Great small park with a pier to enjoy the intercoastal waters. You must park and walk down to it…read moreand it gets kinda crowded at times especially during a nice sunset. Most of the time you'll probably have it to yourself though. Just head to the very northern end of OIB to find it. It's great place to sit and relax with a book if you need a change from the beach, just bring a chair with you. Overall a great hidden gem of OIB.

Great park! Lots of courts for tennis and pickleball. I checked out the dog parks. One for small…read moreand large dogs. And I found a nice area to throw the ball deep for the pooch which he loved. This park well Maintained and clean. This is a beautiful park with many options.

If you've just had more than enough beach, or perhaps you live here and are looking for something…read moreelse to occupy the kids, Ocean Isle Beach Park. The park includes tennis and pickleball courts, baseball fields, an outdoor amphitheater, basketball and a huge soccer field. The playground looked like fun and I couldn't get a picture without including kids so that's not shared here. Lots of parking, lots of activities. [Review 13989 overall, 1311 of 2020, number 2629 in North Carolina.]

What a wonderful find while driving around after a great lunch. A calm and peaceful place where…read moreyou can watch the water and the wildlife, enjoy gentle breezes and relax in one of the many swings or benches located in the park. It is obvious that there are a lot of community volunteers that take a lot of pride in this park and make sure it is maintained. My wife said there were even fresh cut flowers in the ladies room. We ended up spending time here twice during our vacation at Myrtle Beach and I can't imagine ever coming this way again and not spending time here. The park has clean restrooms, a picnic pavilion and a playground area as well. It is popular with people for walking their dogs but it was never crowded with people or dogs when we were there. There is an observation walkway/dock over the water and a boat/fishing dock that rises and falls with the tide. There were a few fishermen using the dock as well as fishing from the Intracoastal Waterway bank each time we visited. There is a small parking lot with some additional parking nearby. There was plenty of parking when we visited.

First POTUS and hero of the Revolutionary War, George Washington resolved to tour the United…read moreStates. Part to observe the political climate and park to instill unity in the new country. He passed through here in 1791 and this official marker recalls that event. It reads, "Washington's Southern Tour. President Washington, on April 27, 1791, was a guest at the home of William Gause, Jr., which stood four miles south." Online there is more information, "After spending two nights in Wilmington, Washington made his way toward the South Carolina line in Brunswick County. On April 27, he was a breakfast guest in the home of William Gause Jr., about ten miles from the state line. The Gause house was located near Gause's Landing on the west and sound side of Shallotte Inlet. Gause was a war veteran, having lost a leg in the Revolution, and had served in the North Carolina House of Commons in 1778." Four miles south of the marker along Ocean Isle Beach Blvd is to the Intracoastal Waterway and is likely where "Gause Landing Creek" gets its name. [Review 13990 overall, 1312 of 2020, number 2630 in North Carolina.]

This lovely dog park no longer exists. The town dug it up and stores a garbage dumpster there, now…read more Nothing else.

This is a wonderful dog park. I know my dog enjoyed it very much. Shaded and places to sit.read more

Driving into this park is serene and tranquil. Lots of gorgeous nature trails and boardwalks on the…read moremarshes. Dog friendly, and lots of tables if you want to hang out. The park has many trail options and placards everywhere to inform you of what's there. Trees, birds, fish etc. There's a part filled with trees that have shells hanging on them. People write on the shells and hang them everywhere. If you a shell collector this is the place to be. It's charming and memorable here. Beautiful park!

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.

Bottom line: Holden Beach is one of those quiet beach getaway destinations to visit at the NC…read morecoast. Not too built up along the beach/island but not too far away from the things that you may need as well. Well maintained beaches/accesses/public areas. I've enjoyed my vacations here so far. The Deets: Well, to be honest, I'd really go with 4.5 stars here but hey, what's half a star between Yelpers, right? Plus, we can't use half stars in reviews...so.... For the last couple of summers we've had the opportunity to go to Holden Beach instead of/in addition to our annual beach destination of Ocean Isle Beach. With Holden Beach just east (feels like north) of OIB, we are still in fairly familiar territory for our NC beach vacations and we can hop over there to enjoy old favorites if we want. What I notice most about Holden Beach is it is very quiet and not a lot of traffic, especially on the eastern side of the island we have stayed at. Nice open beach area (running east-west and facing south) and not too built up on the island area itself makes for a good get-away-from-it-all spot. If you'd like lots of restaurants, shopping, water slide fun, etc. or just needs those groceries then just cross the bridge back over and it's right after crossing the bridge to the mainland, so it's convenient. There are a few restaurants on the island itself but for the most part, it's housing/lodging along the main beach road. They do have one "general store" for convenience on the island side but you will pay for that convenience, of course. The beaches, access areas, and most common areas I've seen are kept well maintained. If you want a nice quiet beach getaway on the southern NC coast, Holden Beach is a good place to consider visiting.

Novembers are lovely too, but bring your jacket. It's even less crowded that time of year.read more