The kids section was very nice. It had chairs for sitting on while you're reading and had a amazing…read morecollection of books! We were visiting from out of town. You can purchase a library card for $25. It lasts for a year. Totally worth it. They have discounts for in-state folks and for houses rented through some of the big rental companies.

A high quality and professional atmosphere in which to quietly read. Excellent internet access…read more Very kind and helpful staff. The community is lucky to have this resource.

A very clean and quiet space with lots of book options. It maybe not always have the popular and…read moretrendy books but it's great for finding news reads. They offer lots of free events and classes for everyone of all ages and the librarians are so polite and kind

TG for clean, air-conditioned public restrooms!! The librarians were friendly and accommodating. A…read moresmaller library but very popular despite its size. Thank you!

great selection of books and movies (all quote current)read more

Holden Beach Town Hall has an amazing staff, awesome volunteers and great public spaces. The new…read moreplayground is finished at Bridgeview Park, in time for the start of the 2026 season. Need a good beach read? Stop by Town Hall and take the elevator to the 2nd floor. Step out and into a little library. Hardcover fiction and Nonfiction fill up the front room, and paperbacks are around the corner to the right. It's run on the honor system, no ID cards necessary. Commissioner meetings take place the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 5:00 pm. Come by and meet the locals and their elected officials. Summer concerts happen Sunday evenings from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Hopefully the new concert stage will be ready!

All ye beach-lovers hearken, a nod to yesteryear when shores weren't crowded and folks all waved…read moreand said Hi. This is Holden and you're welcomed into the inner-circle. High-rise, amusement-park seekers keep driving South on 95. These aren't the beaches you're looking for. 6am-towel-placers relax; there's plenty of elbow and frisbee-throwing room for your whole group. Sparkly new condo communities are a few islands away; embrace the Holden 70s architecture sprinkled among the new. Here you'll talk with many who've been coming with their families for 20, 30, 40 years. It's easy to return to a place that feels like home. And despite small changes here and there, it still seems to stay the same. With 7+ miles of South-facing beachfront, you won't see the sun rise/set over the ocean, but that long stretch of wide sand presents never-ending chances to run/walk/stroll/play no matter the tide level. East or West of town center, you'll have peaceful views as you gaze from a porch or step across the dunes onto the beach. Stay second-row if you must, and there are good values to be had, but the magic is opening your door with only sand between you and the sea. Perennial local dining spots remain for those returning for decades, and you won't see any chains until you drive to Shallotte. A few newer additions help with the variety, but having a standalone beach house also means plenty of meals prepared oceanfront. Activities vary by the season, and we've only come in spring and summer, but enjoy three islands-worth of fireworks on holidays, sand sculpture contests, concerts (when we can again). Turtles love this place, so if you love turtles stop by. Not that we've seen one but apparently people have so it keeps the dream alive. Keep your porch lights off and don't dig big holes if you like not being visited by the turtle-protectors. Beach stores and Food Lion help with affordable provisions, or go even cheaper driving to the Shallotte Wal-Mart. New development: grocery pickup will give you hours back to stare at waves instead of staring at grocery shelves. Plenty of choices to fit your budget, believe me: from the high-roller looking for "sleeps 20 w/ pool, elevator, gold-plated trash bins" (not us) to "sleeps 6, roof, oceanfront" (us), and even that one A-frame on OBE that allegedly sleeps 4 but is kind of a tiny house on the beach. It gets a little crowded on weekends or holidays, or holiday weekends, but those morning and evening magic hours are indeed that. Even the crowds aren't crowdy, and always polite, with occasional child meltdowns when they've had enough of the beach or don't want to leave (take your pick). It's all endearing. In "less busy" times you'll feel like you just discovered this place and have it all to yourself until you see a couple or dog-walker interrupt the fantasy. And they'll probably wave. You'll wave back because this is a family beach. Even RVs have a home in the lot near town center, and there's plenty of paid parking if you're visiting from nearby. But it's best for those times when you are simply doing "beach living" with those you love. For us newbies it's only been 20 years, not in a row, but this year our neighbors were on year 39 straighSame story as ours: heard about it from a friend and kept coming back. Well consider us a friend, and now you've heard.

I felt serene and accomplished that I could find this mailbox tucked away in a part of the…read morebeautiful Sunset beach just like it was featured in the Nicholas Sparks book 'Every Breath'. It was on my bucket list for 5 years and I finally made it :) The walk to the mailbox from the 40th street was surely not a short one, roughly 3 miles to & fro but was worth it every minute. I went on a chilly December morning, so wasn't surrounded by a lot of folks which I sort of liked as it gave me some alone time with my thoughts. The abundance of shells everywhere on the sand made me a child once again, making me happily collect a whole lot of them as souvenirs. Finally the mailbox - Reading through countless pages of beautifully penned words by people who were there before me, gave me an undescribable connect to them. So many emotions - happiness, grief, thankfulness, separation among others. When I think about that spot, I could still hear the sounds of the waves crashing and a light, cool breeze blowing. It's a memory I'll cherish for years to come. You need to visit it at least once in your lifetime. It is definitely something being there. Note: Parking is very tight so try going early. And, the notebooks are archived at UNCW Archives @ Wilmington. Call them to read years of previous entries.

A bit of a walk but so worth it! Nothing better than a walk on the beach all to The Kindred Spirit…read moreMailbox. There is no sign or directions....just a mailbox on beach. A neat experience. Inside the mailbox you will find notebooks where you can write your own personal message. A message of your own can be whatever you like. A must see and do in my book. Facing the Sunset Beach Pier walk right about a mile or so. Walking the beach on the right high up on dune you will see a small hill of sand leading to the mailbox and a couple benches. Keep walking! You will find it.

Saw the viewing platform and water nearby, so turned over. Within an hour saw Spoonbills, White…read moreIbis, Wood Storks, and more! A great place to get away and enjoy Nature!! Even saw some turtles!

Odell Williamson: decorated US Army Pilot, politician, developer, guy with his name on a bridge…read more.. kind of a nice bridge as far as weather resistant bridges go but nothing remarkable unless this is your regular commute in which case it's probably a functionally fine replacement for the earlier crossing but so utterly useful and un-storied so as to have no real story except that of it's namesake and the means it replaced... and yet here it stands in all it's linear concrete splendor - rising the 65 mandatory feet dictated by the intracoastal waterway commissioners - depositing resident and visitor alike in front of the Ocean Isle Beach / Pier which is exactly the point of it.

This review is a tribute to the gateway of Ocean Isle Beach, NC...the Odell Williamson Bridge. The…read moregateway because it is the ONLY access on/from the island itself, so you cannot avoid it if you come to OIB and want to get to the beach front, period. The bridge itself is fairly modern, clean, and a nice welcome to all those coming to OIB for some fun and relaxation. It arches pretty high at the peak as so vessels can navigate through using the Intercoastal Waterway of which it passes over. It's the first thing you see coming onto the island and the last thing you pass coming off there when you finish your visit and head home. It's a tried and true symbol. Why 4 stars? Well, on Saturdays when people are heading onto the island for their check-ins, it just becomes a long parking lot most of the day! So many come to OIB to enjoy their vacation that it takes some time to get everyone onto the island and set to enjoy their week. The wait can be a excruciating one, actually. So sadly, it escapes full 5 star status just on that. Bottom line: Beloved gateway landmark for Ocean Isle Beach. Except for being a long parking lot on Saturdays as people come onto the isle, it's a beautiful thing to behold.

The Old Smithville Burying Ground is a beautiful old cemetery. Smithville was the original name of…read morethe town now named Southport. It is thought to be the oldest cemetery in Brunswick County. The oak trees and shrubs make this a peaceful place to wander and explore history. The gravesites go back to the 1700s and include Revolutionary War soldiers to those lost when a steamship sank to those working on the Cape Fear lost at sea to those that helped make Southport what it is today.