If you've spent your beach vacations at bigger, louder destinations along the East Coast and found yourself wishing for something a little more genuine, Pleasure Island has been waiting for you. Located just 20 minutes south of Wilmington on North Carolina's southern coast, Carolina Beach and Kure Beach sit together on a narrow barrier island that has somehow resisted the full force of commercial development without sacrificing any of the charm that makes a great beach town worth visiting.
The result is a destination that feels like the Gulf and Atlantic Coast used to feel before the resort towers and chain restaurants took over. The boardwalk is a real boardwalk. The seafood is genuinely local. The beaches are clean, uncrowded, and accessible. And the mix of natural attractions, history, and classic coastal fun gives families, couples, and solo travelers more than enough to fill a week without once feeling like they're checking boxes.
Why Visit Pleasure Island?
-73F3AC06-0404-480B-BFE2C342796B6304.jpg)
1. Walk the Carolina Beach Boardwalk
The Carolina Beach Boardwalk is one of a small number of old-fashioned wooden boardwalks still operating on the East Coast, and it earns its reputation. Budget Travel named it one of America's most awesome boardwalks, and on a warm summer evening it's not hard to see why. The boardwalk runs along the oceanfront with a Ferris wheel, carnival rides, arcade games, food vendors, and live music at the central gazebo creating a scene that feels like summer itself.
Every Thursday night throughout the summer, free fireworks launch at 9 p.m. as part of Fireworks by the Sea and Boardwalk Blast, which kicks off with live music at 6:30. It's a genuinely great evening out for families and costs nothing. Arrive before the music starts to snag a good spot and avoid the parking crunch that builds as showtime approaches.
2. Get a Bag of Britt's Donuts
This is non-negotiable. Britt's Donuts has been operating on the Carolina Beach Boardwalk since 1939, making it the oldest continuously running business on the boardwalk, and the menu has barely changed since Harvey Britt first opened the fryer. They make one thing: hot glazed donuts, made by hand from a tightly guarded recipe, served fresh and warm in a paper bag.
Garden and Gun named them one of the South's top five summer sweet spots. USA Today highlighted them specifically when ranking Carolina Beach's boardwalk among the best in the country for food. The line forms early on summer mornings and stretches long by midday. Bring cash, because Britt's is cash only. Order more than you think you need, eat them standing at the boardwalk rail while the ocean breeze comes in, and you'll understand why people have been coming back for generations.
3. Spend a Full Day on Carolina Beach
Carolina Beach offers wide, well-maintained shoreline with easy public access points, lifeguard stations on duty from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and enough space to spread out even during peak summer weekends. The water is warm, the waves are generally manageable for swimmers of all levels, and the proximity of the boardwalk means food and entertainment are never far when you're ready to take a break from the sand.
Early mornings are particularly good here. The beach is quieter before 10 a.m., the light is softer, and the water is often calmer before the afternoon wind picks up.
4. Explore Carolina Beach State Park
About a mile north of the boardwalk, Carolina Beach State Park covers more than 760 acres of maritime forest, wetlands, and Cape Fear River frontage that feels entirely removed from the beach town energy just down the road. The park is home to six hiking trails ranging from short interpretive walks to longer routes through distinct coastal ecosystems, and it's one of only a handful of places in the world where you can find the Venus flytrap growing wild in its native habitat.
The marina inside the park is a popular launch point for kayakers and paddleboarders heading out onto the Cape Fear River or into the quieter backwater areas nearby. Rangers lead guided programs throughout the summer for visitors who want context for what they're seeing. This is the kind of place that surprises people who only expected beach and boardwalk.
5. Visit the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher
Located near Kure Beach, the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher is one of three state-run aquariums on the North Carolina coast and consistently ranks as one of the top family attractions on Pleasure Island. The centerpiece is a 235,000-gallon ocean tank populated with sharks, sea turtles, stingrays, and a wide variety of native Atlantic species. Interactive exhibits let kids get hands-on with marine life in a way that holds attention well beyond a typical museum visit.
The aquarium also runs conservation programs focused on sea turtle rehabilitation and coastal ecosystem preservation. It's an ideal option when afternoon storms roll in, and it pairs naturally with a visit to Fort Fisher just down the road.
6. Walk Fort Fisher State Historic Site
Fort Fisher played a decisive role in the final months of the Civil War as the last major Confederate stronghold protecting the Port of Wilmington. Its fall in January 1865 effectively cut off the Confederacy's last supply line and accelerated the end of the war. The site preserves the massive earthwork fortifications that made the fort so formidable, and the museum inside provides solid historical context through artifacts, exhibits, and guided tour options.
It's worth combining with a visit to the aquarium next door, and the broader Fort Fisher State Recreation Area surrounding the site offers some of the most undeveloped and scenic beach access on the island.
7. Spend a Day at Kure Beach
Kure Beach sits just south of Carolina Beach and operates at a noticeably different pace. Smaller, quieter, and less trafficked than its neighbor, Kure Beach attracts visitors who want the ocean without the noise of a busy boardwalk nearby. The beach itself is well-maintained and genuinely uncrowded by most coastal standards, making it ideal for families with young children, couples looking for a low-key day, and anyone who finds peak-season Carolina Beach a bit much.
8. Fish at Kure Beach Pier
The Kure Beach Fishing Pier is one of the oldest on the entire Atlantic Coast, stretching more than 700 feet into the ocean from a spot that has been drawing anglers for well over a century. Common catches include flounder, red drum, king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, and bluefish depending on the season. Even if fishing isn't your thing, a walk to the end of the pier gives you a perspective on the coastline that you simply can't get from the beach.
The pier shop carries bait, tackle, and snacks, and the surrounding area near the pier is home to several of Kure Beach's best casual dining spots.
9. Eat Your Way Around Both Towns
Coastal North Carolina has a legitimate seafood tradition, and Pleasure Island gives you multiple ways to access it at every price point. Big Daddy's Restaurant in Kure Beach has been a local institution since 1970, with ocean views, a seasonal patio, and a menu built around fresh catch alongside steaks and American classics. Jack Mackerel's Island Grill brings Caribbean-influenced flavors to a two-level spot with an outdoor deck, blackened salmon, crab cakes, and a kids' menu that covers all the bases.
Shuckin' Shack Oyster Bar on the Carolina Beach side is a no-frills gathering spot with fresh oysters, seafood boils, and cold drinks that earns consistently strong reviews from locals and visitors alike. For breakfast, Ocean View Restaurant near the Kure Beach Pier serves home-style cooking with a menu that includes biscuits, omelets, fried chicken, and a breakfast charcuterie board worth ordering. Malama Cafe in Carolina Beach handles the smoothie-and-breakfast-bowl crowd well and is a reliable morning stop near the boardwalk.
For a more elevated dinner, Riverview Restaurant at the Blakeslee Recreation Area offers seasonally driven seafood sourced from local suppliers, riverfront views, and a porch that makes it one of the more memorable dining settings on the island.
10. Go Paddleboarding or Kayaking
The water around Pleasure Island offers two very different paddling experiences depending on which direction you head. The Gulf-facing beaches and tidal inlets produce dolphin sightings with surprising regularity, especially in the mornings. The marsh areas and quieter stretches along the Intracoastal Waterway are calmer and better for beginners, with enough wildlife to keep the experience interesting. The Carolina Beach State Park marina is one of the most convenient launch points on the island, and local outfitters rent equipment by the hour or the half-day.
11. Drive on Fort Fisher 4WD Beach
One of the more genuinely unique experiences on Pleasure Island is the four-wheel-drive beach access at Fort Fisher, where permit holders can drive directly onto the sand and set up wherever the beach takes them. It's popular with anglers, shell collectors, and families who want a private stretch of coast without walking half a mile from a parking lot. A permit and a vehicle with four-wheel drive are required. Check current regulations and permit requirements before your trip as seasonal rules apply.
12. Take a Sunset Cruise
Several operators run dolphin and sunset cruises along the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic coast from the marinas near Carolina Beach and Kure Beach. Evening trips reliably produce dolphin sightings as the animals feed in the calmer water after the heat of the day breaks. The light at golden hour on the water here is genuinely beautiful, and a two-hour cruise is one of those experiences that lands on everyone's highlight reel regardless of what else they did that week.
13. Surf or Take a Lesson
The waves at Carolina Beach are beginner-friendly without being flat, which makes the island a good place to try surfing for the first time or work on fundamentals. Tony Silvagni Surf School, run by an Olympic gold medalist, operates near the boardwalk and offers lessons that book up quickly in summer. Odysea Surf School provides another quality option. Equipment rentals are available from local surf shops near the boardwalk for anyone who already knows what they're doing.
14. Take a Bike Ride Around the Island
The island is flat, compact, and far more bike-friendly than most coastal destinations. A self-guided bike tour begins at the boardwalk and connects landmarks across Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, and Fort Fisher in a route that covers the island's range without requiring serious fitness. Pleasure Island Rentals rents bikes for families and individuals. The path around Carolina Beach Lake Park, two blocks from the ocean, is a nice short loop for families with younger kids who want something manageable.
15. Visit Freeman Park
Freeman Park is the northern tip of the island and one of the few remaining spots on the North Carolina coast where you can drive directly onto the beach, camp overnight with a permit, and access reliable surf fishing and shelling without crowds. It's a favorite among locals and experienced beach-goers who want something more rugged than the main beach access points. Permits are required for vehicles, camping, and fires. Plan ahead during peak summer months as capacity is limited.
16. go shelling
Kure Beach tends to produce better shelling conditions than Carolina Beach thanks to lower foot traffic and a shoreline that benefits from the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area's protected status nearby. Early mornings at low tide are consistently the best time. Common finds include whelks, sand dollars, scallop shells, and the occasional lettered olive. A tide chart app on your phone is worth consulting before you head out.
17. Catch a Summer Festival or Event
The Carolina Beach Music Festival is one of the signature events of the summer season, celebrating the beach music tradition that has been woven into the fabric of coastal North Carolina for decades. Weekly farmers markets bring local produce, crafts, and food vendors together in a setting that gives you a sense of the community beyond the tourist layer. The Thursday night fireworks series runs throughout the summer as a reliable weekly anchor for visitors building their itineraries around the boardwalk.
18. Watch the Sunrise
Atlantic-facing beaches produce some of the more spectacular sunrises on the East Coast, and Carolina Beach and Kure Beach both deliver on this without requiring you to navigate crowds or pay for a view. Set an alarm, walk to the beach, and arrive ten minutes before the published sunrise time. The beach will be nearly empty, the temperature will be comfortable, and you'll have the kind of morning that makes you wonder why you ever slept past dawn on a beach trip.
19. Take a Day Trip to Wilmington
Wilmington sits 20 minutes north of Pleasure Island and offers everything the island doesn't, which is to say a full historic downtown with independent restaurants, boutique shopping along the riverwalk, nightlife, live music venues, and the kind of walkable urban energy that makes a half-day trip feel like a genuine change of pace. The Cape Fear River runs alongside downtown and the waterfront is well-developed for strolling, dining, and people-watching. It's a natural complement to a week on the island and easy enough to do without a full day commitment.
20. Book a Deep-Sea Fishing Charter18. Watch a Sunrise or Sunset
-313D0BC0-7DD1-468F-B61C279953A10B3C.jpg)
Deep-sea fishing off the coast of Pleasure Island puts anglers within reach of mahi-mahi, wahoo, tuna, and marlin depending on the season, and several reputable charter operators run out of the marinas near Carolina Beach and Kure Beach. For something closer to shore, surf fishing along the open beach and pier fishing from Kure Beach Pier both produce solid catches without requiring a boat. Local bait shops are the best source of current information on what's running and when.
Smart Tips for Visiting Pleasure Island
Parking in Carolina Beach during peak summer weekends fills up earlier than most visitors expect. Arriving before 9 a.m. or using a rental close enough to walk gives you significantly more flexibility. Book accommodations at least two to three months out for peak season, particularly for holiday weekends. Bring cash for Britt's Donuts and some of the smaller boardwalk vendors. Check tide charts before planning any shelling or paddling excursions. Sunscreen, a reusable water bottle, and a light layer for evenings are the practical essentials.
Where to Stay on Pleasure Island
Pleasure Island rewards guests who stay on the island rather than commuting from Wilmington. Walking distance to the boardwalk, the beach, and the local restaurants changes the character of a trip in a way that's hard to replicate from a hotel 20 minutes away. At Carolina Beach Realty, we manage a handpicked collection of vacation rentals across Carolina Beach and Kure Beach, from oceanfront homes with direct beach access to comfortable properties a short walk from the boardwalk. Whether you're bringing the whole family or planning a quieter getaway, we'll help you find the right fit for your summer on Pleasure Island.
Start planning your Carolina Beach and Kure Beach getaway by browsing our handpicked vacation rentals here at Carolina Beach Realty.
