At the beach The Wilmington area’s enticements are many and diverse, but the greatest treasures to be found are the simplest: the beaches. In very few places along the entire East Coast will you find so many beaches (spanning three counties), all of them beautiful and clean and – relatively speaking – uncrowded. The beaches really are our main draw, which is why the state and local governments consider “beach health” a top priority. With few exceptions, any beaches that have taken a punch during the autumn hurricanes are replenished and revitalized over the wintertime in preparation for warm spring weather and all the tourists who come to enjoy it. From Topsail Island in Pender County through New Hanover and Brunswick counties, Wilmington’s beach communities are worlds unto themselves, forming a chain of unique islands and island towns interspersed with inlets and estuaries. The heritage of the coastal lifestyle is celebrated throughout the year with oyster, shrimp and even spot festivals. Topsail Island is in Pender County, a 45-minute drive north of Wilmington via U.S. 17. Named for the fact that pirate ships often would exploit the island’s many hidden coves from which they could view the “top sail” of ships they might loot, this community includes the towns of North Topsail Beach, Surf City and Topsail Beach. The total year-round population is about 4,000 for the entire island and the real estate values are some of the more affordable of the beach communities, although high-end homes can be pricey. Between Topsail Island and Wrightsville Beach is Figure Eight Island, a private, very exclusive resort community with no commercial enterprise. Covering 1,300 acres, Figure Eight includes five miles of beaches and can be accessed only by a guarded drawbridge. Wrightsville Beach, however, is open to all and can be quite bustling during a summer season that extends to nearly nine months out of the year. This small community with a year-round population of just under 3,000 residents has worked hard to maintain its simple, unhurried atmosphere. As the closest beach to Wilmington, lying adjacent to the city’s eastern border across the Intracoastal Waterway, Wrightsville Beach is very much a part of the greater Wilmington community. The town is a five-mile-long island that begins on the east side of a drawbridge that spans Banks Channel. It boasts one of the area’s most attractive beaches, as well as several restaurants and the Crystal, or Oceanic, pier jutting out into the Atlantic. Johnny Mercer’s Pier, near the north end, was recently rebuilt after a storm several years ago. One of the highlight attractions of the year is the Holiday Flotilla, in which nearly 200 boats of all shapes and sizes parade down the Intracoastal Waterway decked out in all their Christmas glory. Wrightsville Beach’s immense popularity in recent years as both a tourist destination and residence has led to almost a complete absence of available real estate or lots to build on. Many of the town’s homes are unheated and have stayed in the same families for generations. Any prospects for single-family homes come with a steep starting price; the few condominiums available fetch similar prices. Just to the south of Wrightsville Beach, across the Masonboro Inlet, sits Masonboro Island. An eight-mile-long stretch of sand, marshes and tidal creeks, Masonboro is utterly deserted and void of development; in fact, it is the last wholly undeveloped barrier island along the southern coast of North Carolina. Accessible only by boat, Masonboro offers a great way to spend a day watching birds and wandering about its untouched seascape. Bluenose dolphins are a common sight from shore. When you’re wading in the water, watch out for the skates and sand sharks that patrol the area for their daily catch. Carolina Beach and Kure Beach share the same stretch of land that holds the Fort Fisher Civil War site at its southernmost tip. Separated from Wilmington by the Intracoastal Waterway at Snow’s Cut, Carolina Beach has undergone a major renovation in both image and atmosphere. Where its boardwalk and glitzy main street once were flush with bars and rowdy partiers, the town has aggressively sought to renew itself as a destination for families. Many of the area’s fishing charters leave from here, and its myriad restaurants feature every possible variation on the theme of fish, including Calabash style. Some of the best real estate values in greater Wilmington still lie in Carolina Beach and Kure Beach, and new construction is available. Bald Head Island, off the southern tip of Fort Fisher at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, is a private resort community that’s open to the public for day trips. Home of the oldest lighthouse in the state (“Old Baldy,” built in 1818), the island is accessible by a private ferry or your own boat and is known for its relatively untouched marshes and beaches, as well as remnants of an ancient maritime forest. Bald Head Island sits in the mouth of the Cape Fear River, protecting the tiny mainland fishing town of Southport, in Brunswick County, from the ocean. One way to get to Southport is a beautiful half-hour ferry ride from Fort Fisher, while U.S. 421 along the west side of the river is another. Most visitors find Southport filled with unparalleled charm, as well as plenty of antique shops, restaurants and public parks. Houses here are much in demand and so are higher priced than other areas. Just below Southport, across the mouth of the river from Bald Head Island, is Oak Island, which consists of three beach communities – Caswell Beach, Yaupon Beach and Long Beach. (Yaupon and Long merged in 1999 to form the town of Oak Island.) All these communities have resort rentals but are overwhelmingly occupied by permanent residents who enjoy a quiet lifestyle along some of the best beaches in the area. Finally, there are the South Brunswick Islands of Holden Beach, Ocean Isle and Sunset Beach, the last of which touches the South Carolina border. Holden Beach has a year-round population of about 900, while the other two combine for a total population of about 2,500 residents. While there isn’t much room left on Holden Beach for growth, lots still can be found on Ocean Isle and Sunset Beach for reasonable prices, and condominium units are also available.