The vibe here is small town, but popular beach scene that seems to attract a very homogenous crowd…read more People are nice. Everyone speaks to you. The beach is clean. There is a north pier (Johnny Mercer's Fishing Pier) and a south pier (Crystal Pier). Very walkable. Everything you'd expect in a beach town--hotels, ice cream shop, souvenirs, casual restaurants. It was also pretty easy to navigate when I stopped in for a day visit at the end of the season.

Beautiful beach right outside of Wilmington. Beautiful beaches, lots of shells, and beautifully…read moreclear aqua colored water. We sat near one of the piers so public bathrooms were a short walk away. Can't think of a nicer beach, central to Wilmington and UNCW.

No free parking anywhere…read more Instantly got a ticket. Tried to pay on app which failed. Oak Island escalated the ticket to $50. Still trying to resolve. Better choose a more visitor friendly community.

Beautiful beach with great views, a place to just chill out and take it all in…read more Awesome ocean view with beautiful beaches.

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 love sandy beaches and this one's my favorite…read more Sunset Beach is quiet, serene and home to my beloved 'Kindred Spirits mailbox', Wind Phone(Google it, you won't be disappointed) & Bird Island Preserve. One of the cleanest beaches I've been to, it's great for beach combing. The kid in you would rejoice if you love shells :) Important: There are no lifeguards on duty so please don't stay late after sunset. Although it can get extremely chilly and windy during cold seasons, it is a must-visit for people of all ages, especially families with kids. Free parking is limited and sometimes impossible to find during peak seasons so recommend going there early.

While I love the beach at Sunset, and the general quiet nature of the town, they are a predatory…read moretown. Their sheriff and parking enforcement is ridiculous. Clearly they make a lot of money on fines. For example, I got a parking ticket when I was parked in a public parking spot at the south end of the island. If there was signage, it was not clear. But fine, I guess I missed the signage and so be it. But now take a look at their parking violation. $25 - IF I pay it same day. I didn't even notice the violation on my window until the next day. So now I just paid $50. After 3 days, they Jack it up to $75. After one week it quadruples to $100. This is just shameful and disgraceful and I hope the town of Sunset NC lives to regret being so petty. Everything on and around the island is already pricey so I suppose the Sheriff and parking folks feel quite entitled. Get your act together Sunset and stop ripping people off you power and money hungry fascists.

This beach has become my favorite east coast beach. My family and I were here in late November thru…read moremid December and visited this beach almost everyday while we stayed at the Inns. The beach is a short drive from the Inns. The beach is very clean and the beach is beautiful to walk during low tide. During the weekdays we had the beach to ourselves for the most part. There are plenty of parking spaces during the winter time. The weekend definitely had more foot traffic but we had a weekend that was in the 70s. It was so lovely to walk up and down this beach. The sand is great for walking even with shoes on. I look forward to coming back during warmer months in the future. The views here are so calming and peaceful.

On the beach at Camp Lejeune two bath houses great for finding shark teeth, big ways for the family…read moreto play in

Came here decades ago, and it was growing. Nowadays it is pretty well filled in with houses. And…read moreit's mostly houses- a few shops and restaurants by the water tower, but you probably want to head up to Surf City for that, especially in the off season. Which is when we were here this time, for a family gathering. And Topsail Beach is fine for that. Quiet, with the beach along one side and the sound on the other. Always steps from the water. I would definitely come back. In season there are museums, mini golf, turtle rescue place, etc. And more restaurants open.

such a quiet beach town compared to wrightsville or carolina beach. they do have free parking as…read morewell! you can park at the access points or in the grass. there'll be signs that say "Park in the same direction"

Skip Carolina Beach $50 parking and drive 3 miles south to Kure parking is $20 per day. Closest…read moreparking directions type in GPS 'Hi-Tech Arcade'. Pro tip: drive another south 3 miles to the NC aquarium there's free parking and access to the beach @ Fort Fisher State Recreation Area

I loved Kure Beach! It was worth the 730am wake up and nearly 3 hour drive to get there. LOL…read more If need be, there's an area to get beverages, use the restroom, change and shower. I didn't see any restaurants or stores anywhere within walking distance, but if you're willing to take a drive, you'll find quite a bit of options for food. It looks your typical quaint beach town. My friends from Durham and Charlotte have their fav restaurants around the beach. It's definitely a wonderful place to visit.

Visiting from New York and was in search of a local beach near Jacksonville. My online research…read morelead me to North Top Sail just under 30 minutes from Jacksonville. I love that we were able to pull up and hop out right on the beach. No long walk distances from Parking like at Jones Beach and Long Beach in New York. This beach was the perfect getaway during the 90 degree evening. This was my first visit to a beach in North Carolina since my mother relocated here from South Carolina. This beach was very clean and comfortable. Very scenic with beautiful beach homes on the sand and lovely green landscape. I also love that it wasn't a long distance drive to paradise. I can imagine during the day the parking lot can fill up quickly due to there being no real lot rather just spaces to park.

I loved coming to North Topsail and looking for shark teeth. I believe my record for 1 day was…read moreabout 75 teeth. The beach is not very commercialized, which I enjoy. The water is cold and rough, and there are sharks... but you're going to have sharks anywhere there is salt water. Just saying. Beautiful sunrises and beautiful sunsets! We even had our engagement photos taken here.

Free parking, short walk (with stairs over dunes), and has a bathroom and rinse area. Limited…read moreparking but a great spot to park for your beach day.

Tourisms description - Located on SR 1568, sound side, 4 miles north of North Topsail Beach…read morehigh-rise bridge. Features a ramp and walkway to the ocean, restrooms, showers, and a gravel parking lot for 30 vehicles on about 1 acre. My description - Easy access to a clean beach with fine white sand. Has both handicap parking and is easily handicap or physically challenged accessible. Fun for sun bathing, building sandcastles, strolling the beach , checking out/collecting washed up shells and petrified shark teeth, enjoying the coastal outdoors. I've never been here in the summer during tourist season but treasure my Fall trips to an almost vacant beach.