish off of their private dock for a couple of bucks,which is really worth it when Bicentennial Park is overwhelmed with a bunch of families & "munchers"(my kind term for yahoos & others who'll stand 3ft from you & eventually cause you some sort of misery,lmao!) They also have artificials of every size,shape & color & the coolers up the middle of the shop always have a gem that you need or not really but ya know how that is,for a way better price than the big W or other places in the area,AND you can find a great discount on alot of them. The staff is laid back & personable,not pushy or just plain apathetic! Thanks guys for keeping up such a great business,much appreciated!

The landscape was beautiful and the trails were clearly marked. I was there by myself and felt very…read moresafe. If you're ever looking for a nice quiet place to go for a nature hike, this is your spot.

This lovey trail is part of Croatan National Forest. It's free, and there's a small parking lot…read morewith a restroom at the trailhead. I visited on a warm weekday afternoon between Christmas and New Years and saw only a few other folks out on the trail. There's a big loop that's about 1.5 miles, or you could do a shorter loop. The trail is mostly shaded and quite flat, making it an easy stroll and accessible for kids (including strollers) and people who need low intensity hikes; there are many benches along the way. Many parts are wooden bridges out over the marshland; at the right time of day you can see fiddler crabs in the water. (If it's recently rained, don't go at high tide; parts of the trail may be wet or muddy!) You'll find a really nice variety of trees and micro climates- the grasses and small trees in the marsh land are quite different from the hardwood forests and pines just a few feet further inland. This trail would be especially lovely at sunrise or sunset. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the Emerald Isle/Swansboro area!

Amazing kayaking experience!! We rented a double kayak for 4 hours and it was $50. It was the…read moreperfect amount of time to navigate the estuaries and make our way to shark teeth island where we took our time looking for shark teeth. The weather was perfect and we saw tons of wildlife - birds, crabs, hermit crabs, stringrays, fish, and heard that there were dolphins around (unfortunately didn't get to see any). They provided life jackets and had waterproof bags that you can rent to put your belongings in. Overall an enjoyable experience, would definitely recommend!

My aunt who lives at the beach booked a family kayaking trip to find shark teeth. I have kayaked…read morebefore but I had never found shark teeth prior to this excursion. This 2 hour trip was the perfect amount of time in the sun, we all got just a little bit of color and found a lot of shark teeth! There was 5 of us and we were all able to find some. The short kayaking trip is 1/4 of a mile and does not take that long at all. You have to pass over one main area but it is not too hard to spot the boats. Definitely do not go on a windy day. The wind and current will be pulling you and it will be an arm workout you never expected. We had pretty good weather; sunny, light wind; nothing crazy ! It was a nice day. Definitely would do again. You must make a reservation!!! Go on website or call!!!!

We had the best time at the children's museum in Jacksonville! My two boys, ages 2 and 4, had an…read moreabsolute blast. There were so many different rooms filled with interactive displays and hands-on activities--we easily spent the entire afternoon exploring and playing. It's clear this place is well-loved and well-maintained. The staff was friendly and constantly tidying up to keep everything clean and inviting. It truly feels like a hidden gem! There's plenty of parking, and I really appreciated that you can bring your own snacks and drinks to leave in the checked bag area--so convenient for moms! If we lived closer, I would definitely grab a membership. It's such a great value and a perfect spot for regular visits. My boys are already asking when we can go back!

It was great! It was clean, you get a LOT of value for the money, and the kiddos loved it!! We will…read moredefinitely be back :)

My kids LOVE this place!!! Always so welcoming! I have a two year old who is very shy and does not…read moreget excited about leaving mom anywhere but this is the one place she ASKS to go to!! It is soooo nice to have especially living far away from family.

Giggles has been such a life saver for our little family. Our son who is on the autism spectrum is…read moreworking hard on his social skills and this place is perfect for that social interaction with his peers. Most importantly, he absolutely loves going here! Bonus- very affordable. We love this place!