Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Carolina Beach State Park was once a campsite for Paleo-Indians, Colonial explorers, and Confederate troops. Today, it remains true to its history and tradition as one of the top camping destinations around. There are private sites here, available on a first-come, first-served basis, surrounded by dense vegetation. Each site features tables and grills, and overnight stays here are truly a pleasure, with water, restrooms, and parking all located nearby.
Even when you're not pitching a tent under the stars, you'll have plenty to keep you busy here, from the nature exhibit-filled visitor's center, to enjoying one of the state's best spots for fishing. Kids will love the Venus flytrap puppet, which teaches visitors about how this rare plant catches its prey. There's also a maze game they can play in which they can see what life is like from the perspective of an insect.
There are, of course, plenty of activities to suit the adults in your party as well. Nature enthusiasts will be thrilled with bird-watching and wildlife-watching for lizards, deer, opossums, carnivorous plants, and, occasionally, alligators, foxes, and river otters. If you're into hiking, there are 6 miles of hiking trails here which wind through several distinct habitats, from coastal fringe evergreen forest and pocosin, to savanna. The Sugarloaf Trail passes over tidal marsh, dunes and three lime-sink ponds, while the Flytrap Trail will take you through longleaf pine, turkey oak, and savanna communities. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for Venus flytraps which live along the edges of the pocosins, and to stay on the trail to avoid damaging small and fragile plants.
If you feel the need to swim, you'll have to head down the road, because, although there is a marina, the dropoffs and strong current here are not conducive to proper swimming conditions. In fact, water enthusiasts should know they're not far from the famous Cape Fear River, Masonboro Sound, and the Atlantic Ocean.