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.

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.

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!

Management is very accommodating and friendly. Amenities include clubhouse with clean restrooms,…read moretv, pool table and Wi-Fi. Campers also have access to a salt water pool and dog park. Only about a 10 minute drive from Swansboro and 1/4 mile from the ICW and public access boat ramp. Perfect for a quiet, relaxing and family friendly stay.

This is a basic campground with no frills. Nice green grass with lots of cool small frogs. Fire pit…read moreincluded and the pad to put the trailer is concrete. Sewer, water and electric. There is a pool. Crappy hours of 11-7 because it is not lit. Everyone else on the grounds were permanent residents. It does have a bath house, club house and small kitchen. We paid $25 a night. We went and toured Holiday TravL park, which is $80-$100 per night. Feel like for $25 we got what we paid for. There are no other amenities included. We would return here for the price, location, and basics.

Just happened to go back to comped for lunch. Smelled something burning and saw smoke coming from…read morethe breaker box. Called front desk twice and left messages for which no one has returned a call. Drive to front desk to have them send an electrician to the site to check the box. Electrician changed out the burnt breaker and stated that we would need a new cord. Went to office to see how they were going to help with what was their breaker box that caused the issue. The manager stated that we would just have to deal with our insurance company for any compensation. So sad how the reputation of this compound has deteriorated over the past year.

My family stayed here for three nights and it was a pretty good time. I will say many of the sites…read moreare very cramped but we got lucky with a corner site that had extra room. They had good beach access, a nice pool, and very clean bathhouse facilities. There was a day when we wanted to go to the pool but it was closed for a few hours because they had just added a bunch of chemicals. They said this was because the pool guy was off for two days, but really could no one else have checked/maintained the chemical levels? Another review said there's a lot of barking dogs, and that's definitely true but that's not really something the business can control so oh well. Other than that we had no issues!

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!

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)

Was driving through the area and yelp said this was the only campground on the sound. All of the…read moreothers had closed. This isnt a camp ground, its an RV park, though the signs say otherwise. I arrived late on Saturday after the office had closed, the instructions at the office say to pick a spot and check in and pay in the morning. Their camper bathrooms were locked and unable to be used. Had to walk to the pier to use the toilet. In the morning when I went to pay, I was rudely told that I was not allowed to camp here, that they had stopped allowing that over a year ago. Its also 50 dollars for the night for just a small backpacking tent. Place feels wrong. Its a beautiful site and quiet though.

Nice little find on the Emerald Isle. Bill the manager runs the place well…read more Easy access to the beach. Stores and restaurants within easy walking distance.

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 a permanent travel trailer there several years back. Loved it. Great location, weekend…read moreentertainment and on the water. Had great fun on our decorated golf cart.

Goose Creek was perfect for what we needed! We called last minute just needing somewhere to set up…read morea tent for the night before heading onto Atlantic beach in the morning. They were open late enough that we could get there in time and it had just the basic space and a bathroom nearby available. Had we been staying longer we would have needed somewhere to possibly build a fire or do some grilling (of which we didn't see any), but for what we needed it worked great- and you couldn't beat the view waking up the next morning!

Front desk definitely needs training. No one knows how to sign up Renew Active clients. The website…read moreclearly shows Renew Active can enroll at the gym, with a 9 digit number (vs a 16 digit for the Silver Sneakers option) yet the front desk employees insisted I HAD TO HAVE a 16 digit number, so I guess I'll be choosing a different gym til they can figure it out. The "eligibility checker" they use goes directly to Silver Sneakers (a totally different program). If you have Renew Active don't bother trying.

A measure of grace for the day; I returned to the pool after almost 16 years, was warmly greeted…read more(...by name- WOW )- the lady at the front desk was very kind. She re-oriented me with the facility since it had been so long. Just like with a bike, once you learn how-you can get right back to it! I was so thankful when this pool/gym was built so close to home, and it felt so good to be back! Thank you for your hospitality!!!