19 Best Things To Do In Carolina Beach

Carolina Beach is a fantastic place to travel to year-round. Every time we visit, we find there’s so much to do that it’s easy to fill up every day of a vacation here. Walking the boardwalk, hiking Carolina Beach State Park, or grabbing a donut at Britt’s are just a few of the ways to spend your time — and if you want more, Wilmington is just a short drive away.

We went to college in Wilmington and have family living on Pleasure Island, so we make our way back to the North Carolina coast every year. Whatever you decide to do on your trip, you’ll find something for the whole family here. Let’s get into our favorites.

Best Things To Do In Carolina Beach

Enjoy the Beach

Obviously, the best thing to do in Carolina Beach is enjoy the beach — it’s one of the best in North Carolina, with miles of coastline to explore. Our favorite time to go is September, after Labor Day, when the crowds thin out but the water is still warm.

Please pick up after yourself while you’re out there. Locals clean up trash left by tourists every morning, and it’s heartbreaking to watch people disregard someone’s home like that. Cigarette butts especially — they don’t disintegrate and they’re one of the most harmful things you can leave on the coast.

(If you’re headed to Kure Beach too, the best thing to do there is also just to hit the beach.)

Go Fishing

Make sure you have a license unless you’re fishing from a fee-charging pier or a licensed charter boat. Good options:

Surf fishing from the beach
Shore fishing in Snow’s Cut or Carolina Beach State Park
Deep-sea charters out of Carolina Beach or Wrightsville Beach
Casting off Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, or Johnnie Mercer’s Pier
Bringing your own boat

Play Disc Golf

One of the best things to do in Carolina Beach, full stop. All four local courses are free — you just need a disc ($10 at Outdoor Provisions, CB Surf, or Dick’s).

Good Hops Brewing, Carolina Beach: The most straightforward course, all par-3, and you can legally grab a craft beer on the property while you play. Even if you skip the disc golf, Good Hops (woman-owned, dog-friendly, indoor and outdoor seating) is a great spot to spend a spring or summer afternoon.
Joe Eakes Park, Kure Beach: My favorite — a full 18 holes through a coastal forest with sand fairways. Reliable weather, plenty of water nearby, but it gets windy.
Arrowhead Park: 18-hole par-3 with fun elevation changes.
North Regional Park, Castle Hayne: The best course in the area technically, 18 holes with challenging par 4s and 5s, though it turns to mud after rain.

Kayak Around Zeke’s Island

Zeke’s Island is an NC Coastal Reserve reachable only by shallow-water boat — a fantastic place to paddle and take in the coastal marshlands. Bird species like black-bellied plovers, white ibis, and great blue herons all show up here. There’s a boat ramp at Federal Point right next to the site.

Bring a cooler and some chairs. I wouldn’t recommend crossing the old Civil War wall out to the island itself — Cameron got caught out there once during a high tide, and it wasn’t a good day. His sister came away with 26 stitches in her knee from oyster shells.

Visit the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher

A real research center, not a tourist cash grab — one of 230 accredited members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Meet Luna, the rare albino alligator, and Maverick, a rescued bald eagle. The butterfly garden in spring and summer is worth the extra fee.

Have a Night Out at the Beach Bars

Carolina Beach nightlife feels more “beachy” to us than Wrightsville, where the college crowd hangs out — and it’s livelier than sleepy Kure Beach. Our regulars:

Fat Pelican — one of our favorite dive bars anywhere, not just Wilmington. Eclectic, packed with character, 21+, every walk of life.
Crush & Grind — craft beer and wine in a modern space; the owner also makes a great cold brew if you catch it in the morning.
Ocean Grill & Tiki Bar — hard to beat sitting on the remains of an old pier with a cold drink on a nice day. Pricey ($5+ cans, $12 cocktails), but worth it for the setting.
SeaWitch Tiki Bar — live music on weekends, big open courtyard, draws a crowd in summer.
The Last Resort — small spot right on Carolina Beach Ave, hard to miss.
Nollies Taco Joint — there isn’t much better bar food than tacos.

Hunt for a Venus Flytrap at Carolina Beach State Park

One of our favorite sunset spots on the island — we spent a month here in both 2018 and 2021 and were in the park most evenings. It’s also a good spot for shore fishing, launching a boat onto the Cape Fear River, or hiking through the woods on sandy trails good for trail running. Sugarloaf Dune is worth the detour for the view over the river.

The park is also one of the only places on Earth to see Venus flytraps growing wild. You might spot one from the trail if you’re looking — please don’t go tromping through the vegetation to find one.

Learn to Surf

The NC coast has genuinely good surfing conditions and draws a real crowd. You can rent a board and go it alone, or — what we’d actually recommend, since the ocean here isn’t a joke if you don’t know what you’re doing — book a lesson. Tony Silvagni Surf School has been the go-to on the island since 2008 (lessons, camps, and rentals of everything from boards to beach chairs).

Walk the Carolina Beach Boardwalk

One of the best boardwalks in America, and a great spot for the whole family — stroll it or catch a ride in summer. It used to feel a little rundown, but the area’s seen real revitalization in recent years, with new bars and restaurants opening right on the water.

Walk the Kure Beach Pier

A 10-minute drive past Carolina Beach down Fort Fisher Blvd. Kure Beach is quieter and more relaxing than Carolina Beach in general, and the pier is fun to walk day or night — there’s almost always someone fishing off it. No rod? You can rent one at the indoor facility before you head out.

Catch a Wilmington Sharks Game

An unlikely Carolina Beach attraction since it’s about 20 minutes away, but a memorable one if your trip lines up. The Carolinas don’t have an MLB team, but the Sharks play collegiate summer ball at Legion Stadium. Thirsty Thursdays are the move — $1 draft beers (bring a designated driver).

Take a Boat to Masonboro Island

State-protected and totally undeveloped — one of the last places around here to experience an untouched coast. The mouth of the Cape Fear River is one of the most biodiverse spots on the entire East Coast. You’ll need a boat, kayak, or canoe to get there, and you’ll want to time the tides right if you’re bringing your own.

Eat a Britt’s Donut

Everyone who lives in Wilmington raves about Britt’s Donuts, and it’s earned: a perfected glazed donut, coffee, and milk — that’s the whole menu. Expect a line in summer, and don’t bring a credit card; they’re old school. For something different, Wake N’ Bake Donuts down the road does original flavors and decent coffee.

Ride the Sea Legs Pedal Tour

A pedal-powered bar crawl out on the water — you pedal at your own pace (with a captain steering) while drinking, chatting, and taking in the views. Trips run 90 minutes, and you can bring your own booze. Time it for a Thursday night in summer for the two-hour fireworks cruise.

Rent a Beach Cruiser

Carolina-Beach-Things-to-do-in-Wilmington

There’s something iconic about cruising the island on a bike. Old Dow Road has a great bike path connecting Carolina Beach State Park to the boardwalk. Pleasure Island Rentals is the go-to (from about $15/day), or Tony Silvagni now rents beach cruisers and fat bikes too if you want to bundle it with a surf lesson. Regular cruisers aren’t built for sand — you’ll want a fat bike for that.

Day Trip to Southport

Southport sits where the Cape Fear River meets the Atlantic and was once named “America’s Happiest Seaside Town.” Cute shops, cute restaurants, and it’s shown up in a few movies going for that small-town-Southern-life look (I Know What You Did Last Summer, A Walk to Remember).

Don’t skip Provision Company for lunch — some of the best seafood in the area. Drive there, or take the more scenic route: the ferry from Fort Fisher.

Slurp Down Fresh Oysters

Shuckin’ Shack is a Carolina Beach institution and one of the best restaurants on the island — right on the main strip, usually a line out the door in summer. If you’re an oyster person, this is non-negotiable.

Beach Yoga with Salty Dog Yoga

Salty Dog is right in Carolina Beach and runs daily studio classes, but the real draw is that they take it to the beach almost every day, plus workshops and retreats. Check their schedule for what’s running while you’re in town.

Fort Fisher State Historic Site and Museum

Carolina Beach and the Wilmington area have lots of history and played essential parts throughout many wars. The largest land-sea battle of the Civil War was held at Fort Fisher. Now, you can see this historic battle site at the Fort Fisher State Museum near Kure Beach.

Carolina Beach’s Festival Calendar

Carolina Beach has a genuinely good festival calendar, anchored by the Carolina Beach Music Festival — the longest-running beach music festival in the country, still held right on the sand each June. Other regulars worth planning around:

January: Battle of Fort Fisher Anniversary Event, East Coast Shag Classic
June: Carolina Beach Music Festival
November: Cape Fear Kite Festival, Cape Fear Festival of Trees, Carolina Beach Wine & Beer Walk

Exact dates shift year to year, so double-check before you build a trip around one.

Where Is Carolina Beach?

Carolina Beach is a small town in southeastern North Carolina, part of the greater Wilmington metro but technically separate — you cross onto the “island” via the Snows Cut Bridge. It sits between the Cape Fear River to the west and the Atlantic to the east.

Just past Carolina Beach, Fort Fisher played a major role in the Civil War, keeping the port of Wilmington open to blockade runners supplying the Confederacy.

Best Restaurants in Carolina Beach

Freddie’s — technically in Kure Beach, but our favorite restaurant in the whole area. Small, intimate, reservations recommended — known for their pork chops.
Hang Ten Grill — easy, budget-friendly bar food. Get the shrimp burger.
Michael’s Seafood Restaurant — a line every night in summer for a reason: the best seafood on the island.
Shuckin’ Shack — see above.
Wake N’ Bake Donuts — a plethora of flavors and better coffee than you’d expect. Go early; once they’re out of a flavor, it’s gone for the day.

How to Get to Carolina Beach

Wilmington has its own small airport, ILM, with most flights connecting through Charlotte and a handful direct from Atlanta and Dallas. It’s easy to navigate and often no pricier than flying into Charlotte or Raleigh.

By car, you’ll likely come in on I-40, which starts (or ends) in Wilmington. Carolina Beach is about 2.5 hours from Raleigh, 3.5 from Charleston, 4 from Charlotte, and 1.5 to Myrtle Beach.

There’s not much public transit, so plan on a rental car — pick one up right at ILM. Once you’re actually on the island, though, it’s very walkable/bikeable, and a golf cart covers most of what you need. You’ll want a real vehicle for trips out to Kure Beach, Fort Fisher, Southport, or Oak Island.

Carolina Beach Weather

The busiest stretch — Memorial Day to Labor Day — isn’t necessarily the best time to visit. Expect 90°F+ with high humidity. We prefer the shoulder season: late April, May, September, and October, when it’s warm enough for the beach without the heat, and both crowds and prices drop.

September and October are our top pick — comfortable temperatures and warmer water than spring. The tradeoff is hurricane season; NC’s coast sees a major hurricane roughly every 3–4 years, and there’s no way to predict one ahead of time.