PLEASURE ISLAND
The Carolina Beach Boardwalk features beach access, restaurants, bars, arcade, rides, and, new in 2022, a 95-foot Ferris wheel.
Pleasure Island Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, Fort Fisher Located on a sliver of land between the Cape Fear River and Atlantic Ocean, Pleasure Island is home to three beautiful beach villages, Fort Fisher Historic Site and a branch of the North Carolina Aquarium. More than 7 miles of sandy beaches offer ocean swimming, surfing, kayaking, sun worshiping and, of course, people watching. Story by Teresa A. McLamb
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WilmingtonToday.com
CAROLINA BEACH Development of Carolina Beach began before the Civil War, and it has grown into a year-round town and tourism center. Joseph Winner, whose descendants still live and work on the island, is credited with the first development in 1857. A vibrant, centralized commercial center includes everything from hardware stores to restaurants and is easily walkable. Fishing charters leave regularly from the Carolina Beach Yacht Basin. Regular events and a farm market are held at Carolina Beach Lake. Accommodations range from hotels to luxury oceanfront homes to condos to small inns. Outdoor adventurers will appreciate the camping areas in Carolina Beach State Park, which runs along the Intracoastal Waterway and the Cape
Fear River. Remnants of sand dunes can be found in the forest, as can the elusive Venus’ flytrap plants. The town’s award-winning boardwalk has been renovated and expanded to cover several blocks along the oceanfront, where it adjoins mid-rise hotels and rental cottages. Shops, pubs and an arcade line the boardwalk, and outdoor concerts and other events are regularly held there. While all of Pleasure Island enjoys access to the water, access by power boat is only available in Carolina Beach. Private and municipal marinas include Joyner Marina at 401 Marina Street, which rents slips including those with electricity, water and pump-out connections. The fuel dock can accommodate boats up to 100 feet.
