Wrightsville Beach (Wilmington, Beaufort, Emerald Isle: rental, hotel, houses)

[mcdades23]

Looking to vacation here next summer. Can anybody recommend the best areas to stay for a large family. Would like to be walking distance to the beach and still be close to non-beach activities.

[bjive]

The whole island is pretty much walking distance to the beach.What are you looking for?Beach house or hotel.With a large family you will be better off with a beach house rental and if doing so you are looking at 2 to 3 thousand a week in the summer.
The city of Wilmington is right beside WB and no matter where you are at you can get there rather quickly for your non beach activities.

[mcdades23]

We'll be looking for a house rental. Are there any sections that are nicer then others or more family oriented. I have never been to Wrightsville Beach or even Wilmington, so any info you can share would be helpful. Or is there any places in the Wilmington area besides Wrightsville that you would suggest.

[historychic09]

the north end of the island usually has less crowds of people during the summer. It can get overly crowded near the pier especially. Wrightsville has public beach access points literally at the end of every road, and it's a great favorite of the local population to drive in, park and pay, and then sit and stay all afternoon (or day!) which can create parking issues since the lots overflow and there is only so much street parking available. Of course, staying on the island you'd have no parking issues since you should be given private spots.

Have you looked at other beaches in the area? Holden Beach to the south, while further away from any large town, is known as a family beach and is sure to be a lot less packed during the summer months. Likewise to the North, the Emerald Isle area has some very nice areas as well and is closer than Holden to larger towns.

Although I currently live in Wilmington, my family has vacationed for years at Atlantic beach and it's always very nice and never too crowded near the private houses, the crowd typically stays near the public beach areas. The middle outer banks areas, while not close to a town the size of Wilmington (not that it's really all that large mind you) still have attractions for rainy days or break days such as the aquarium, fort, and going into Morehead city, or my personal favorite, Beaufort.

Wilmington has many historical landmarks as well, and is only a 15-20 minute drive from Wrightsville, but, in my personal opinion, it seems to get rather crowded especially on weekends from may to September, if you have younger children you might want to opt for a quieter beach.

[le roi]

beach areas between the bridges will be crowded. south end and north end are both fine options. the south end has more surfers than the north end, i think.