A beautiful beach to spend a day on. Lifeguards in some areas (pay attention to signage). Not too…read morebusy at the end of April but I'm sure it picks up during standard tourist season. Some volleyball nets for public use. There are bathrooms at the end of the boardwalk.

Gorgeous beach with fine, soft, white sand. Very clean and safe for children (as far as I know from…read moremy experience today). Not crowded on the weekdays. Happy to pay $3/hour parking but after 6PM on weekdays... it's FREE. The wave is normal, water is warm on daytime and nice to swim in. Glad to find this beach and if you're hungry, there is a seafood restaurant with 2nd floor deck ready to host your hunger. Love this place!

FAVORITE PLACE HERE. We spent hours finding the most amazing shells. The water is crystal clear and…read morethe wanes aren't bad at all. I would come back in a heart beat.

We had so much fun on Shackleford Island. We saw so many horses, found a lot of cool shells, and…read morethe beach was beautiful. It's about a 30 minute ferry ride from Beaufort. There is a restroom but NO amenities or food available for purchase. Bring everything you need with you. Once we arrived, there was a tour guide but it wasn't much of a tour. She walked us to the other side of the island to show us two horses on the beach and then walked all the way back to where we started to show us where to find the best shells. Her "tour" lasted about 30 minutes. We did most of the exploring on our own and that's when we found the majority of the horses. As long as you aren't looking for a super guided tour, this is a great day trip!

This is a very nice and clean beach area with plenty of space for your beach day out. They have…read morerestrooms at the top close to the parking for you to wash off after being in the sand and water. The parking uses a machine or app, pick your preference, but you really should pay or you might find your vehicle missing on your return. I think this is one of the nicest beaches in NC I have seen.

Plenty of parking and free when it's off-season. Very clean indoor restrooms with one changing…read moreroom. Sheltered picnic area with grills available. Send volleyball, lots of beach during low tide. Trucks drive through the beach, but they have permits. We had a great experience there. People were very polite and respectful. We didn't hear any loud music or smell any cigarette smoke. There is a small wooden platform with an ocean view if you don't want to go into the sand.

Safest place to camp. Has everything you need. We have done the "extreme camping" in the past…read more This place ruined it for me. I got the nature peace, beautiful sceneries, and the conveniences I love in one spot. Plus, there is this vibe that says "your safe, this is a community". Plus, they love dogs. My pups were spoiled with the dog park, the walks, the toys and treats, all available by KOA.

One of the best KOAs we've ever stayed in! This one is right on the Neuse River. Lots of activities…read more(including 2 catch and release ponds). The dog park is fantastic! There are actually 2 separate fenced in runs. How smart to put bark down! It rained Saturday night and Sunday am when we got here, but instead of the dog parks being muddy messes, the bark absorbed the water. Less mess in the camper - NICE! I will say that the standard sites are very close together. Perfectly fine for an overnight stay, but way too close for our 5th wheel (we were in site 18). Since we were staying Saturday through Wednesday, we asked Sunday morning if we could switch sites and the staff was very accommodating! We moved to 86 and were thrilled! This is a beautiful location and the staff is amazing! We plan to return to this fantastic town in the future and we will definitely stay here.

We live only 2 miles from Goose Creek State Park and we absolutely love the park.. perfect place…read morefor us to ride our bicycles & take our little Chihuahua ( always on her leash)& walking the numerous trails..& the picnic areas are well maintained as are restrooms.. though we haven't utilized the campground area they definitely appear awesome, the cabins are very nice( our grandchildren have stayed there several times.,,

**RV SITE REVIEW** A…read morecouple weeks back me and my dad camped for one night at Goose Creek State Park, and we stayed at RV site #20. This RV site was fantastic. All of the sites were flat (which is what you want), and offered plenty of privacy (The sites were very spacious from one another). All RV sites consist of 30 and 50 amp hookups, as well as a connection to fresh water, and a sewage pipe. The bath house was new and clean. It was modern on the inside, offered hot water (even in 20 degrees), and was well taken care of. The camp host does a great job at taking care of this site. I would highly recommend that you stay/visit Goose Creek when you can. It is a great hidden spot that offers a wide array of trails and activities.

The actual address is 1037 Salter Path Rd…read more A small 15 car parking lot with changing area and outdoor showers. Rather secluded and completely empty when I went there at around 6pm mid August Friday evening. I believe there are 2 areas for a small picnic and grill as well. Make your way up the wooden walkway and in a minute you get to the ocean, beach wide open for you after taking the steps down. There are shells everywhere washed up on shore and tiny little crabs burying into the sand. Only been there once but the waves were rather large that day, not good for kids. Could be different on other days, but were far stronger than at the Pier on emerald Isle.

This beach access is a wonderful spot. There are several picnic tables available, so, even if you…read moreare not going to the beach, it is a nice place to stop by. There is a grove of Live Oak here that are gorgeous. Again - even if you are not going to the beach it is worth it to stop and see the trees. There is plenty of parking here and the services are kept up. The place is kept neat and clean. There are bathrooms here as well. I enjoy the outdoor showers as we can get showered off and clean off our equipment after coming in from the ocean before getting back into the car. The walk to the ocean is a dream across a well built and properly maintained wooden walkway. It cuts directly through myrtle and yaupon stands so you can see inside that incredibly interesting biome. It is a unique and wonderful experience for birdwatchers and artists. The walkway continues to rise above the dunes and the view of how a barrier looks in pristine state is received. Wonderful! The walkway continues down to the beach. There are stairs that lead down to the shore. Though it is difficult getting a wheelchair down there is a small deck at the top where, with umbrellas or other means, the view and breezes could be enjoyed. The beach itself is a great place to visit. The waters are clear. There is no lifeguard here so all caution should be taken. Riptides and occasional sharks occur here. At high tide the two 'shelves' that are close in will be obscured, so be careful. During turtle breeding season there may be nests near this location. I love to observe them even if I am not there during hatching. Shorebirds sometimes abound and porpoises, dolphins and even whales may be seen!

You know that sleepy little New Bern is changing when they get a stand up paddleboarding business…read moredowntown. But with both the Trent and the Neuse Rivers, as well as numerous creeks, it makes perfect sense. My family and I rented a paddleboard from Stand Up Outfitters this past weekend. It listed on their website that they had three types for rent, but when we got there they only had one. This is by no means a problem since we were just tooling around on the Neuse but a testament to the store's popularity. The price was ridiculously affordable and they offered to pick it up at my father in law's house. The owner even offered to let us borrow pfd's since you need to have one on your board in NC. We had a great time and look forward to renting from them again.

Can't rave enough about this place and the folks who run it. They stayed open late when traffic…read morekept me from making it before closing, then spent extra time filling me in about surf spots to explore. I'd recommend their expertise and company to anyone who loves the water! Oh, and their gear was both reasonably priced and excellently displayed. Rad shop, good people!

We rented chairs and umbrellas from Grants for the first time this year (July 2019) and it was a…read moreGREAT decision. Grant and his crew are terrific -- very friendly and punctual. Everything is set up and waiting for us in the morning. The umbrellas NEVER pull loose or blow away (a problem in past years with our own umbrellas). The chairs are very comfortable -- adjustable and with foot rests. Well worth the price. Will definitely use Grants for future visits.

For a brand new company, grant did a great job. He was always punctual, accommodating, and the…read morechairs were new. It was great to have them up at 9 and down at 7, without having to lug them back and forth. It was a small luxury that made a wonderful addition to our days on the beach.

Captain Tony took me, my son and Grandson on a personal tour I will never forget. It was a personal…read moreexperience to close an important chapter in my life. I am from Maryland visiting my son. If you wsnt a scenic personal tour, Captain Tony is the man with his company to call.

My family has booked a tour each summer for the last three years and each time is fun, easy, and…read moregeared to our interests. We love to go shelling and both Captain Jess and Captain Tony work hard so we have a great experience. The communication about the tour, what to expect, what to pack, where to meet, etc. is all clearly communicated ahead of time. The day before the tour the Captain calls to touch base and work out the final details. All you have to do is show up and enjoy the experience.

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.