Wrightsville beach parking over Memorial Day weekend (Raleigh, Wilmington: how much, to live)

[hkrn44]

I am going to Wilmington this weekend and plan on going to wrightsville beach on Saturday and Sunday. Can someone reccomend parking? I have only been there once before and we just got lucky and found street parking and paid the meter. But it also wasn't a holiday weekend. Will we have to get there super early, as in 7am? We would hope to be there by 8 or 9 am.

[HP91]

If you get there by 9AM you should be OK....by 10 probably not.

There is a public lot across from the Oceanic and near Southend Surf Shop...there is also street parking. I recommend that area over the Johnny Mercers pier area during the busy weekends.

[hkrn44]

We may not get there until sometime between 9 and 10. We really have no idea where we are going! How much is the street parking? We'd prefer that we didn't have to walk that far to get to the beach.

I saw that there is a part of wrightsville beach that has a few restaurants/bars walking distance from the beach. Is there parking around there? The bars I am referring to is the trolley stop, south beach grill, 22 norht, king neptune.

What is the addres of johnny mercy pier? I've tried searching online and couldn't find it.

If possible we'd like to park and go to the beach in an area that has something to eat or drink that won't cost a fortune.

[HP91]

After you cross the drawbridge, you go left to go to Johnnie Mercer's pier. There is a lot of parking there and a few little pubs, etc...problem is with that parking comes more people, it gets crowded.

If you stay right after the drawbridge you end up in the area with SB Grill, Trolley Stop, Wings, etc...and some of those places have parking for their patrons, but you can't park there and go to the beach. You may be able to turn right and park on Waynick Blvd and its a two block walk to the beach.

I recommend the public lot or street parking at the Oceanic because lots of out of towners don't know its there. You just follow Waynick south until it ends and then go left. Its only a block to the beach and the public lot has places to shower off when you get off the beach. You can eat at the Oceanic on the pier for refreshments or bring your own.

I don't know how much parking is but its all the same price and you really have little choice but to pay it.

If you want to get street parking in the main Wrightsville Beach area (near the stores and shops) you have to get there before 9AM...especially on a Holiday weekend. An alternative is to go in the evening, after 4 the daytrippers are usually gone. Locals love to come out on Sunday evenings or in this case Monday evening after the Raleigh crowd has left.

[NM posts]

Absolutely get there before 9 a.m., otherwise you will be miserable. I used to live 20 minutes away and if I got there after 9 a.m. I'd have to leave - there is zero parking. Used to drive me up the wall. Or, go in the evening like the previous poster said.

As far as paying, if you download the paybyphone app you can pay for parking that way. It's great, you can just add time to your phone and you don't have to get back to the meter. I think it might be $2/hr but I can't really remember. Because of the lack of parking I basically stopped going to Wrightsville Beach before 6 p.m.

[le roi]

my advice is:
a. get there before 9am
b. keep right after the drawbridge, turn right once you get onto the island, and look for street parking somewhere on the south end, which is pretty long. Proximity to the beach generally gets better as you go further down.
c. get food after you leave

[pjnugget]

If I get there at 9 am on Saturday, will I be able to find parking? I'm looking at parking at the public lots near Oceanic.