What a great park to enjoy the beach away from the hubbub of the boardwalk for a while. We went…read morespecifically to hike the Basin Trail, and it was so much fun. The overlook at the end of the trail offers a great view of some sea birds. We saw pelicans, gulls, and an osprey. On our return back to the trailhead we saw a bald eagle fly overhead. We also saw lots of mollusks and one fiddler crab. There were several bees along the trail, along with some flies. If coming in the warmer months, insect repellent would be a must. Many people were walking on the beach and flying kites. It's a gorgeous well-maintained area.

Let me just say that the state park itself was great, scenic, and accessible. We did not find any…read moreshowers. The real reason for this review was how we were treated poorly by one of the state troopers at closing. During our 4/11/26 visit, we were leaving the beach at 7:58p to get back to our car. Despite us actively walking to the car, the trooper still pulled his truck to the boardwalk and used the megaphone to announce that they were closing. (of course, we knew this, as we were walking back to the car as fast as possible.) The trooper then proceeded to park his truck immediately behind my car as we were walking there. It was 8pm at this point. As we got in the car as fast as we could, he waited by the gate. We left the parking lot at 8:02p. We understood that the park closed at 8, and we were moving as fast as we could, but we did not appreciate how rude the trooper came across. It would have been a different story if we were still on the beach and not moving at 8:02p. As an essential worker, it rubbed me the wrong way that he could not patiently wait a minute or two after his shift (I stay past my shift for sometimes several hours). The park was beautiful, just a shame that this left a bad taste in our mouth.

Love this beach area! It is on the much quieter side which is nice…read more Anyway, we headed this way, as they have live music on Sundays 6 pm to 8 pm I believe. We had a grand ole time.

So relaxing! Love the rocks and how close it is to the aquarium and fort fisher historic site. Free…read moreparking and plenty of room to enjoy the ocean and sand! There is also clean bathrooms and plenty of picnic tables for you to enjoy!

Wow - we finally discovered this park on our third trip to Carolina Beach. It is so peaceful and…read morebeautiful. We visited the camp office ATL use the restrooms before hiking. There is a small exhibit area about some of the animals, geology, geography, and history of the area. We hiked the 3 mile Sugar Loaf trail. It was more challenging than expected due to the sand. The weather was very pleasant the day we went in the spring. We saw quite a few other people enjoying the trail and having picnics. We heard a lot of birds including woodpeckers. The variety of trees and pinecones during our hike was fascinating.

This place is beautiful and so natural. Love it. The trails are windy. Use an app because I got off…read moretrack a few times and ended up taking the scenic route. That was okay. It was a beautiful way to pass the time.

Great fishing access. Free to walk and watch. Just be careful, fisherman here are packed in pretty…read moreright. Saw lots of small fish caught. Great little shop with food and bait and souvenirs and tackle...pretty much anything you could need at a pier....except the motivation to go fish in the chilly wind:)

The pier was well maintained and had clean restrooms and reasonably priced souvenirs and snacks…read more Some of the staff clearly didn't enjoy working there but that's okay! $8 to fish all day is really reasonable and we spent much of our trip walking on the pier and fishing.

Update 2026…read more Carolina Beach is a place we visit during winter season after the holidays in Wilmington, North Carolina. Parking is free during the winter season on the beach after the holidays are over. No traffic & no tourists. This year in 2026, stayed at an oceanfront hotel room in Carolina beach with a balcony. We saw so many sunrises on the Carolina Beach from our high rise hotel room balcony. It made me smile every day. The Carolina Beach Boardwalk was beside our hotel and a short stroll. We were sad to see the iconic Ferris wheel by the Boardwalk was taken away. Despite the cold weather and construction, it was good to see the beach again and walk the boardwalk in the morning. Most of the businesses were closed and we spent very little time there. Still a nice walk. ---------------- The best time to go to Carolina Beach is when parking is free and the crowds are gone in the winter. We had a fun time enjoying the warm yet windy January weather on the beach. No crowds, traffic, and tourists. It was very peaceful and fun. We went to Nauti Dogs for lunch and walked on the beach. Most of the stores were closed but we didn't care. Looking forward to revisiting this beach.

Sandy, clean and a great spot to enjoy the beach. We parked at the Hamlet public parking lot which…read moreis an insane $5 per hour but the lot also has showers for washing off the sand and a decent restroom. So better than most beaches I've experienced. There is a planked pathway across the dune with trash cans on both sides. Perhaps that's why there was very little litter today. Hamlet is far enough away from the commercial boardwalk to be quite peaceful and laid-back. The beach is flat and smooth though the sand is loose making for a good workout getting to the water. Very few rocks or shells. [Review 1357 of 2025 - 4476 in North Carolina - 24909 overall]

I have now been to the North End a handful of times and it generally is a great time, but you need…read moreto plan to come. I came with a good group of people, beer, and some food for a day of fun. We came super early at 10AM this past Saturday and spent the whole day here. If we had not showed up at 10AM then we would have been in trouble. Today was the first day in the parks history that they closed it because of capacity. Half the beach was closed because a storm the night before washed it away. The price for one day is $40 dollars, but if it is a holiday then it is $60 dollars. You can get a year pass which is really the only way to do it if you plan on coming twice in a year. There are portable potty's, but I dislike how dirty they usually are so I didn't even bother to find out. Use the ocean for number 1 and pray that you don't need to number 2. The water on the north most part of the park is fairly gentle and calm to the beach side so it is perfect for setting up rafts or tubes. You can have drinks as long as there are no bottles present, or just dump them in a plastic cup. I am not sure when that part of the beach will be open again since the storm washed it away. The park is pretty clean and I saw a lot of people throwing stuff away in the blue bins like they are supposed to. The beach is dog friendly and you will see various cute doggies loose and about. There seems to be a lot of security as I saw trucks and quads with that slow po po crawl by pretty often. At least you will be safe. Also worth mentioning is that you can fish here. I saw tons of people throwing in a line or two and even some guys catching crabs not too far from shore.

Awesome spot! Expensive $50 entry. You better have 4 wheel drive and some experience! Lol.read more

Great weekend hidden gem getaway for military personnel! I've been to Kure beach a few times, but…read morethis was my first time staying at Ft Fisher. This is a older recreation area but they have everything you need for a getaway. The location is on the Atlantic ocean coastline of North Carolina. Make reservations before arriving they do sell out all yr long. Check- in is easy, jus follow the directions on your email receipt. If you forget anything there are some items for sale inside the visitor center. They have several lodging options, rv hook ups, canoes and bike rentals. There is a beach house with food, lots of area for cooking out with seating. You can also go boating or bring your own jet skis. The views off the dock are absolutely beautiful stayed in a cottage which was rather nice for the price. I was literally across the street from the Kure beach. Houses in the area start at 1 million dollars and up. Hotels and house rentals in the area are a bit pricey, but would be worth it for a short getaway. Just a few miles down the road Ft Fisher has a state park & a aquarium that is close. Call before you go to for hrs and operations. Im sure I will be back for a future visit! I really had a relaxing, people free weekend! @glampedlife

We arrived after hours (about 7 p.m.) on a Friday for my cousin's Saturday wedding, and our key was…read morewaiting for us. Keep in mind: My cousin scheduled the reservation. I've never been to this facility before, so I had no idea of what to expect. The cottage was beautiful. It was a 3-bedroom, 2-bath bungalow. Simple but lovely. However, for my husband and I this was a lot of cottage. I had no idea of the pricing because we were told by the groom that a place had been secured for us. With that said, I figured when we checked in the following morning that we could just move to a 1-bedroom cottage if there were any much like a hotel. (DON'T ASSUME!) Even though there was a 1-bedroom, the staff said we could not move because we must stay two nights in one rental. I asked if we could at least get the pricing of the 1-bedroom for the 2nd night simply due to ignorance on our part, and we were told we must speak to Lisa. We could not catch up with her while we were there, and it took 4 days to get a return phone call. When we spoke, I was informed that she lives on site, and if there were any problems that we should have called the number on the paperwork. PROBLEM: typically meaning emergency. (DON'T ASSUME!) Apparently, this could have been resolved had I called the number to discuss the issue. No credit forgiveness was given. The customer service at this facility is not the quality I would expect in a beach setting (and not just due to the lack of refund). However, a huge shout out to the wedding host at the Beach House Bar and Grill because she was professional, fun, and hosted the wedding with great attitude. At least now, if I ever return (which I would like to explore this area one day), I will know that the terms and conditions are not customer friendly.

We have been to Atlantic Towers in Carolina Beach on several occasions. The rooms are always clean…read moreand the front-desk staff members are always caring & kind. All condos are ocean-front, the price is reasonable, and each one is individually appointed by the owners.

Such an amazing time, the unit was decorated so cute, the views of the ocean too my breath away…read more The front desk staff were so helpful and nice. Caroline was very helpful and gave us some recommendations for seafood restaurants, and the maintenance man Hamid came to help us with our tv, such a nice gentleman. Keep up the good work.

This big house has plenty of room for parking, which is a plus for a seven bedroom rental. It has…read morea nice size private pool and breathtaking views of the gorgeous ocean. The main living space has a wall of glass for spectacular view. To me, this is why you opt to pay the big bucks. We stayed here five years ago and noticed a lot of items in need of repairs, so we stayed away from this house for several years. This year we returned assuming that the conditions had to have improved. We were very disappointed to find the condition much more deteriorated. There were wobbly railings, difficult beach access, many nails sticking out of the decking, exposed wiring in ceiling fans, sun rotted window treatments, the cheap plastic lounge chairs were all cracked and one man in our group fell hard onto the deck while simply sitting in an already broken chair. When we told the realty company of our disappointment, no one addressed our concerns. We paid a lot of money for a large house in poor condition. We have stayed in other beautiful rentals on Kure Beach and none of them were in poor condition to the extent of the Big Kahuna. My overall summary would be: The Big Kahuna is a lovely location full of great views but unless you're certain that they have made repairs FOR YOUR SAFETY, I would suggest staying elsewhere.

Pros: Convenient location near boardwalk…read moreProvide maps and directions for bike trails Includes basket on your bike Provide helmets Rents beach and biking equipment They deliver! Cons: I wish they stayed open passed 5 PM on Sunday but I completely understand. Everyone needs rest and family time. No electric bikes. The manager or owner Brian was very polite and helpful. He had us take a route though neighborhoods to a greenway which was super scenic and easy for new bikers. We even saw the alligator on the banks of the lake.

I've used this company for the past six years to rent two umbrellas and four chairs for a week. I…read morewas happy with the service most years. This year I paid nearly $300, but they failed to deliver them on 3 out of 5 days. I had to call and track down the owners each morning just to get the equipment I'd already paid for. I'll be using another company next year. Do not recommend.