A Weekend in Southport and Bald Head Island, North Carolina

One of my favorite spots in North Carolina is the quaint town of Southport. Located about 30 miles south of Wilmington on the Cape Fear River, Southport is the quintessential, small, seaport town with New England vibes. It's the jumping off spot for Bald Head Island and the Brunswick Isle beaches or if you prefer Myrtle Beach, you can get there in a little over an hour. It's close enough to Wilmington if you need your city fix or you can small town hop around the area for shopping and scenery viewing. But it's just fine if you want to stay put - there's seafood restaurants,plenty of small town shops and a park along the river for sunset watching. Come along for a weekend visit to Southport.

Southport
Southport is located on the Southeastern coast of North Carolina where the Cape Fear River meets the Atlantic Ocean. A popular place to film movies - Safe Haven is the most famous - and an important spot during the Civil War, (the Cape Fear was a popular spot for river runners who made their money by running supplies under cover of the night out to ships that had been blockaded)Southport is a quaint, small town with Main Street shopping, seafood restaurants and a popular riverfront park. You can also just take a stroll around town and look at all the historical houses, some of them built and previously owned by those above mentioned Blockade Runners. 

On a weekend visit, you can take a golf cart tour of famous movie sites, shop at unique shops downtown, visit a Wine Bar for a glass, watch the sunset from the swings at the Riverfront Park and then have some delicious seafood at one of the restaurants along the water. Provision Yacht Company is famous for it's honor system - order at the counter, grab a drink from the cooler and pay later on the honor system. Or try the Caribbean vibed Fishy Fishy or get some comfort food with a view at the Frying Pan. And the night we were there we had a drink at American Fish Company, also known as the restaurant where Katie worked in Safe Haven. (Safe Haven, filmed in Southport, stars Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel based on the book written by Nicholas Sparks)

Bald Head Island
Bald Head Island, lying two miles off the coast of North Carolina, is a car free, nature filled island. Home of the North Carolina Coastal Reserve, 178 acres of maritime forest, Bald Head is where you want to go if you want to get away from it all. 

The only way to get there - besides private boat - is to  catch the 20 minute ferry from Southport where you land at the only "town" on Bald Head. There are a few restaurants, a few shops and most importantly, the golf cart rental shop. No cars are allowed on the island so transport is either by foot, bike or an electric golf cart. (Cary Cart Rentals, reservations recommended)

If you want to stay on the island then you'll need to cough up some cold, hard cash for a rental - and they don't come cheap. (There is one bed and breakfast inn that I'm aware of that is also a bit pricey) Rentals run the gamut from a small studio in town to ginormous beach houses that include guest cottages. I have only ever been for a day trip to enjoy the beaches and tool around the island but a girl can dream can't she?

The beaches are some of the most expansive I've ever been on. The word "unspoiled" comes to mind when I think about the beaches on Bald Head.  We enjoyed our afternoon planting ourselves on our beach chairs on an almost empty beach - there really were only a handful of people there. Golf cart parking is available at several beach access points - and the golf cart rental company will give you a map. And if you're staying over and like to visit the beach at night, there's always the monthly "Howl at the Moon" party held on the full moon with guests bringing food and drink to share (held at East Beach Access 39)

Bald Head is also home to the state's oldest lighthouse, Old Baldy. It was built in 1817 to warn ships away from the Cape Fear River shoals and was the third lighthouse built on the island. You can take the 108 stairs to the top for great views. And if you'd like more history of the island there are history tours given which include a visit to Old Baldy.

If you'd like to get out on the water The Sail Shop offers kayak rentals or guided kayak tours. Or check out Riverside Adventure Company for kayak or SUP rentals, bike rentals and beach rentals.

If you'd like to visit a peaceful spot in a a relatively undiscovered corner of North Carolina, then this could be it. I think it's a little slice of Heaven. And I can't wait to go back again.


Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!