Before I get into the best Carolina Beach Oceanfront Hotels, I’m going to give you all the information you will need for your stay at Carolina Beach, NC. Of course one of the best attractions of Carolina Beach is the beach, and visitors will find plenty of ways to access and enjoy this sunny stretch of Cape Fear shoreline.
Carolina Beach is known for it’s wide coastline, shallow ocean bottom with gentle waves, and abundant activities including surfing, shelling, and fishing. Carolina Beach is a playground for visitors of all ages who can’t get enough of the sand, salt and sun.
Experience a vibrant nightlife that’s as intriguing as it is entertaining. Explore this colorful island hot spot known for its legendary walk-in beer cooler or an oceanfront tiki bar featuring performances by local favorites. Groove to the tunes at the Carolina Beach Music Festival, North Carolina’s largest and only music festival held on the beach. Visit here for the best North Carolina Beaches.
Carolina Beach Weather – When to Visit
Late spring is the best time to visit Carolina Beach. During this time there will be fewer crowds and lower prices than peak season. Plus, you can still enjoy the summer-like weather with temperatures mid to lower 80s. Fall is nice as well, but fall is also hurricane season. Summer is peak season (temperatures in the upper 80s), but if you plan your trip for then, you can take part in many activities, such as the summer concert series on the boardwalk, outdoor movie nights at Carolina Beach Lake Park, and weekly fireworks on the beach.
Ways to Enjoy Carolina Beach
The Beach at Carolina Beach
From surfing lessons with an Olympic Gold Medalist, biking through town with the whole family along the Island Greenway, hiking or bird watching in Carolina Beach State Park, and casting a line off the fishing pier or charter excursion to reel in a great catch, Carolina Beach is a classic beach destinations with plenty of outdoor fun. Rent a jet ski, kayak, paddle board or bicycle from one of the many outfitters at Carolina Beach.
Carolina Beach Boardwalk
A stroll on the Carolina Beach Boardwalk features classic seaside family fun with shops, restaurants and nightlife entertainment. One of the last remaining beach boardwalks on the East Coast, you can get your fill of famous homemade donuts, ice cream, and fudge, play in the arcade, see the ocean from the Ferris wheel, or dance the night away to live music.
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Carolina Beach State Park
This 761 acre park includes a Visitor’s Center and marina/fuel dock accessing some of North Carolina’s best fishing spots. The Marina features an accessible fishing deck. Explore 8.5 miles of hiking along 9 trails (2 trails are wheelchair accessible), 1 mile of biking, and secluded campsites beneath towering trees with the option of tent adventures or cabins sleeping up to six people.
Freeman Park Recreation Center
At the north end of Carolina Beach, visitors have long enjoyed Freeman Park. Whether coming to the area to fish, swim, go boating, crabbing or casting for minnows, everyone loves Freeman Park. Overnight camping and 4-wheel drive access is allowed with proper permits.
Best Carolina Beach Restaurants
Cape Fear Boil Company $11 – 30
Dining out at the beach can be a daunting task. Leaving the beach early, hour long waits for tables, expensive drinks, and mediocre food are just the start! Let Cape Fear Boil Co. solve your dining dilemma with their unique approach! Choose either their at-home catering or one of their steam pots to-go. Maximize your beach time and enjoy a meal and experience you won’t soon forget! Telephone: 910-707-3034 Web: Cape Fear Boil Company
Ida Thai Cuisine $11 – 30
Ida Thai Cuisine is a refreshing little restaurant that’s found just inland of the Carolina Beach shoreline, and which is renowned for a heavy collection of authentic Thai dishes. Located in a vibrant green restaurant, and therefore hard to miss, Ida Thai Cuisine is a fine destination for an easy lunch or dinner, or for a take-out feast to enjoy at the beach vacation rental. Telephone: 910-458-8136 Web: Ida Thai Cuisine
Kate’s Pancake House $11 – 30
Choose from a generous selection of pancakes, waffles, french toast, eggs, omelettes, benedicts, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and more. Not a fan of breakfast? Not a problem- they have lunch choices too! Telephone: 910-458-3663 Web: Kate’s Pancake House
Shuckin Shack $11 – 30
Seafood lovers who don’t mind getting their hands dirty will want to take a stroll to the Shuckin’ Shack. The menu is loaded with appetizers, samplers, sandwiches, baskets, salads, platters and more, ensuring all seafood fans can enjoy their favorite dishes in any style they choose. Telephone: 910-833-8622 Web: Shuckin Shack
Gulf Stream Restaurant $11 – 30
The Gulf Stream Restaurant is a casual little restaurant in the heart of Carolina Beach. Featuring a classic exterior and a wealth of classic back-to-basic eats, this family-friendly restaurant has just enough crowd-pleasing breakfast, lunch and dinner fare to leave everyone in the party satisfied. Telephone: 910-458-8774 Web: Gulf Stream Restaurant
Best Carolina Beach Tours & Activities
Best Carolina Beach Nightlife
The Fat Pelican
It’s one of the most unique bars, offering a gigantic walk-in cooler stocked with over 350 beers. Not a beer drinker? There’s also a nice wine selection, as well as non-alcoholic beverages if you’re the designated driver. With free popcorn, foosball, arcade games, and great company, there is great fun for everyone! Telephone: 910-458-4061 Web: The Fat Pelican
The Last Resort Beach Bar
The Last Resort is a place where you can enjoy live entertainment, sit outside on the sun deck, meet some nice people and relax in a comfortable outdoor setting. Located right in the middle of all the action of Carolina Beach, kick back, have a few drinks and relax. Live music seven days a week. Telephone: 910-458-1128 Web: The Last Resort Beach Bar
Buzz’s Roost At The Beach
Enjoy pub and low country food favorites in a family-friendly environment. Get the full Carolina Beach Boardwalk experience with signature specialties like steaks, grouper and Fish Tacos. The full bar also offers signature cocktails like the Rum Punch in a Souvenir Glass. Telephone: 910-599-5593 Web: Buzz’s Roost At The Beach
The Ocean Grill & Tiki Bar
Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the Ocean Grill is a rare combination of ideal location, fresh coastal cuisine, and casual beachfront bar scene. Have a drink at the bar or enjoy the sea breeze from the patio dining area. Telephone: 910-458-2000 Web: The Ocean Grill & Tiki Bar
Good Hops Brewing
A family-owned and operated small-batch brewery that is dog and family friendly, Good Hops offers samples, flights, pours and beer to go as well as non-alcoholic drinks and individual pizzas and chips. Telephone: 910-713-1594 Web: Good Hops Brewing
Wow! I didn’t realize Carolina Beach had so much to offer as a vacation destination. This destination even seems perfect for us to bring the kids with. Thank you for all the detailed information including beaches, restaurants and hotel choices. I will definitely consider this hot spot for our next family vacation.
It is a great family beach destination with plenty to do for everyone. I know you will enjoy. Thanks for visiting beach travel destinations Christopher.
My goodness, I want to go right now!!. This is a very nice post about Carolina Beach Oceanfront Hotels. You have provided tons of details. For someone like me who has never been there, this is a great article packed with all the information that I would need. I will definitely be putting this on the list for our next family vacation. Thank you for sharing.
I am glad you enjoyed Anna. I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and leave me comments as well. Please let me know if you need any additional information. Thanks for visiting beach travel destinations.
Now this is an awesome holiday destination. I am intrigued with the location and the history surrounding Carolina from what I know about the civil war. The beach looks absolutely refreshing and the cuisine something to salivate over:)
Thank you for sharing this beautiful spot , I will definitely start planning for 2023!
Great Janine! Please let me know if you need any additional information 🙂
Enjoyed your site the information you provided is awesome I’ve been on vacation before when you get in a resort they have pamphlet to let you know the activities but pamphlets don’t tell you everything, You’ve helped eliminate the guess work I will definitely come back here the next time we go on vacation .
Thank You
Great Jeff! Please let me know if you need any additional information. Thanks for stopping by.
Thank you so much for the great advice! We’re really looking forward to checking out some of these places. I’ll keep this in mind when we visit. I appreciate your mentioning some of the things to do during the summer months. We hope to visit soon and including this in our planning! Are there any parking issues we should be aware of?
No parking issues 🙂 You’ll find it easy to get around. Some areas will be more crowded than others, depending on when you travel. Thanks for visiting my Carolina Beach Oceanfront Hotels guide.
Oh, now I have to go. It seem like a perfect place for a vacation for my little family. I love the beach but I think I’m most intrigued by your description of the restaurants and bars. I just can’t seem to get a grip on how big or small of a place it is? For how long would you recommend a stay to be? Is a week about enough?
It’s really not a big area…under 3 miles of beach with around 6000 residents. It really depends on what you want to do. You could make it a long weekend trip to see and do a lot. I prefer to spend about 4 to 5 days here which gives me beach time and time to check things out 🙂
Wow Carolina Beach looks like paradise. I have been looking around for ideas as to where my family can hang out for a few days, and this is something for me to follow up on. Summer is the only time for us to slow down and have a few leisure days. I know my husband would enjoy the jet skis and the surfing and I would like to go when a concert is scheduled. I also like the options for dining out. Never heard of this before. Thank you for the introduction.
You are very welcome JJ. Thanks for visiting beach travel destinations.
In love with beach travel destinations. Most of them I visited by the cruise ships. I mostly went to the Bahamas and Caribbean, and East coast. I’d love to travel to the West. Although I was in Carolinas, in South Carolina more than North Carolina, I was in the time it wasn’t possible to go to the beach. I’d love to! Thanks for the recommendation.
You are welcome, and I personally love beach travel destinations as well! Thanks for visiting my Carolina Beach Oceanfront Hotels guide!
One of the main reasons to visit Carolina Beach is to get a closer look at Charleston. It’s the state’s oldest city. And it’s home to the historic plantations and pre-Civil War period homes (known as “antebellum homes”). It also features golf courses and fine dining, fun water sports on the beach, marshes and reed-filled creeks. I’m taking my camera.
Great idea Ann, and I agree. Charleston is a great place to learn about the history and to visit historic sites. And of course that is on top of their beautiful coast. Thanks for the visit!
The great weather and beautiful beaches are fantastic reasons to visit Carolina Beach on the North Carolina coast.
Carolina Beach offers a nice way to enjoy an ocean vacation without the huge crowds of places like Myrtle Beach, yet still be able to enjoy lots of activities like surfing lessons, jet ski rentals, and great places to have seafood meals!
Agreed Aly! You cannot go wrong on the Carolina coast and Carolina Beach is a great vacation spot for sure. Thanks for visiting beach travel destinations.com.
Carolina Beach looks like another awesome oceanfront destination. The Carolina Beach State Park with the hiking trails and sleeping in a cabin, would be my first choice. My husband would certainly want to do fishing, so does one need a fishing licence to do fishing on the beach at Carolina Beach?
You mention that there are summer concerts on the boardwalk, but do you know when it starts and how often it is held?
Yes, you do need a permit. If you go on a charter, they will provide all of that for you. If you are driving and want to do some fishing, then you will need to get a permit. The concerts run from the end of May thru the end of August, and there is at least one concert a week. So go enjoy!
As things are getting better, my husband and I were talking about start traveling again this Summer and visiting Carolina Beach in on our to do list. So I’m glad I found your website this morning to read your article, as you always shares a good list of things to do, it sounds good for me to have something to do while visiting Carolina beach like biking through town, and spending sometime fishing from the pier, it also sound good to have a good selection of good restaurants list to visit as we both love to have a good dinner when visiting a new place. I’m sure my husband will love to read your article too!
Sounds like you have it all planned out. Please let me know if you need any additional information.
hello, pleased to meet you. I’ve just gone through your article about Califonia beach oceanfront hotel. I found it very interesting. I’ve never traveled to Carolina beach oceanfront hotel, but from what you share in this article, it sounds like heaven. I am even curious to see this place. And the pictures you provided are clear and good. Thanks for sharing this amazing piece of writing with us, I will be sharing it further too.
Great, glad you enjoyed 🙂 Great choice for a hotel too! Thanks for visiting my Carolina Beach Oceanfront Hotels guide.
I love to go on holiday anywhere close to the beach. Carolina beach oceanfront sounds the perfect beach spot to be at. So many things to do like the beach park, scuba and many more. Then of course the beautiful sight the Carolina beach offer. Perfect place to take your love ones at. Thank you for the informative article!
You are very welcome Bernard! Thanks for the visit to beach travel destinations.