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Best Beach near Wilmington

Here's what it's like living "down east": you can travel the world, play Pebble and Augusta, attend a Super Bowl with a sideline pass, date a super model/whatever, but tell somebody you've never been to Britt's Donuts at Carolina Beach and they'll look at you like you have 2 heads. Or better yet tell them you went one time and don't se what the big deal is and you might as well have insulted their mama.
 
Sunset Beach is small, family oriented. Fairly quiet. Easy drive to North Myrtle, Calabash.

I think one of its nicest features is adjacent Bird Island. It’s some sort of preserve or reserve—your government can do good things. It’s beautiful and natural. Much like Shackleford Banks or cape Lookout. Except smaller and easier to access—just walk from Sunset Beach.

Plus there’s the Kindred Spirit Mailbox.
 
DownEastDeac said:
Here's what it's like living "down east": you can travel the world, play Pebble and Augusta, attend a Super Bowl with a sideline pass, date a super model/whatever, but tell somebody you've never been to Britt's Donuts at Carolina Beach and they'll look at you like you have 2 heads. Or better yet tell them you went one time and don't se what the big deal is and you might as well have insulted their mama.
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I've had Britt's for the first time recently. I've seen the light.
 
Deac65 said:
Carolina Beach is the place, easy in and out and once you get there you never have to leave the island. Good mix of resort with a lot of people that live there. What they have done there in the last 10 years is amazing.
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Agreed. We were just there last week for a day on our way to just south of Myrtle Beach and each time we go there, it seems to grow and get better. We also drove on the beach (Sun Fun Rentals in Carolina Beach) for the first time at Freeman Park and had a good time with that. We are big fans of the campground that we stay at during our vacation in South Carolina but Carolina Beach has certainly grown on us over the last few years.
 
Bumping this one back up.

Looking for a beach front house for a week in summer 2023. Something like 7-8 bedrooms. Will be two couples in their mid and late 20s, two couples (including wife and I ) in our late 30s, 2 kids (6 and 4), and the grandparents. Definitely want beach front. Want some amenities nearby (groceries, and at least a couple decent restaurants and bar or two). People will be driving from Atlanta, coastal Georgia, Raleigh, and I’ll be coming from Ohio. Who’s got a current recommendation?
 
Won’t let me edit, but obviously we don’t need 8 bedrooms. But 6+
 
tiltdeac said:
Bumping this one back up.

Looking for a beach front house for a week in summer 2023. Something like 7-8 bedrooms. Will be two couples in their mid and late 20s, two couples (including wife and I ) in our late 30s, 2 kids (6 and 4), and the grandparents. Definitely want beach front. Want some amenities nearby (groceries, and at least a couple decent restaurants and bar or two). People will be driving from Atlanta, coastal Georgia, Raleigh, and I’ll be coming from Ohio. Who’s got a current recommendation?
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You’re going to struggle to find that near Wilmington. I love Wrightsville, but that’s a big crown for WB. Might want to try Ocean Isle.
 
Emerald Isle. Trust me. If you want bang for the buck for a beachfront home with some size and amenities, that area has tons of options. Plus that end of the island checks all of the other boxes you mention. Just got home from a week down there at a rental on the beach for the kids’ spring break. Dog friendly house too. Check out Bluewater rentals.
 
Thanks guys. We are open to anything from Outer Banks down to Kiawah.
 
TripleDeacon said:
Emerald Isle. Trust me. If you want bang for the buck for a beachfront home with some size and amenities, that area has tons of options. Plus that end of the island checks all of the other boxes you mention. Just got home from a week down there at a rental on the beach for the kids’ spring break. Dog friendly house too. Check out Bluewater rentals.
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Second this. A lot of sound to kayak through and super bike friendly as well. When we go we pretty much park the car for the whole week and just bike everywhere.
 
Wrightsville has plenty of places that fit that mold I think. Maybe not oceanfront but certainly within a block.

If you're open to Kiawah you might also look at Seabrook and Edisto. Edisto is very quiet and isn't a lot of bars and restaurants - just another 15 min or so on the drive to Charleston though, compared to Kiawah.

Bald Head is also fantastic, but may not fit your entertainment needs.
 
DeacDiggler said:
Wrightsville has plenty of places that fit that mold I think. Maybe not oceanfront but certainly within a block.

If you're open to Kiawah you might also look at Seabrook and Edisto. Edisto is very quiet and isn't a lot of bars and restaurants - just another 15 min or so on the drive to Charleston though, compared to Kiawah.

Bald Head is also fantastic, but may not fit your entertainment needs.
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Bald Head should have all the requested amenities, and you won't have to drive a car to any of them..

groceries - check, decent selecition, a little pricier goods than on the mainland
at least a couple decent restaurants - check (delphina cantina which has sit-down tex-mex food but also takeout pizza, jules salty grub + lulus bbq, a few other small places that do breakfast food and/or icecream like sandpiper cafe)
a bar or two - check, will'o'wisp and jules (formerly mojos) both qualify I'd think in that regard
 
cookoutdeac said:
Bald Head should have all the requested amenities, and you won't have to drive a car to any of them..

groceries - check, decent selecition, a little pricier goods than on the mainland
at least a couple decent restaurants - check (delphina cantina which has sit-down tex-mex food but also takeout pizza, jules salty grub + lulus bbq, a few other small places that do breakfast food and/or icecream like sandpiper cafe)
a bar or two - check, will'o'wisp and jules (formerly mojos) both qualify I'd think in that regard
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I love BHI - I go to the beach to relax and chill (and fish a little), so it's perfect for me. It's not for everyone, though, and if you're the type that likes a lot of entertainment options you're going to be disappointed. I personally love the fact that it's a little inaccessible, but that's certainly a factor also. The biggest reason I suggested EI over BHI in this case was cost - if you are trying to rent a large house on the beach with lots of bedrooms and amenities, BHI is going to be much, much more expensive. Plus there just isn't a comparable volume of rental inventory on BHI so your options are limited to start with.
 
Yeah I was just browsing through some bald head stuff and it doesn't seem like there are a lot of bigger houses. Did find this one that looks pretty nice. https://www.vrbo.com/2118726?noDates=true&unitId=2683260

No pets though :(.

Maybe dumb question, is it not a pain to get all your crap out to the house, especially with kids and stuff, with no cars?
 
tiltdeac said:
Yeah I was just browsing through some bald head stuff and it doesn't seem like there are a lot of bigger houses. Did find this one that looks pretty nice. https://www.vrbo.com/2118726?noDates=true&unitId=2683260

No pets though :(.

Maybe dumb question, is it not a pain to get all your crap out to the house, especially with kids and stuff, with no cars?
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No, not really. You just pack like you're flying. I think the last time we went the rental company had a large, golf cart tram-like thing - they loaded up all our stuff into the cart and then dropped us off at our door.

You did made me think of another drawback of BHI (for me, anyway) - it's much more difficult to search for rental properties and see things like pricing without contacting the rental company and going through them with quotes and such. Contrast that with EI (at least with Bluewater) where everything is searchable and the pricing is transparent.

Oh, and there are plenty of huge houses on BHI, it's just that the folks that own them don't have to rent them out.
 
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