North Carolina southern beaches guide: Where to stay, play and eat along the coast

Southern beaches. The phrase itself conjures the tinkle of iced tea in a glass and a twinge of sunburn on the nose.

The stretch from Topsail Island to Sunset Beach holds the final 90 miles or so of North Carolina’s relatively subdued beach communities before you’re blinded by the gaudy excess of Myrtle Beach. Nothing against the Gay Dolphin, but in Carolina Beach, south of Wilmington, you can often see real dolphins in the late afternoon swimming parallel to shore.

Here is some other cool stuff.

Where to stay: North Carolina beaches

Like other N.C. beaches, this region has a mix of accommodations: rental homes and condos, hotels, motels, campgrounds and even some glamping.

A dozen real estate companies offer help with rentals on Topsail Island, and Wrightsville Beach’s digital visitor’s guide lists realty companies operating there. The travel bureau for Carolina and Kure beaches and Fort Fisher, marketed together as Pleasure Island, lists hotels, motels and rental companies together on its website. Brunswick County’s travel authority’s site lists companies that help with vacation rentals on Oak Island, Holden Beach, Caswell Beach, Bald Head Island, Ocean Isle and Sunset Beach.

Camping on NC’s southern coast

▪ RV camping: There are several RV parks and campgrounds in the area, most of them on the mainland but a short drive from the beach. If you camp and plan to drive to an island to spend the day on the sand, know that Topsail Island has a large public parking area near the beach, and Wrightsville Beach has parking near Johnnie Mercer’s Pier and at several state-owned access areas on the island. Carolina Beach and Fort Fisher each have large public parking areas, and Oak Island is friendly to day-trippers.

Holden Beach has very limited public parking and aggressively enforces limits with onerous fines.

▪ More camping — and glamping — at the beach: Holden Beach is a long way from Kenya, but three canvas glamping tents offered through Holden Beach RV Campground bring the safari seaside. The units have some solar power, but if you’re heat-sensitive, you’ll enjoy these more in spring or fall.

Several other campgrounds also have survived the increasing development near southern N.C. beaches: Surf City Family Campground, Blackbeard’s Treasure Campground and The Inlet at Lanier Point, all in the Topsail Island vicinity; KOA Holiday in Wilmington; Winner’s RV Park and Carolina Beach State Park in Carolina Beach; Southport RV Park, Woodside RV & Trailer Park and Oak Island Campground, all near Southport; and Brunswick Beaches Campground near Sunset Beach, which has tent and RV sites as well as cabins.

NC coast: historic hotels, motels and inns

Salt air, heavy tourist traffic and the occasional hurricane all are hard on buildings near the beach, but some great relics still welcome visitors who value charm over contemporary conveniences.

• Loggerhead Inn & Suites, Surf City: A refurbished 1950s motor court

• The Joy Lee Apartments, Carolina Beach: one- and two-bedroom units built in the 1940s, with enough of their Art Deco and Moderne styles to qualify for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.

• The Inn at Southport: The flavor of a 1950s motor court but without the “dusty duvets or awkward breakfast with strangers.”

Popular hotels and motels at the beach

Topsail Island:

• Saltwater Suites: Surf City

• Island Inn: Surf City

Wrightsville Beach:

• Blockade Runner: with views of the ocean and the sound since 1964

• Summer Sands Suites: dog-friendly with a saltwater pool

• Shell Island Resort: oceanfront suites

• Silver Gull Motel: oceanfront next to Johnnie Mercer’s pier

Carolina Beach:

• Hampton Inn & Suites

• Courtyard by Marriott

• Golden Sands

• Starlite Inn

• SeaWitch Inn

• Dry Dock Inn

Kure Beach

• Admiral’s Quarters

• Sand Dunes

Oak Island

• Oak Island Inn

• Captain’s Cove Motel

• Anchor Inn Motel

Holden Beach

• Gray Gull Motel

Ocean Isle

• Ocean Isle Inn

• Islander Inn

Sunset Beach

• Continental Motel & Apartments

• Sunset Inn

Where to eat & drink at the beach: The best seafood, breakfast, bars

Surf City

• Maine Lobstah Shack: lobster rolls, bisque

• Hot Diggity Dogz: hot dogs with crazy toppings

• Shaka Taco: fresh casual Mexcian

• Margarita’s Mexican Grill & Cantina

• Diver Surfside Cafe,: breakfast, smoothies, açaí bowls

• Baba’s Mediterranean Grill: gyros, kebabs

• New York Corner Deli

• Daily Grind coffee

• Nautical bowls

• Napoli Cafe: organic coffee, croissants, bagels, subs

• Beauchaine’s 211: eclectic seafood, steaks, desserts

Wrightsville Beach:

• Oceanic: seafood overlooking the sea

• King Neptune: pirate-theamed seafood

• Flying Machine: beer, drinks, burgers

• Tower 7 Baja Mexican Grill: fish tacos

• Trolly Stop: hot dogs

• Johnnie Mercer’s Pier: hot dogs

• Fish House Grill: drinks and seafood with outdoor seating on the waterway

• Jerry’s Food: Wine & Spirits, seafood that goes beyond breaded and fried

Carolina Beach

• Cape Fear Boil Co.: low-country style seafood boil, peel-and-eat shrimp

• Soul Flavor: seafood, steaks, comfort food

• Sea Witch Cafe & Tiki Bar: seafood, live music

• Lake Park Steakhouse

• Nollie’s Taco Joint: southern-California-style nachos and tacos

• Michael’s Seafood Restaurant: fried and boiled seafood, good clam chowder

• Kate’s Pancake House: Breakfast. Get up and go early.

• Celtic Creamery: homemade ice cream

• Britt’s Donuts: on the boardwalk, just look for the line and get in it.

Kure Beach

• Big Daddy’s: Calabash-style seafood

• Jack Mackerel’s Island Grill: American fare and seafood

• Beach House Burgers

Southport

• Provision Co.: waterfront seafood, boating supplies

• Edgewater 122: waterfront seafood

• Fishy Fishy: seafood served dockside

• Moore Street Oyster Bar: downtown pub

• Mr. P’s Bistro: low-country seafood

• Dry Street Pub: pizza

Oak Island

• Little Bit’s Grill: burgers and sandwiches

• Old Bridge Diner: local favorite for breakfast and burgers

• Cape Fear Boil Co.

• Salt 64: steaks, seafood, pasta

Holden Beach

• Mermaid Island Grill: Try the spicy fried shrimp on the top deck.

• Castaways Raw Bar & Grill: seafood and live music

• Mankins Causeway Cafe: burgers

• Sunset Slush: Italian ice in fun flavors to custom-mix. Worth the brain freeze.

Ocean Isle

• Seabreeze Bar and Restaurant: seafood lunch on the waterway. Open for dinner Friday night only.

• Sharky’s: seafood on the Intracoastal Waterway

• Sugar Shack: Jamaican

• Drift Coffee Shop

Sunset Beach

• La Cucina Italian: on the mainland nearby

• Beach House Cafe: sandwiches on the mainland

• Fibber McGees: Irish-style tavern, on mainland

What to do

Topsail Island

• South End Adventures and other charter companies are available for full- and half-day fishing trips.

• Fish from the Surf City Pier, built in 1948 and rebuilt in 1997 after getting clobbered by Hurricane Fran. Or just walk out on it and see what’s biting.

• Visit the Karen Beasley Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center.

• The Missles and More Museum tells the island’s interesting military history and explains those square concrete bunkers you see around.

• Stroll the boardwalk and fishing pier at Soundside Park, which also has a launch for kayaks and paddle boards.

Wrightsville Beach

• Catch a boat to Masonboro Island and Reserve, the largest undeveloped barrier island in the area. Full- and half-day adventures to the island can be arranged through Epic Excursions, Wrightsville Beach Scenic Tours and Soundside Adventures.

• Rent or bring a bike and explore the island at low speed via the local greenway.

• Take your family (up to six people) on a sunset cruise.

• Learn to surf, sail, or paddle.

Carolina Beach

• Visit the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher.

• Rent a jet ski.

• Hike through Carolina Beach State Park, which also has a PaddleNC concession for excursions onto the Cape Fear River.

• Catch the fireworks on the boardwalk on certain nights through the summer.

• Play video games at the Carolina Beach Arcade, on the boardwalk.

Kure Beach

• Catch live music in the Ocean Front Park next to the Kure Beach Pier every first and third Sunday through October.

Oak Island

• Stroll one of the island’s two piers: Ocean Crest and Oak Island.

• See the island by bike, using a rental from one of several local services.

• Go fishing with one of several guides such as Capt. Wally Trayah of Oak Island Fishing Charters.

Ocean Isle

• Meet a live sea urchin at the Museum of Coastal Carolina.

Sunset Beach

• Catch a light show at Ingram Planetarium.