Don't miss the Island of Lights New Year's Celebration

Carolina Beach and Kure Beach are proud to offer the Island of Lights celebration each holiday season. The event(s) features a host of activities: a flotilla, a Christmas parade, a homes tour and much more.

New Year's Eve will be celebrated Pleasure Island-style with the "dropping of the lighted beach ball." (And we in Raleigh thought our Acorn was nifty.) The beach ball drops at midnight followed by "spectacular" fireworks.

This free family-friendly event will feature a DJ and dancing with refreshments available for purchase.

In an Island of Lights tradition, there will be a raffle, with the winner taking home the original artwork for the Christmas card and ornament.

Bring the family to the Boardwalk at 9 pm to join the festivities.

Sorry -- Our Beach Place is already reserved for this wonderful event. Maybe next year ... Of course, you could try to catch the fashion show in the spring. If interested in renting our unit, email us at collards12@yahoo.com or call us at 919-325-2941.

(Photo of the flotilla from islandoflights.org)

Extended hours for the Boardwalk?

"The Ferris wheel and other rides have been gone for months, but a new form of family entertainment is taking shape on the Carolina Beach Boardwalk long before summer's return," says the Star-News.

"An empty lot on the south end of the beachfront business district now holds a 26-foot lighted tree, and more lights are going up all around. About a dozen local businesses are pitching in to decorate the coves leading to the ocean, some with clever themes to combine the holidays and their products.

"It's all part of Christmas by the Sea, the first-ever Christmas celebration on the Boardwalk, an area that in previous years has been all but barren during the off-season.

"The Boardwalk Makeover group, a nonprofit organization started in late 2007 to revitalize the once-booming locale, is hoping to build on the success of the rides last summer that brought to the area a number of visitors unprecedented in recent decades."

Hey, in this economy, if you can capitalize on any momentum, by all means, go for it.

“I wonder if we can fit anymore people on the island than we did this year,” said Dan Wilcox, Carolina Beach town councilman and founder of the Boardwalk Makeover group. “Our goal is to maintain momentum during the peak season and then move on to find ways to enhance our shoulder season.”

Fort Hood hero has strong CB ties

Sgt. Kimberly Munley is the "hero cop" who brought down Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan last week after he had opened fire on the base at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13 and wounding more than 30 others.

Munley is the daughter of former Carolina Beach Mayor Dennis Barbour.

Munley, according to reports, has been credited with shooting Hasan four times "despite being wounded herself.

For a few minutes on Thursday, Fort Hood Texas was a war zone. Those who were caught in the crossfire say the suspect, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychologist, was calm and methodical as he shot at fellow soldiers.

Army Combat Engineer Howard Appleby was on his way to treatment for post traumatic stress disorder when he stopped to help the wounded.

He said people were, “Using shirts to ties up legs - it was busy - just like back in Iraq.”

12 soldiers and one civilian died in the assault. Major Hasan, was among the more than 30 wounded. He was a practicing Muslim. Some soldiers say he shouted “Allah Akbar”, an Arabic phrase meaning “God is Great” before opening fire.

However, it’s still not clear why he did it. Army Chief of Staff George Casey said, “This was a kick in the gut, not only for the Fort Hood community, but for the entire Army.“

Civilian Police Officer Kimberly Munley stopped the bullets, shooting Hasan four times.

But it was too late for some, like 21 year old Private First Class Michael Person, who was set to deploy to Iraq.

Jessica Koerder is a family neighbor. She said, “That family lost their gem.“

As for the heroics, of Officer Munley, her step mother told Wilmington media that she has great spirit and that she knew Munley was involved when she heard a female officer shot and wounded major Hasan.

Officer Munley is in stable condition recovering from her injuries and her family is headed out to see her.

Bowman's: Even the waitresses like it

The Wilmington Dish blog has a nice review of Bowman's Seafood in CB.

"This is where the Carolina Beach locals eat seafood. FRESH seafood! Though the curb appeal might not lure you in, their food will have you hooked," says the site.

Bowman's family atmosphere just makes you feel right at home. Even the waitresses love working there. One said, "If you want a job here, one of us will have to die first." If a seafood platter is screaming your name, you will get bang for your buck here. Very reasonably priced food for the amount you get! And you'll be temped to eat it all...though you shouldn't...because they feed you well! Make sure to check out the hallway headed back to the restrooms - they walls are covered with postcards, pictures, and hurricane history of Carolina Beach.

One more cool thing about Bowman's: they deliver. Nice.

Masonboro to remain open

Masonboro Island has a habit of getting, um, colorful during summer holidays. But the barrier island won't be closed to the public anytime soon.

The Star-News of Wilmington reported Friday that the North Carolina Coastal Reserve program held a hearing in Wilmington to hear from the public about how to protect the island from holiday revelers.

Hope Sutton with the program says people have enjoyed walking, kayaking, surfing and sunbathing at the island, but in recent years, the number of visitors has increased dramatically. Trash covered a quarter-mile stretch of beach after the July 4th holiday.

Meeting held to clear up re-nourishment confusion

From the Star-News:

Officials with the Army Corps of Engineers, a private engineering firm and New Hanover County met with Carolina Beach and Kure Beach officials Tuesday to discuss the details of beach nourishment in the island towns.

The meeting was intended to clear up confusion about the current Carolina Beach project, including the re-nourishment scheduled for 2010, as well as options available to the town after the federal project expires in 2014, said Town Manager Tim Owens.

Concerns had been raised about the scope of the re-nourishment planned for 2010; though mobilization costs will be combined where possible, the scope has been scaled back and will likely not include parts of the beach originally planned to receive nourishment, town officials had previously said, as a variety of factors have combined to raise cost estimates above those previously expected. ...

CB approves new towing ordinance

When we were first looking at our soon-to-be-our condo in Carolina Beach, one thing no one mentioned was just how fast "they" are to tow at our location. It was only after we bought it and started having guests that a neighbor stopped us in the covered parking area (we must have had that new neighbor look about us) and told us that cars get towed with the quick-fast. She even suggested that we make sure to put a temporary tag in our car first thing when we or anyone else arrives.

She wasn't kidding. One of our first renters had their car towed, and a couple of weekends ago, our neighbors below our unit -- who were just stopping in for a bit -- had to go from CB to Monkey Junction to retrieve their vehicle.

Well, at least now it looks like there may be some slack on this issue.

According to the Star-News, "Carolina Beach passed a new towing ordinance Tuesday night restricting towing companies, but not requiring individual signed requests for each tow."

The new ordinance contains several measures intended to protect town residents and visitors from perceived predatory towing. Lots must have specific signs posted warning of parking and towing practices. Towing companies must release vehicles on site for a fee of $25 and must release a car that is on the truck but not to the lot for a fee of $50; lots may not be more than 20 miles from town limits. A representative must be available at all times to release a vehicle in a timely manner.

However, the new ordinance does not contain one of the more controversial measures, which would require a signed request by the property owner or representing party for each individual tow.

While many people spoke at the town’s last meeting about perceived predatory towing in the town, representatives from condo buildings and associations asked that the burden of enforcing parking regulations not be left to private citizens. Several said signing individual towing requests for each vehicle towed put an unfair burden on homeowners. Others said that confronting illegal parkers could be dangerous for residents.

It is important that visitors and homeowners follow the rules and make sure it's obvious that they are allowed to park where they are staying. But they should also be give a fair amount of time before their car is towed away. At the same time, it's vital that the "first come, first served" or "you snooze you lose" attitude with regards to close-to-the-beach parking be addressed.

(Image from fotosearch.com)

Video: Sea turtles hatching at CB

A YouTuber posted a video recently of sea turtle hatchlings emerging from a nest in Carolina Beach.

Quote the poster: "This nest hatched on July 20, 2009. Due to diminishing light conditions, I switched to infrared light to video the hatchlings going into the water. This was the 2nd of 12 nests laid on Carolina Beach, NC this summer."

Very cool.

Beach nourishment plans slashed

Carolina Beach will be receiving approximately half the sand it had expected next spring, Town Manager Tim Owens announced at the town’s special meeting Tuesday, according to the Star-News.

The project had been intended to nourish the beach from the north end of the town to near Atlanta Avenue, but now the project will stop at Sailfish Lane.

“We’ve lost over a mile of beach nourishment that was going to happen,” Owens said, adding that the depth of sand placed on the beach in the nourished part has been reduced as well. Between those two factors, the beach will get half the amount of sand originally expected.

The southern part of the town, which was to originally get sand as part of the Kure Beach project, will still receive its planned amount of sand.

I'm a bit confused here. So will the northern beaches be renourished? The second graf makes it sound like that. However the fourth graf makes it sound like it will be the southern part that gets the work. Hmm.

New hot water heater!

Well, chalk up another "improvement" to Our Beach Place.

We replaced our hot water heater last week; the old one (not really that old, but still ...) was giving us fits. Our renters happened to wake up one morning to water leaking out of it. That is never good (especially when you're on the very top floor).

The good news is it was A) a sign that it just needed to be given the boot, and B) the good folks caught it early so we didn't have hot water heaters or people plunging to floors below.

Snow's Cut ramps to be renovated, pier to be added

From the Star-News:

The Snow’s Cut public boat ramps in Carolina Beach will soon be closed for improvements that some say are much-needed.

Others aren’t so sure.

In addition to replacing the boat ramps, the state Wildlife Resources Commission plans to add a small fishing pier at the busy site near Snow’s Cut Bridge. And some think that will create an overload.

The free boat ramps are scheduled to close in late fall or early winter, said Erik Christofferson, division chief of engineering services with the Wildlife Resources Commission. The work is expected to take three to four months, allowing the boat ramps to reopen in early spring. ...

Pier sunset

Here's a great shot of Carolina Beach from "Forrest L Smith" - courtesy of Flickr.

CB: Top beach getaway for Ohioans

From Carolina Beach Today ...

Carolina Beach, N.C. is the top choice for vacationing motorists from Ohio, according to the results of a readers' poll that appeared in Home & Away magazine's July/August 2009 issue. Home & Away, an American Automobile Association (AAA) publication distributed to over 580,000 drivers in Ohio, placed Carolina Beach atop a list of five favorite beach destinations including Poipu, Hawaii; Sanibel Island, Florida; Virginia Beach, Virginia; and Seabrook Island, South Carolina.

Let us know if you want to 'get away' to CB

Just a reminder that our adorable (well, we think so) little condo is available to rent -- and at a VERY fair rate, we might add.

Just contact us and let us know about rates and availability. I should note that July and August are quickly filling up, and dates are getting fewer and far between in September though there are some free times in September and October, so act fast.

To recap: The place is literally 100 feet from the ocean with 3 public accesses within a short walk. (One of which is Freeman Park.) We have cable in the living room, a queen bed in the bedroom and a pull-out sofa.

And to those who have already enjoyed OBP, please share your thoughts here.

Town of CB hoping to run its own marina

WHQR is reporting that the town of Carolina Beach is "proposing legislation that would let the town run its marina."

Carolina Beach Town Attorney Steve Coggins says they need authority from the state to govern the town marina effectively.

During the past 50 years the marina has been governed by multiple state and federal agencies. Coggins says overtime the marina traffic has increased and so has the number of agencies that oversea it, making it difficult to take needed immediate action.

Oh no they didn't

Apparently folks got a little out of control around the Fourth of July at Masonboro Island, according to the Star-News.

Here’s one species Masonboro Island could do without but is sometimes overrun with: the litterbug.

They come in all shapes and sizes, but all have in common the nasty habit of not picking up after themselves. They’re particularly numerous on holidays such as the Fourth of July, when they have a predilection for leaving behind beer cans.

Approaching the barrier island after this Independence Day, Hope Sutton, of the N.C. Division of Coastal Management, was met with the unmistakable mark of the beer-loving litterbug.

“It was polka-dotted with beer cans,” Sutton said of the northern end of the island, which is between Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach. “By the time I was in the inlet, I could smell the beer.”

Sutton said a quarter-mile of the 8-mile-long island was covered with cans, beach chairs and even tents on Sunday. The trash can poison animals and kill vegetation and micro-organisms that live in the water, said Sutton, who manages Masonboro Island for the state.

Click here to read the rest about this travesty.

(Image from the Star-News)

Quirky Carolina Beach: Floating convenience stores, donuts and more

One thing that drew us to Carolina Beach was its "feel" as an old beach town. You can still walk a little ways to a run-down (yet charming) little store for the necessities and there's that perfect mix of old and new.

Apparently I'm not the only one who feels that way.

This beach still has a bit of an old school flavor, especially at night [says the Daily Reflector].

Wednesday night there was a DJ blasting oldies at the boardwalk, while children rode the carnival rides and about 100 adults played cash bingo just a few feet from the beach.

Oh, and don't forget Britt's Donuts.

This places rocks.

Open since 1939, Britt's Donuts has the best donuts I have ever tasted.

This unassuming spot was probably my favorite shop or restaurant that we visited.

It is just a simple counter with a very simple menu.

They have donuts, coffee and soda. That's it. And it's not a bunch of different flavors. It's one flavor: glazed.

So don't order a chocolate filled or something like that. Just say, "I want two donuts and a coffee." Better yet, make it a half dozen.

We went there Wednesday night and we just had to go back Thursday morning before we left Carolina Beach. Britt's Donuts is awesome.

In addition, there's just enough quirkiness in Carolina Beach to keep you on your toes.

Case in point: The Bait Barge, a floating convenience store.

Yes, a floating convenience store.

If you’re a boater and frequent the waters near Carolina Beach Inlet, you’ve likely noticed the Bait Barge [says the Island Gazette]. It’s a convenient location where boaters can buy live bait, ice and other necessities.

Owner Nick Kintner was informed by the Division of Coastal Management earlier this month that state law considers his operation a “floating structure” and regulations prohibit it from staying in one location more than 30 days.

Kintner said he wasn’t aware of that law and didn’t intentionally try to violate the rules. To resolve the situation, Kintner registered the floating bait shop as a vessel.

The Bait Barge sells both live and frozen bait for all types of fishing.

In addition to ice and bait, they also sell snacks, beverages, sun block, and many other items.

The entire Bait Barge is run on electricity that is self generates through solar panels and windmills. They run business hours every day of the week opening at 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and on weekends they open early at 6:00 a.m. Barring inclement weather the Bait Barge will be open and available as your convenient bait shop on the water.

The Bait Barge accepts credit and debit cards and they hope to be an asset to all of the water loving people in our area. Stop by the bait barge for all of you bait and supply needs the next time you are on the water.

(Photos by the Island Gazette and the Daily Reflector)

Economy slows travelers

Because of the economy, fewer people are visiting the Cape Fear region, according to the Star-News.

More than 15,000 fewer commercial passengers have flown into or out of Wilmington International Airport this year. Through May, 311,852 passengers flew ILM, down 4.6 percent from 326,947 a year ago. Gary Broughton, ILM operations director, said discretionary travel is down because of the economy. But, he added, June’s numbers are looking up.

“I’m hoping now that schools are out the vacation travel might start picking it up pretty well,” he said. ...

From February through May, 49,026 vehicles took the Southport-Fort Fisher ferry across the Cape Fear River, down 13 percent from 56,234 in 2008. The ferry was shut down in January for maintenance.

The biggest hit to ferry travel is coming from out-of-state travelers. From February through May, 2,793 out-of-state vehicles crossed the Cape Fear River on the ferry, a decrease of 48 percent from 5,320 vehicles during that time last year, according to N.C. Ferry Division statistics.

All the [hint] more reason [hint hint] to look for an affordable [hint hint hint] vacation option in Carolina Beach!

The place is 99.5 percent done

We've gotten the correct shade of yellow painted, so here are some new photos of the place. (We even added some orange Adirondack chairs to the porch, which the girls love!)

Catch free flicks at CB

Enjoy free fireworks and movies this summer in Carolina Beach. The fireworks take place at 9 p.m. on Thursdays at Lake Park.

Here is the movie schedule (via the Pleasure Island blog) ...

Sunday June 14 | Hotel for Dogs (G)
Sunday June 21 | The Tale of Despereaux (G)
Sunday June 28 | Indiana Jones, Crystal Skull (PG-13)
Sunday July 5 | Madagascar II (PG)
Sunday July 12 | Pink Panther II (PG)
Sunday July 19 | Space Chimps (G)
Sunday July 26 | Ironman (PG-13)
Sunday August 2 | Monsters vs Aliens IN 3D (PG)
Sunday August 9 | Journey to the Center of the Earth IN 3D (PG)
Sunday August 16 | The Goonies (PG)
Sunday August 23 | Bedtime Stories (PG)
Sunday August 30 | Wall-E (G)
Sunday September 6 | Night at the Museum II (not yet rated)

Star-News: A postcard history of CB

From the Star-News (article and photo):

The rides are back on the Boardwalk at Carolina Beach, and Elaine B. Henson thinks they're picture-perfect. Well, she'd actually be happier if the rock music coming from them weren't so loud. But as a longtime devotee of Carolina Beach, she likes the idea of carnival rides returning to the beach.

She said the carnival rides and stores opening in the Boardwalk area are bringing new life to the heart of the beach town.

Henson is author of "Carolina Beach: A Postcard History," part of Arcadia Publishing's Postcard History Series.

The book, available at stores and shops in Carolina Beach and at Barnes & Noble, traces the beach town's history through postcards. ...

Something close by to do: Catch the Hammerheads in action

Full disclosure: I've never been to a Wilmington Hammerheads match, but the fact that the soccer team has been around since 1996 (longer than many Major League Soccer teams) is a testament to the enjoyment of the games.

The Hammerheads play in the United Soccer League (USL)'s second division, and are Wilmington's first professional sports team. They play at Legion Stadium on Carolina Beach Road, just miles from Pleasure Island.

Here's some info on "Sledge," the Hammerheads' mascot:

While traveling the depths of the Atlantic, Sledge became separated from his family and ended up drifting off the shore at Fort Fisher. He was spotted by staff at the North Carolina Aquarium, looking tired and lost, and was brought to a tank there until he recovered his strength.

During his stay at Fort Fisher, Sledge got along well with the other sharks but was happiest when children would come up to his tank to watch him swim around. Many of these children would wear their Hammerheads strip when visiting Sledge. Over time, the staff at the aquarium started to notice how happy Sledge would get when he saw these children. They decided to contact the Hammerheads about making him part of the team.

Now that Sledge is with the Hammerheads, he is even happier than he was when he lived in the ocean. He loves soccer and never imagined that cheering on the team would be so exciting. Sledge is looking forward to his second season with the Hammerheads and spending time with all of his soccer friends!

To purchase Hammerheads tickets, go here.

Pleasure Island: A NY Times 'Summer Destination' spot

The New York Times recently featured Pleasure Island in its "One Summer, 14 Weekends" piece.

"The Cape Fear River rambles past the historic and picturesque city of Wilmington, N.C., widening and creating slivery barrier islands with the river on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other," says the paper. "Pleasure Island, about 12 miles south of Wilmington, has the towns of Carolina Beach and Kure Beach as well as pleasurable beaches for catching a tan.

"But you can tackle the area by hiking in Carolina Beach State Park (910-458-8206), home to the carnivorous Venus’ flytraps. Or you can rent a surfboard or body board at SandBarz Surf and Skate Shop on the Boardwalk in Carolina Beach. ..."

The renovation is (99 percent) complete!

Well, it wasn't easy, but we spent all day on Saturday putting the finishing touches on the Carolina Beach condo. Aside from a minor communication flub on the paint color for the living room, everything looks fantastic. (We'll be getting a brighter shade of yellow painted next week.)

Around 2 p.m. on Saturday the place looked like this:



































Finally, around 11 p.m., it looked like this:



















If you are interested in staying at our place, please email us. June is pretty much booked, but we have some weeks and weekends available in July, August, September, October and so on. Contact us with your interested dates and we'll "sea" what we can work out.

The place is literally 100 feet from the ocean with 3 public accesses within a short walk. (One of which is Freeman Park.) We have cable in the living room, a queen bed in the bedroom and a pull-out sofa. Also (not pictured) is a 9 feet-by-10 feet porch with ocean views.

Oh, and if the above shots aren't promising enough, here is a reminder about the pool and view.

A 'before' shot

Here is what OBP (Our Beach Place) looked like "before" we attempted to take it out of the 1980s. Stay tuned for the "after" shots.




And here's a shot of the view. Not too bad, eh?

Here come the rides!

The new Boardwalk amusement park ribbon cutting will take place on Friday at 4 p.m. The rides are slated to by open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Here's more from the Star-News.

Robert Megerle and his partner Harlan J. Bast II from Megerle’s Magic and Hildebrand Rides of Gibsonton, Fla., have been working on the project for a couple of months.

“Everyone in the city worked at helping get it together,” Megerle said.

Bast said it’s an opportunity to bring family fun to the Boardwalk, in addition to the eateries and bars already there.

“I really feel like it’s going to draw a lot of people to the Boardwalk that haven’t been drawn in the past,” he said.

The eleven rides will include two fun houses -- one for adults and one for children – and a Ferris wheel.

Architect Greg Reynolds, who was hired to help with the process of fitting the rides into spaces along the Boardwalk, said Megerle brought in about $3 million worth of rides that he already owned for the amusement park..

“We started working about three years ago in the big picture, but we started working with this vendor two months ago,” Reynolds said. ...

Bast said the plan is to open the amusement park Friday, but the rides still need to go through state inspections to make sure everything is ready, which he stressed is very important. ...

Tickets will cost $1.50 each, and rides will be worth about two or three tickets.

All-day passes will also be available for $25.

The park will be open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.

(Image from the Star-News)

CB gets bike grant

Carolina Beach was one of 12 municipalities across the state to get a bicycle and pedestrian planning grant from the DOT, according to a recent Star-News article (read down). The N.C. Board of Transportation awarded $315,850 to 12 municipalities for bicycle and pedestrian planning. Carolina Beach gets $20,000.

"The DOT anticipates that the municipalities selected will begin the planning process this fall. The department also will be available to provide technical assistance to the municipalities. Since 2004, 92 N.C. municipalities have been awarded grants for comprehensive bicycle or pedestrian plans."

Weekly featured CB photo

(From Trip Advisor)

A look back at yesteryear

From CarolinaBeachToday ...

Here come the rides!

According to CarolinaBeachToday ...

On Tuesday, "the Carolina Beach Town Council approved the request to allow amusement park rides at the Carolina Beach Boardwalk. A 60' Ferris wheel, with majestic views of the Atlantic ocean, will be the center attraction. Let the fun begin this summer in Carolina Beach!

"And to anyone who might not think this is a good idea or that visitors wouldn't be interested, just check out the comments to this earlier story when it was first hinted that amusement rides might be coming to the boardwalk. The comments are at the bottom of this WWAY March 23rd story."

Yeah!

Chowder Cook-Off this Saturday

From the Cape Fear tourism site ...

The 13th annual Pleasure Island Chowder Cook-Off will take place Saturday at Carolina Beach Lake Park.

"Attendees can enjoy and vote on chowder from various restaurants and groups. In addition to serving up the area's best chowder, this daylong event includes live music and the Kidz Zone which will have face painting, balloon art, giant inflatable slide and more. There will also be fudge, hotdogs, funnel cakes, luna pops, pizza, bloom'n onions, soft drinks and beer and wine for sale. (No coolers, no pets please!). $5 per person 12 and under free. Park for free at Federal Point Shopping Center and ride the trolley for free to Carolina Beach Lake."

The contestants will be:
Harbor Masters Restaurant (Carolina Beach)
Jack Mackerel's Island Grill (Kure Beach)
Michael's Seafood Restaurant (Carolina Beach)
O'Charley's (Monkey Junction)
Olde Salty's (Carolina Beach)
RuckerJohns (Monkey Junction)
Seaside Grill at Courtyard Marriott (Carolina Beach)
Tangerines Caribbean Grill (Caribbean Grill)

Weekly featured CB photo

Ah, if this doesn't make you pine for the weekend, I don't know what will!

(Photo from Island Gazette.)

Wanna express your love of CB - for all the world to see?

Want some Keds that commemorate the CB pier? You can buy them here.













Or maybe you want to let the world know that ...

Carnival rides could be coming to CB

From the Dare Society's blog ...

There have been a couple of reports about new amusement park-like rides coming to Carolina Beach's boardwalk this summer.

CarolinaBeachToday posted about this, and just today so did the Star-News.

"Carolina Beach visitors may be able to get a stunning view of the ocean from atop a 60-foot Ferris wheel as soon as next month," says the Star-News.

"Local business owners and a Florida-based amusement park operator are joining forces to bring carnival rides and food to the Boardwalk this summer, as part of a rejuvenation effort that's kicked into high gear in the past year.

"A conditional use permit is needed for five parcels along Cape Fear Boulevard to accommodate a 'family-oriented carnival consisting of a series of large mechanical rides, kids' rides, funhouses and food stands,' states the permit application to be reviewed by the planning board on Thursday go before the town council on Tuesday.

"In his application, Robby Megerle of Megerle's Magic and Hildebrand Rides of Gibsonton, Fla., wrote the proposal is made 'with a desire to bring back the Carolina Beach of yesteryear.' ..."

(Image of 'yesteryear' from CarolinaBeachToday)

Stay tuned -- more information to come

We will hopefully soon have information and more photos here about Our Beach Place in Carolina Beach, N.C. This information will include renting information, local hot spots and much more.

Interested in renting? Contact me.

Stay tuned! For now, enjoy the views!