North Carolina Beach Vacations

North Carolina Beach Vacations Idea #1:Bald Head Island is a remote forested North Carolina beach resort with 14 miles of white sandy beaches. The island has three beach areas.

West Beach which is good for crabbing and clamming but not really suitable for swimming.

South Beach is the main resort beach with nice wide beach area and backed by large sand dunes that provide panoramic views of the island.

East beach is considered by many to be one of the best in the country. It is the best one for swimming and has excellent surfing. Adjacent to the beach is an 18-hole golf course sitting amidst the sand dunes, lagoons and the island forest. Also adjacent to the beach is a 200 acre maritime nature preserve. The island is accessible by ferry or other boat transportation.

North Carolina Beach Vacations Idea #2:Hammocks Beach State Park is located on Bear Island off the North Carolina coast near Swansboro. The beach here is known as a good "walking beach". It is pristine, beautiful and typically empty of tourists.

Explore the beach, forest and tidal pools and mudflats. The 3 mile long island is secluded and a great place to enjoy nature. There is primitive camping available the fishing is always good. There is a designated trail for canoes and kayaks to explore the island’s marshes. The sand dunes is a nesting area used by the huge loggerhead turtles when they come ashore to lay their eggs.

North Carolina Beach Vacations Idea #3:Cape Hatteras National Seashore is part of the narrow strip of barrier island in North Carolina that is known as the Outer Banks. It is controlled by the National Park Service and it is maintained in its natural undeveloped state.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore is 72 miles long so there are plenty of long stretches of beach and sand dunes that you can pretty much have all to yourself. These are excellent beaches for beachcombing. Cape Hatteras is a favorite vacation spot for fishing and boating. You can fish at the fishing piers and also you could charter a fishing boat for some ocean fishing.

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is near the Visitor Center at Cape Point. The lighthouse is open for visitors to climb up the 268 spiral stairs for a panoramic view. Cape Point is a very popular fishing spot because of the abundance of fish. Surfers go to the northern section of Cape Hatteras. Here the wave action makes it one of the best surfing spots on the East Coast.

North Carolina Beach Vacations Idea #4:North Carolina’s Cape Lookout National Seashore is the southern extension of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Like its northern neighbor Cape Lookout is a very narrow strip of barrier islands. It runs from the historic Portsmouth Village in the north down along the coast to Cape Lookout which is off shore from Morehead City. There are five main beaches - Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle, Indian Beach, Pine Knoll Shores, and Salter Path. All of these beaches are great for swimming, fishing, windsurfing, boating, sailing and whatever else you like to do on the water.

The Cape Lookout National Seashore is three miles off shore. It is accessible by ferry or you can take the one road in that runs from Harkers Island near Beaufort. This makes the beaches remote but also they are kept pristine and undeveloped. There are several historic places to visit on Cape Lookout and another interesting thing is the 100 or so wild horses that live there. Horse watching and also bird watching are popular activities.

North Carolina Beach Vacations Idea #5:Down on the southern part of North Carolina’s coast below Wilmington you will find Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Wilmington Beach and Kure Beach. This area, including Wilmington, is known as the Cape Fear Coast and it is a highly popular vacation spot. Over a stretch of about ten miles you can find just about anything you could want from a beach vacation.

Sea turtle watching, beach combing, small town restaurants, old-fashion ice cream shops, museums for children or for history buffs, an amusement park, nature trails, bike riding, boardwalks, deep sea fishing, river boat cruise, kayaking, sailing. Just below Kure Beach is the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher which is always a great trip for a family.

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