Carolina Beach, NC

The undisputed anchor of the Carolina Beach dining scene, open year-round when most island spots go dark. The award-winning seafood chowder — thick, creamy, layered with clams and fish — is the real reason to come, and locals order it regardless of the season. The menu runs deep into fresh local catch, and the crab cake sandwich is a reliable benchmark for the island.

Set inside a genuine 1916 beach cottage at the south end of the main drag, Havana's does a polished casual thing that most Pleasure Island spots don't attempt. The crab dip with house-made chips is the move to start, and the Honey Bourbon salmon and shrimp and grits have a following among regulars. Sunday brunch here is the best on the island — the kitchen actually earns that distinction.

The best place on the island to pull up and eat a pile of oysters without any ceremony. Started by two locals who wanted a shellfish bar without the pretense, and that ethos stuck — nautical-rustic interior, buckets on the table, and an affordable menu built around responsibly sourced bivalves. The Lowcountry boil and lobster rolls are solid too, and it holds up well year-round.

The only dock-and-dine on the island: park your boat at the back slip and walk straight in. The canal-side setting on a converted dock creates a genuinely relaxed atmosphere that shore-side places can't replicate. Blackened mahi, lump crab dip, and the Captain's Fish Sandwich are the reliable choices, and live music on weekend evenings makes it the right place to linger.

A small, creative kitchen that leans into Caribbean and Polynesian flavors in a way that actually works — the half-pineapple loaded with shrimp and the tuna poke are the signatures that regulars reorder. The tiki cocktails are serious, not sweet-syrup afterthoughts, and the compact space means the kitchen stays focused. Reservations are needed; walk-ins rarely get seated in season.

The liveliest patio on the island most summer evenings, with live music, waterfront sunset views, and a menu that punches above the tiki-bar genre. The ahi tuna nachos and crab dip are the food hits, while the Mahi tacos work at lunch. It operates year-round with more regularity than most Carolina Beach spots, and the weekday happy hour specials are worth knowing about.

A relaxed bar-restaurant that doesn't fit neatly into the island's seafood-or-burgers binary. The Sea Pho — a coastal spin on Vietnamese pho using local seafood — is the standout you won't find anywhere else on Pleasure Island. The space plays jazz and decorates with images of soul musicians, giving it a personality that stands out among the beach shacks. Evening-only, Tuesday through Saturday.

Family-owned since 1978 and proudly unchanged — breakfast and lunch only, closing at 2pm, and focused on doing classic American morning food well. The corned beef hash, biscuits, and classic seafood lunch plates have built a multigenerational regulars base that packs the place on weekend mornings. Come early or expect a wait; there's no reservations system here.

The island's dedicated pancake institution, with a menu of variations broad enough to make the decision genuinely difficult. Sweet potato pancakes, s'mores pancakes, and pigs-n-blanket are the house signatures, but the eggs benedict and biscuits hold their own. Fills up quickly on weekends and the line moves on its own schedule — budget time and it's worth it.

A So-Cal-inspired taco spot that landed on the island and found its crowd quickly. The vibe is intentionally grungy — skateboard decor, bright walls, unhurried pace — and the tacos, burritos, and nachos are lighter and more California than anything Tex-Mex. Solid vegan and vegetarian options make it a useful fallback when the group has mixed dietary preferences. All-day breakfast tacos are a bonus.

The surf-inspired kitchen that uses Southern ingredients as the backbone — think fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese, and local shrimp folded into a menu that bridges burgers, sandwiches, and coastal plates. The shrimp burger is the signature, and the fried okra side is better than it has any right to be. Beach attire is welcome, the space fits groups, and weekend brunch is a solid option.

One item only since 1939: glazed donuts. No sprinkles, no cream filling, no other options — just the original recipe, cooked to order in the same boardwalk spot for generations. The line is part of the experience on summer mornings, and the donuts are grease-translucent in the best possible way. Cash only, seasonal, and worth every minute of the wait.

The go-to spot in Kure Beach proper — a casual island grill with a menu built around burgers, wraps, fresh seafood, and steaks that serves the southern end of Pleasure Island well. The grilled fish and crab cakes lean into local sourcing, and the cocktail program keeps the patio energized on warm evenings. The service can be stretched on peak summer nights, but the food is consistent.

The flagship hike at Carolina Beach State Park — a 3-mile loop through an unusually diverse set of coastal ecosystems for a single trail. The route passes through evergreen forest, limesink ponds, coastal sandhill, longleaf pine savanna, and cypress swamp, with the 50-foot Sugarloaf Dune appearing near the halfway point as a dramatic landmark. Birding is productive throughout, especially around the pond edges.

A half-mile wheelchair-accessible loop that travels through pocosin wetlands and longleaf pine savannas — and is the best place in the park to see wild Venus flytraps in their native habitat. The plants are small and easy to overlook, but the interpretive signage helps, and rangers on weekend morning guided hikes can point out specimens that most solo visitors walk past. The short distance makes it accessible as a 20-minute add-on to any park visit.

A 0.75-mile path along the Intracoastal Waterway that trades the park's interior wetlands for open water views and boat traffic. The trail runs through pine-hardwood forest before opening up to the waterway's edge, where you can watch everything from kayaks to large motor yachts transit the cut. A quieter trail than Sugarloaf, and useful as a warmup or cooldown loop from the main parking area.

A 0.75-mile route through the park's tidal cypress-gum swamp and brackish marsh that gives you the most primordially atmospheric stretch of any trail in the park. The boardwalk sections over the swamp let you look directly into the dark water and see fiddler crabs, wading birds, and the twisted roots of bald cypress. The trail connects naturally with the Oak Toe Trail for those wanting a longer combination.

A 1.5-mile loop through the southern section of the park that showcases the ancient sand dune forest — gnarled live oaks twisted by decades of coastal wind into sculptural forms that photographers come specifically for. The route adds Cape Fear River views and completes the southern park loop, making it the best choice for a standalone midlength walk when the longer Sugarloaf feels like too much.

The paved multi-use path that runs the length of Carolina Beach town and connects neighborhoods without requiring a car. It passes Carolina Beach Lake Park — a surprising freshwater lake in the middle of a barrier island, popular for kayaking and paddleboarding — and links the boardwalk area to residential and commercial stretches of the island. Best experienced by bike, with rentals available at Pleasure Island Rentals near the boardwalk.

One of the last remaining classic beach boardwalks on the East Coast — a genuine wooden walkway with an amusement park anchor, seasonal carnival rides, a carousel, and a 100-foot Ferris wheel that lights up the oceanfront at night. The Thursday evening Boardwalk Blast runs through the summer with free live music starting at 6:30pm, and the weekly Family Night and Cash Bingo events give it a community calendar that still feels local.

The rooftop bar with the best unobstructed ocean view on the island — elevated enough above the strand to catch the full panorama of the Atlantic. Live music runs every weekend through summer and the crowd skews toward people who actually live here rather than straight-through tourists. The drinks are straightforward and the real value is the perch above everything else.

Built on the remnants of the old Center Pier, the Ocean Grill extends over the water on the southern stretch of the island and catches sunset views that the boardwalk end doesn't offer. Thrillist named it one of America's best beach bars, and the tropical fit-out with bamboo accents and thatched roof holds up the designation. The shrimp roll and fish tacos work as food; the mojitos are the drink to get here.

The sprawling outdoor bar with the biggest tiki hut on the island — a wrap-around bar, a large open deck, and a booking calendar that includes everything from local bands to nationally touring artists. The Sunday Reggae Festivus is a standing summer tradition that draws the local contingent away from the beach and into the shade with cold drinks. Worth a stop even when nothing is scheduled.

Over 16 large-scale murals spread through the town created by a mix of local and visiting artists, turning a self-guided walk through Carolina Beach into something more intentional than a beach stroll. The murals range from maritime scenes to abstract coastal landscapes and cover both commercial buildings and residential walls. A printed map is available at the visitor center; the walk covers about a mile of streets.

One of the most ecologically distinct state parks on the Atlantic Coast, famous for being one of the few places on Earth where Venus flytraps grow wild in their native habitat. The bog garden behind the visitor center puts you face-to-face with flytraps, pitcher plants, and sundews in a setting that feels genuinely alien. The park also has a 54-slip marina, boat ramps, and nearly 9 miles of varied hiking trails through coastal ecosystems.

The southern tip of Pleasure Island holds the earthworks of the Civil War's most strategically important Confederate fort — the last major port supplying the Confederate army. The site interpreted the largest amphibious assault in American history before D-Day, and the remaining earthworks, restored palisade fence, and reconstructed seacoast gun are walked via a shaded live oak trail. Free admission and a well-designed visitor center make this an underused stop.

The undeveloped north tip of Carolina Beach is one of the only stretches in North Carolina where 4WD vehicles can legally drive on the beach. The result is a wide, wild swath of barrier island that feels completely different from the developed boardwalk area a mile south — no amenities, no crowds beyond what's already parked, and genuine coastal wilderness. The fishing from the beachside is productive and the sunrise views are excellent.

The most substantive indoor attraction on Pleasure Island, with a two-story open-ocean tank featuring sharks, rays, and eels as the centerpiece exhibit. The aquarium goes well beyond the standard tanks — a rare albino alligator named Luna, Asian otters, touch pools with horseshoe crabs and bamboo sharks, and a Megalodon jaw replica that puts scale into perspective. The outdoor boardwalk trail connects to natural marsh habitat.

The oldest fishing pier on the Atlantic Coast, built in concrete in 1924 and still owned by the same family. At 711 feet, it extends far enough into the Atlantic to reach species that don't come to the surf zone, and fishing licenses are available right at the entrance. Non-fishers use it for the walk and the views — on a clear day the horizon visible from the end is uninterrupted ocean in all directions.