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My husband and I decided to go to Topsail today. Surf City looked nice too. Since it's right next to Topsail we checked out some shops while heading back home. In Topsail, we had no problems finding a parking spot and the beach was not crowded at all. For food you'll probably want to go to Surf City since Topsail doesn't have many places to eat. I've been to Wrightsville and that's nice too, but less crowded was the goal today.
If you go to Wilmington...be sure to check out the Cape Fear Serpentarium. It's really nice, if you're into snakes. We've been several times. It's near the waterfront. Kids love it!!
I haven't been to Wrightsville beach yet, but some friends of mine said it wasn't that pretty. Another friend recommend Emerald Isle... which is sounds like other people here like that one too. How long of a drive is Emerald Isle from Cary?
Ft Fischer State Park is a great place to go. They have bathrooms to shower in once you are done for the day. Also, if you have animals, they are allowed on the beach. If you want some privacy, all you have to do is walk down the beach to get away from the lifeguards. Then you can be by yourself. We went on Memorial Day weekend and it wasn't even that busy.
topsail is great if your looking for an uncrowded beach but there inst much there other than just beach(no restaurants/amusements/shopping)
I grew up near Topsail. And my parents still live in the area. There are restaurants, just not as many as Atlantic, Wrightsville, etc. Most of the restuarants on Topsail are mom and pop places, where as on the Outter Banks this summer I noticed quite a few chain resturants.
If you head to Surf City or Topsail Beach (or the Southend as we use to call it) you will find lots of places to eat and beach shops. On North Topsail there are not many options for food, but you are close to Sneads Ferry where there are a few options. The Riverview in Sneads Ferry is suppose to have the best seafood in the area. It's a pre-WWII building down on the water front near the shrimp boats. Very casual. Mostly fried food (which is not a big appeal to me). My kids like Dr. Rootbeers near the Riverview. He makes his own Rootbeer. He has some sandwiches (pot roast sandwich... I think??/) but we always go for treats. Also, on the way to North Topsail on hwy 210 in Sneads Ferry there is Denoias Pizzeria, which has subs and pizzas. The owner grew up in NY. It's not NYC pizza, but it's as close as you are going to get in that part of NC. I personally love the subs.
The entertainment is limited. There is the Karen Beasley Turtle Hatchery. You can rent jet skis, kayaks and such, from many places, and there is a putt putt golf place on hwy 50, and the Docksider that has video games for the kids. My favorite shop is the Quarter Moon Bookstore at the Southend, Topsail Beach. The kids and I love going to the Surf City Park (right over the swing bridge on hwy 50) in Surf City. There is a great play structure and there are places to put out boats. You can also crab off of part of the docks there. We love crabbing. But we are a catch and release family. I think you can fish there as well. Our favorite thing is to visit the marshes at low tide and watch the rock crabs and other sea life.
Also, if you are doing a day visit, you can park at any of the County Beach Accesses. They have bathrooms and outdoor showers. So you can get some of the sand off before you head home. You'll find more beach accesses w/ these facilities on the North end in Onslow County than you will on the South end in Pender County.
Have fun and please pick up your trash when you leave. The porposises and dolphins appreciate it!!
I haven't been to Wrightsville beach yet, but some friends of mine said it wasn't that pretty. Another friend recommend Emerald Isle... which is sounds like other people here like that one too. How long of a drive is Emerald Isle from Cary?
If you are looking for picturesque, I would recommend Ocracoke Island. Most of the Island is a National Park, so there are not houses every 50 feet . It reminds me of what Topsail use to be. You can camp on Ocracoke, or you can get a room or house on the point near the ferry. It's at the tip of the Island and it's small enough to get around by foot or bike. It has fun little shops and cafe's which are frequented by ferry riders. Some are tucked back behind large live oaks dripping in Spainish Moss. There is also a section of the island that you can see the Ocracoke Horsers. Plus you can visit the Ocracoke Light House, which is not as big as Cape Hatteras, but is very quaint.
My wife and I were inspired by this thread and decided to check out Topsail Beach yesterday. We had a great visit. It took us about 3 hours to get there from North Raleigh taking I-40 to NC-210 to NC-50. It was a very quiet beach with just a few people. We found easy free parking just feet away from where we were sitting on the beach. We did not see many options to eat at the end of the day, but from PDXMom's post above I can see we missed a few spots! We ended up stopping at a place in Surf City called Sears Landing Grill and Boat Dock. They had a great covered outdoor deck overlooking the Intercoastal Waterway where boaters would dock their boats and come in for a bite to eat. We watched our waitress get dropped off at work by boat! By this point in the day my camera had run out of battery juice, but here are a few pictures from our trip to Topsail Beach (taken 8.24.08).
We hopped into the car and headed out of Raleigh down I-40 towards the coast.....
... and in just under three hours I was staring at this from my beach chair!
Some pictures from Topsail Beach, NC
Last edited by North_Raleigh_Guy; 08-25-2008 at 04:20 AM..
Ditto what ljd1010 said! Time to head out to the Beach!
Thanks for sharing your pictures, NRG. They are ALWAYS a pleasure to see!
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We've been several times. It's near the waterfront. Kids love it!!
Which beaches are the most picturesque?
Pictures from Topsail Beach
