Growing up in the smack middle of NC my family always went to Myrtle Beach and it wasn’t until I met Scott that I really started to experience NC beaches. We’ve been to Atlantic Beach, the Outer Banks, Carolina Beach and most recently we were lucky enough to stay at our neighbor’s family’s house in Kure Beach. Since Carolina Beach and Kure Beach are right beside each other I’ll talk about them together.
I’ll highlight some of the things we enjoyed and that I recommend (besides the beach of course because I am one of those people who could sit on the beach all day!!).
Dinner at Michael’s Seafood. I am not a big fan of shellfish but everyone in my family raved about the award winning chowder! Also, if you need to kill time while waiting for dinner they’re located in a little strip shopping center with a candy store–great for the kids and a craft beer and wine bar (Island Beverage)–great for the adults.
Make sure to make time for a trip to Squigley’s Ice Cream! Do not be turned off by the long line it moves pretty fast and make sure to get squiggled 🙂
The aquarium at Fort Fisher is definitely worth a trip and it’s worth noting that they require an online ticket reservation (but tickets can be purchased the day of if available online). While you are on that end of the beach drive past the aquarium to the end of the fort fisher recreation area to see the best sunset.
Also, worth checking out is the ferry ride from Fort Fisher to Southport. Southport is a super cute small town that is easy to explore for an afternoon. If you’re hungry while in Southport I recommend Fishy Fishy Cafe, but there are lots of places to choose from. It’s also possible to drive from Carolina Beach area to Southport and check out Wilmington along the way.
You can also drive over and check out Wrightsville Beach area which we did on our prior trip to Carolina Beach.