There’s no question that North Carolina is a beautiful state, home to stunning beaches and coastal towns. If you’re looking for the perfect beach to relax on this summer, you’ll want to check out our list of the top 7 best beaches in North Carolina. Based on ratings and reviews from various sources, these beaches offer something for everyone, from swimming and sunbathing to fishing and kayaking. So pack your sunscreen and head on down to one of these amazing seaside havens!
Best Beach in North Carolina
Carolina Beach Boardwalk
- Address: Carolina Beach Ave S, Carolina Beach, NC 28428, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (5545)
- Phone: +1 910-458-8434
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: Open 24 hoursTuesday: Open 24 hoursWednesday: Open 24 hoursThursday: Open 24 hoursFriday: Open 24 hoursSaturday: Open 24 hoursSunday: Open 24 hours
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Top 7 Most Beautiful Beaches in North Carolina
Carolina Beach State Park
- Address: 1010 State Park Rd, Carolina Beach, NC 28428, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (2845)
- Phone: +1 910-458-8206
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PMTuesday: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PMWednesday: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PMThursday: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PMFriday: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PMSaturday: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PMSunday: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Reviews:
Carolina Beach State Park is sure to impress with its numerous trails and offerings. The campsites are clean and private creating the perfect escape from life’s hustle and bustle. Getting out to the trails is easy with well marked signposts and color coded maps. There is some hiking through loose sand, so even though the trails are marked ‘easy’, those with mobility issues or who struggle with walking through loose sand may want to find other options (or stick to the fitness trail) for a nature trek. Be sure to pack your binoculars as there are ample birding opportunities on the Live Oak Loop as well!By Nicholas Whittington (a year ago)Great park with great trails! The visitors center is well kept and the staff is very knowledgeable of the park. There are also kayak rentals and a marina for boaters. Entry and parking is free. Make sure you are wearing mosquito repellent for your hike because there are a lot of them and they are ruthless. Sugarloaf trail is long, but very rewarding as you get to experience a little bit of all the features of the park.By Kevin McCuen (6 months ago)The park is absolutely beautiful with great trails and access to the Cape Fear river bank. The campsite was affordable. The bathrooms need a little bit more maintenance considering it was a holiday weekend. And perhaps not allow large campers with generators to camp out amongst people who pitched tents… otherwise clean campsites.By CinCoEnTodo (Cinthia Cotto) (8 months ago)I HIGHLY recommend visiting this park! We fell in love with the views here. It’s a charming little 2 mile or so walk round trip. We just stopped by and were so surprised to find this beautiful little beach! It’s a very easy walk and took us less than an hour but we also took a break to enjoy the views on the beach. We even came back and did it again during our trip. It’s a must see 🙂By Courtney Jones (11 months ago)Nice camp facilities. Friendly ranger at boat marina camp store. Beautiful quiet surroundings. Minutes bicycle ride
To the shore and civilization… Your missing out if you don’t plan a bucket list trip. Off-season is the most available and quiet time. November through mid-March. 72 F day on March 3, 2022.By Leif Rowles (11 months ago)
Freeman Park
- Address: 1800 Canal Dr, Carolina Beach, NC 28428, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (1963)
- Phone: +1 910-458-4614
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: Open 24 hoursTuesday: Open 24 hoursWednesday: Open 24 hoursThursday: Open 24 hoursFriday: Open 24 hoursSaturday: Open 24 hoursSunday: Open 24 hours
- Reviews:
Love coming out here with our jeep and dog, so relaxing and love the sounds of the ocean. We really enjoy the off season as it’s less crowded and peaceful. We aren’t campers but you can camp and have camp fires as well, fun to take a night drive and see/smell the firewood burning. Plus it’s fun to light up the beach with our different color halos, light bars and rock lights. It’s always busy and never know who or what you may see stuck….By Cindy G (2 months ago)Freeman Park is one of the best places in coastal NC for a sunrise. You’ll have to navigate through the parking lot of Jeeps on a summer day, but once you get through that first half mile of 4×4 accessible beach, you’re in for a treat with pristine white sands and the calming sounds of the ocean. Be sure to check out this place at low tide to find the best shells and widest beach as it tends to be quite narrow at high tide.By Nicholas Whittington (a year ago)Our family had a wonderful time here at the beach. The beach was clean and kids found shells offshore to play with. Since we went off-season, this place was not crowded as expected. This park allows driving any 4×4 vehicle on the beach and got the thrilling experience driving our 4×4 vehicle on the beach.By Mahalakshmi Yuvaraj (a year ago)What an amazing spot! My partner and I decided to set up camp here for a night when travelling through NC and we were not disappointed! The beach was beautiful and dog friendly! Camp fires are permitted in the camping area and to top it all off there were even dolphins swimming by!By B K (a year ago)Went with the family it was great not having to worry about parking or did we forget something in the jeep it was all there it was $50 for a day pass yes you can come and go as you please make sure you have a 4×4 vehicle not an option. We went during the day time and night time found lots of seashells and not crowded at all it was awesome!!!!!By Drew Henderson (6 months ago)
Fort Fisher State Recreation Area
- Address: 1000 Loggerhead Rd, Kure Beach, NC 28449, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.8 (1217)
Beech Mountain Ski Resort
- Address: 1007 Beech Mountain Pkwy, Beech Mountain, NC 28604, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 3.5 (934)
Seaforth Beach
- Address: 35°43’39.4″N 79°02′, W 2nd St, Pittsboro, NC 27312, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (602)
Atlantic Beach Town Park
- Address: 915 W Fort Macon Rd, Atlantic Beach, NC 28512, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (573)
Wrightsville Beach Park
- Address: 321 Causeway Dr, Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (432)
That’s it for our list of the best beaches in North Carolina! If you have any arguments or additional information, please leave a comment. We love to hear from our readers. And don’t forget to check out some of the other posts on our blog for more travel inspiration. Happy beachcombing!
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#1 Bring that cash money! Cash is king in these parts!
Loved people watching!
The carnival rides were a huge hit with the kids!
No to go orders. Unless you got that CASH.
The beach, they had live fireworks!
Crab hunting.
Did I mention the fun toddler rides!
Tons of places to spend that cash money!
Arcade
Donuts
Funnel cakes!
Oyster shots!
Then shake it all up on a carny ride!
Truly was memorable!
Interesting fact: the Carolina beach boardwalk was originally built in 1887 but the latest improvements/additions were finished in the early 2000’s which brought it up to its current 1/4 mile length.
My visit was on hot and lazy mid-July day. I traveled here on a Wednesday to avoid the weekend crowds but there were still a decent about of beach goers stretched out along the sands.
As a California transplant, I’m quite taken by North Carolina beaches. For one, the coastline is not nearly as developed as Southern California with stifling traffic and miles of concrete.
The eastern NC coastline is, by contrast, sparsely populated (Wilmington is the only “large” city) and is dotted with quaint, cozy little villages. Many, from my view, give almost a Caribbean vibe and feel, if that makes any sense.
Then there are the unique physical features such as the sand dunes and wide variety of marsh vegetation. And of course, the warm water! It was 81º in water here today compared to a chilly 65 in Santa Monica beach.
On the boardwalk, I particularly loved the shaded overlook that offered expansive views of the beach in all directions.
Also impressive was how clean the are is maintained, I didn’t see any litter along the path.
The only slight disappointment was that many of the cafes and eateries close after lunch and don’t reopen till around 4 of 5 pm for dinner.
In all, a great place to bring the family and spend a the day…
I had a wonderful time , it was so nice,sunny, & clean. The people was extremely helpful , friendly, & nice.
I’m disable & have to use a can because of mobility issues. I so fell too many times . So if you have these issues get a beach walker/ float device. All summer long on Thursday nights they have a live band & fireworks at gazebo.
Fun memories and fun times for family. If your looking to ride a lot of rides and not wait in line I highly recommend the ride bracelets on the weekends! Bathrooms at night needed attention. It is fun and crowded at night. Nice to cool off and hang out.
I love that this place has been ranked as one of the top 10 boardwalks in the country by Food & Wine magazine. We are just leaving after another fun family getaway. Our children loved the fair and rides when they were young and of course the beach is still a favorite. The boardwalk makes for a great walk along the beach if you don’t want to get your toes sandy. Would be great if it could be extended. Love the commemorative fish and the swing chairs the overlook the ocean. There are plenty of good options for casual beachfront dining and satisfying any sweet cravings.