Don't believe us? Then read this!

We LOVE Carolina Beach. (Of course we do; we wouldn't have Our Beach Place if we didn't.) But don't just listen to us.

With temperatures and gas prices on the rise this summer, many families are planning affordable getaways to Carolina Beach, N.C. Coastal breezes and free seaside activities combine to offer great value, family fun and a refreshing break for everyone. With a conveniently-accessible location, Carolina Beach is also easy on the gas. Major highways make the trip there quick via I-40, US-74, or NC-421.

Carolina Beach offers the best of a North Carolina beach experience. A variety of free events and affordable activities create a destination that is literally music to the ears. In June, vacationers can dance barefoot in the sand at the Pleasure Island Beach Music Festival—the largest and only music festival held on the beach along the North Carolina coast. There are also free concerts every Friday evening throughout the summer at nearby Fort Fisher.

One of the “must-sees” of Carolina Beach summer vacations is the free “Film & Fireworks Series.” On Sunday evenings, visitors grab beach chairs or blankets and head over to Carolina Beach Lake Park for free, first-run, family-friendly movies. On Thursday nights, the place to be is on the beach, near the boardwalk, where there's a spectacular display of fireworks. And, any night of the week, families can take in the sights and sounds of Carolina Beach's classic seaside amusement park.

Whether combing the beach for shells or treasured sea glass or taking in all the shopping, dining and arcade activity along the boardwalk, there's something to engage and delight everyone. There are water sports galore including surfing, boating and fishing. Or enjoy a slightly slower pace of life at Carolina Beach Lake by renting a paddleboat, canoe or kayak. Landlubbers can enjoy a hike along the many scenic trails at Carolina Beach State Park or rent a surrey bike and pedal through the center of town. ...

For all shaggers and beach music fans, the 26th Annual Pleasure Island Beach Music Festival on June 4 is an opportunity to sway to the beat. Widely recognized as the biggest and only beach music festival actually held on the beach on the North Carolina coast, this fun festival is hosted by the Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce. ...

With so much to see and do in Carolina Beach and its surrounding areas, it's no wonder visitors call it the summertime headquarters of sun, sand and smiles!

Click on the link at the top for more.

Surfing is big biz in CB

From the balcony of OBP, you can watch for hours the many surfers who make the trek to Carolina Beach. The stretch in front of our condo seems to be one of the most popular spots on the island for catching waves.

Apparently the influx of surfers is a great economic boon for the town, according to WECT.

Memorial Day weekend is considered the start of the summer tourist season, but it's starting early for local beachside businesses. ...

Carolina Beach already has a vibrant surfing community, but it's the out-of-town wave riders that make summer so profitable.

Do you love beach music?

Then the Cape Fear Coast is the place to be!

[B]oogie on down to Wilmington and North Carolina’s Cape Fear Coast during the month of June for back-to-back weekends of beach music festivals. Two summer festivals will feature the best in beach music, a laid-back style of rhythm-and-blues with roots on the Carolina coast. On Saturday, June 4, Carolina Beach is the place to be during the 26th Annual Carolina Beach Music Festival. The following Saturday, June 11, the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA will host a Beach Music Festival at Battleship Park to celebrate the ship’s 50th Anniversary as a World War II attraction in Wilmington.

Kick up some sand at Carolina Beach on Saturday, June 4th during the 26th annual Carolina Beach Music Festival (formerly Pleasure Island Beach Music Festival). Held on the beach near the Carolina Beach Boardwalk between Harper and Hamlet Avenues, the annual summer music extravaganza features beach music where it originated—on the Carolina coast. The fun begins on Friday during a kickoff party with music by The Carolina Breakers and DJ Mike Worley at the Sea Witch Café & Tiki Bar. The Carolina Beach Music Festival gets rocking on Saturday at 11:00am with continuous live music until 4:30pm. This year’s bands include: Jim Quick & Coastline (11:00am); The Band of Oz (1:00pm); and The Fantastic Shakers (3:00pm). Gates open at 10:30am, so bring your chairs, sunscreen, beach blankets, and coolers (no glass; no pets) and spend the day enjoying classic beach tunes. The 26th Annual Carolina Beach Music Festival is presented by the Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce. Tickets cost $15 in advance and $20 at the gate (no refunds). Advance tickets (cash-only) are available at the Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce (1121 N. Lake Park Blvd., Carolina Beach) and the following Carolina Beach businesses: Courtyard by Marriott, Olde Salty’s, the Silver Dollar, and Touchè. For details and online ticket purchases (credit card only), please visit www.pleasureislandnc.org/beachmusicfestival.asp or call 910-458-8434. A shag dance contest with over $4,000 in cash prizes follows on Saturday night at the Sea Witch Café & Tiki Bar. To register for the shag contest or to purchase contest tickets, call 910-231-8212. The party continues on Sunday at the Sea Witch with music by Soul Beam.

Editorial: Treat Masonboro like a jewel

We've briefly discussed Masonboro and its "issues" before. Recently, the Star-News in Wilmington weighed in.

In an area rich with natural resources, undeveloped Masonboro Island stands out as a gem. The barrier island between Wrightsville and Carolina beaches is a nature reserve and also a popular destination for beachgoers.

Unlike our beach towns and the popular north end of Carolina Beach, there is no regular supervision on the fragile barrier island, which is a sea turtle nesting area, important marine nursery and wildlife haven.

Unfortunately, another sort of “wildlife” has put its mark on the island at times, leaving the beach trashed after busy summer weekends, especially holidays. In addition to trash, there have been fights and injuries amid the throngs of people and anchored boats along the island’s shoreline.

After one particularly wild weekend a few years back, New Hanover County sheriff’s deputies ferried ATVs to the island and patrolled the area. Most people seemed to get the message about the trash, and officials and island supporters were pleasantly surprised to arrive on the island the day after a big holiday weekend and find very little litter. ...

With the weather warming up and people beginning to take the short boat ride to the island, it’s important to get the word out that, although a closure to the public is not imminent, it is always a possibility.

With the folks at the N.C. Coastal Reserve taking a hard look at the rules for Masonboro and all its other sites up and down the North Carolina coast, folks using the island need to be on their best behavior.

And not simply because access could be restricted, but because it is a fragile and unique place that we share with all sorts of marine life, and because taking special care of this jewel is the right thing to do.

Visit Masonboro. Enjoy its isolation and its beauty. And honor it by being a good steward

Water project gets funding

According to news sources, Carolina Beach has received a $100,000 grant from the state to go toward buying a .287-acre parcel that will become part of the Ocean-to-Sound Access Park and future home of the NC Aquarium Pier.

The grants are meant to help towns and counties restore streams, improve stormwater collection and benefit other water resources.

Now if we can only do something about the foul-smelling water ...

Report: Snakes, Venus fly traps and pirates - oh, my!

A nice piece from the Miami Herald about the Cafe Fear Coast.

We thought we’d done every “trail” imaginable, from wine trails to art trails to birding trails. But...a Venus flytrap trail? Sure enough, Wilmington has 12 sites devoted to this carnivorous plant, since this city is the only place in the world, they say, where you can see the Venus flytrap in its native (boggy) environment. That attraction alone was enough to draw us to Wilmington, a city that’s never been on the top of our “must-see before you die” list.

Our young traveling companions were skeptical. “Plants?” Raevin, 7, asked. “Seriously? We’re going to look at a bunch of plants?” She gave us a look that said “Totally lame!” We promised her we’d make a trip to the beach after we visited the flytrap trail at Carolina Beach State Park.

Once Raevin saw the bug-eating plants, with their teeth-y leaves, she was captivated, busily snapping photos. When we decided to check out some other walking trails at the park, there were no complaints from Miss Raevin.

It turns out that Wilmington had other surprises. Far from a snooze, we found Wilmington to be wildly kid-friendly.

Among the highlights were, naturally, the beaches.

The Cape Fear Coast has 31 miles of beach, and they’re a big draw. Everyone raves about Wrightsville Beach, but we found it full of co-eds in teensy bikinis. (What Mom needs that? We were here to have fun, not to feel self-conscious about the muffin-tops sprouting under our tankinis!) So we spent most of our beach-time at Carolina and Kure beaches — especially the fishing pier at Kure Beach, one of the oldest on the East Coast. We didn’t fish ourselves, but it was fun to see what other fisher-folk were pulling out of the water. Carolina Beach has a retro-looking boardwalk (circa 1896) with carnival rides (in season), Trolley Stop Hot Dogs, a local landmark, and Britt’s, one of the top donut shops in the U.S. What’s not to like?

Metered parking costs to go up

Beginning today, it will cost $1.25 an hour to park in CB metered spaces from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m., according to WECT.

Parking on the island will still be free after 7 p.m.

There are several pay station lots to make parking more convenient. Those stations accept $10, $5, $1, nickels, dimes and quarters in addition to Visa and Master Card.

[See a detailed map of parking lots and spaces at Carolina Beach (PDF)]

Freeman Park passes will also cost a little more starting April 1. They could be purchased for $60 until the end of March, they jump to $100 in April.

Just know that if you rent Our Beach Place and just hang out and relax, parking isn't a problem.