To Do in and Around Carolina Beach, North Carolina Off Season
Earlier this year my boyfriend and I decided to take advantage of our continued work-from-home status and go somewhere south for a month. We settled on Carolina Beach since it’s drivable (9 hours from Jersey City, NJ), on the beach, and we found a good deal on a nice Airbnb condo.
Located just south of Wilmington, we knew there would be plenty to do and see in Carolina Beach, even in the off season. Although it was winter and a handful of businesses were closed, there were enough open, plus we enjoyed the lack of crowds, especially with COVID still a concern.
Here’s what we did in and around Carolina Beach, North Carolina in February and March. In case you missed it, here’s where we ate and drink in Carolina Beach.
As always, scroll down for a map of all the places we visited!
To Do
Carolina Beach State Park
There are lots of hiking trails to be found in Carolina Beach State Park. Take a look at the trail map and decide what you’re in the mood for. There’s also a campground within the park.
Carolina Beach Lake Park
We stayed right across the street from the Carolina Beach Lake Park, with a perfect view from our balcony. The clean and quiet path around the lake is just under three-quarters of a mile, making for a nice morning or evening walk of a lap (or a few). The sunset over the lake is unreal. There are a couple gazebos, benches, a playground, and public restrooms (although I don’t know if they’re open in the off season). We were told that during the season you can find a farmers’ market, outdoor movies, paddle boat rentals, and more fun events happening at the lake.
Beach
The beaches here are amazing! Even the walk up to the beach is incredibly picturesque with grassy dunes flanking wooden stairs (think Dawson’s Creek and One Tree Hill, both filmed down in the area!). The beach itself is deep, with plenty of room to set up your chairs and blankets. Given the time of year we were there, there were no lifeguards and not many people swimming, but there were lots of surfers and plenty of people sitting on the beach or going for long walks. I went on beach walks almost daily, which felt like a luxurious way to start my work days. The beach goes on for miles, with entrances every couple of blocks.
Carolina Beach Boardwalk
The small boardwalk has restaurants with outdoor seating, ice cream, souvenir shops, an arcade, mini golf, swinging benches overlooking the beach, and more.
Murals
Carolina Beach has lots of beautiful murals around town painted by talented artists. Look out for them when walking around, or find out more details through the Carolina Beach Mural Project.
Kure homes (in Kure, North Carolina)
Take a drive south towards the end of the island and you’ll know you’re in Kure by the beautiful colorful houses! It makes for a fun little drive. In the meantime, check out the reel I made highlighting some of the homes.
Visit Southport, North Carolina
One day we drove south to the very end of the island and got on the Fort Fisher Ferry to Southport, North Carolina. A friendly local tipped us off that town is not very close once you get off the ferry in Southport, so taking a car (or bikes) on the ferry is recommended!
Once off the ferry we drove into town, parked, and walked around, wandering in and out of stores and reading about the local history on plaques. We ate lunch on the water at Frying Pan (Provision Company was also highly recommended), followed by ice cream at Flava’s next door. We walked along the water through the cute fishing village and ended up on the marsh walk before heading back to catch the ferry.
Additional Recommendations
These were also recommended by friends and other blogs, but we didn’t get to them.
To Do
North Carolina Aquarium (Fort Fisher)
Axe throwing
Disc golf
Mini golf
Provision Company (Southport, SC)
Visiting Carolina Beach and Wilmington, NC - Map View
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