A Day at the Beach

We are newcomers to the beach area, having lived 15 years in the Appalachian Mountains.

Mostly, we love hearing the roar of the waves, watching the sea birds fish, dining with a waterview, and the feel of the sun on our limbs. We are not, however, sun and sand worshippers who spend days on end developing a fried-bacon tan. Our trips to the beach are short outtings for renewal and relaxation, and to take our schnauzers for a romp in the off-season.

We live 15, 20, 30 minutes and under an hour from a variety of beaches on the North Carolina coast, and we’ve spent a little time on many of them. When you live “at the beach,” you can pick your season and time to enjoy the salt air. We go on a whim, to enjoy the end of a hot afternoon, or to feel the fall weather coming, and even on a Christmas Day romp with the dogs.

We are closest to Carolina Beach, which has a very tourist-friendly feel with the boardwalk and numerous retailers there to entertain. They also have fireworks on Thursday nights all summer long.It is a favorite of families and pier fisherman alike.

Hotels fill up around UNCW graduation time, so we rented a four-story beach house on Topsail Island when my daughter got her undergrad degree. It was one of our best family vacations, with blended family all enjoying the pristine beach and views. Restaurants and mini-golf, short drives from the beach, and under an hour to all that big city Wilmington has to offer.

Since our kids are grown, we look more to solitude and less crowded beaches. Brunswick County has some to consider. We like Oak Island, because other than the Caswell Beach lighthouse, there’s not a lot there.