This store is adorable. They have beautiful nautical items and pretty artsy items. The lady working…read morethere was so nice and helpful. She explained how to find out about classes they offer and how to sign up. They were holding a kids art camp while I was there. And they had a great sale on all types of art supplies. I picked up really cute supplies to do a project with my granddaughter this summer. If in the area stop in as it's a great stop.

Joanne, Earl and Susan were so kind! They are very helpful and interactive during our time there…read more They made this experience so memorable and fun. I am definitely going to visit again when I come back to OIB.

I would give this place 4 stars; however, we did not get to see the pictures promised and sold to…read moreus at the end. Please keep in mind that you cannot take your cellphone on the trail. Make sure that you see the pictures before you leave. The owners promised to send the pictures later on in the day, but instead we received a phone call that there was a glitch with the camera and they did not have pictures of my group. We noticed when the owner sent out the link, we could see the pictures of past customers, including the customers right after the morning group. I am very disappointed that I have no memories on the trail, only selfies we snapped before going home. Glad we decided to take those or we would have nothing but a memory.

Had a good time. Came in from Indiana, everyone was really nice. Did the ATV trails and had good…read moretime

I've always had a love affair with water. When we think about New York, we tend to think about tall…read morebuildings and no green space, but 15 minutes from my house in the Bronx, was the Atlantic Ocean and Orchard Beach. This beach was free, and just a bus fare or car ride away. Some of my favorite memories as a child are my mother and grandmother filling a scotch plaid cooler that they got with their plaid stamps, with hard boiled eggs and grapes and bread and drinks and plums and salt and cookies. I can see my mom and grandma now in their one piece bathing suits, sun hats and sunglasses enjoying the freedom that we all got getting out of our apartment in the Bronx and feeling that beautiful ocean air and getting in that water. I remember fondly as a teenager heading over to the Shorehaven Beach club which was an inexpensive way for families like mine to join some kind of club where we could have access to a pool and sports facilities, etc. I have great memories of making lots of friends and enjoying many a summer day playing paddle ball, watching the entertainment and eating my cantaloupe and cottage cheese to stay slim Now, years later, I'm happy to say that I am a homeowner on Oak island. What a charming little beachside town. No high-rise hotels, no major thoroughfares running through it and lots of family-owned businesses. I really like it. Once a year, my best friend from third grade, Amy, and her family come down from Riverdale in the Bronx and Baltimore, and my kids come down and we spread a glorious week at the beach. This year they rented an oceanfront house just a few blocks from mine that had a pool! Boy, was that a game changer! We had the best time sitting under the shaded porch on the back and cooling off in that luscious pool. For Mark and Amy's anniversary, we decided to take an hour boat ride out of Southport that travels through the intracoastal waterway and surrounding areas such as Bald Head Island and Southport. We got tix to Southport Boat Rentals. I thought the entire experience was a big winner. It's 20 bucks for adults and $10 for kids, and you get a full hour. Access to the boat was very easy. It's literally right across the street from Flavas ice cream by Provisions in Southport. We each had plenty of room to sit and we were a large crowd of 18. I wish the seats had backs to them, but that's just me talking like an old man. Overall, the seats were cushioned and comfortable. It was the perfect time of day to go as Erik had mentioned. With it being 1pm in the afternoon, the sun was overhead, and since the boat is covered, we were in the shade the entire time and enjoyed the beautiful breeze from the water. It was so exciting when we saw dolphins playing in front of us and fascinating to see parts of the surrounding area we had never seen before. I want to commend the two young men that ran this boat. I wish I remembered their names. One was very attentive to our getting on and off securely and in enjoying our trip. A special shout out to the young man who drove the boat and was our guide. He was knowledgeable, interesting, a good public speaker with a clear voice friendly and quite impressive for a young man of his age. He has a future! Some of our kids said they were bored, but I just think it's kids not being used to turning off all the electronics and just taking in the beauty of the world around us. Underneath their resistance to embrace nature and quiet, I think they really liked it. We returned back to shore without a hitch and it felt like a nice full hour with a lot of cool information shared with us. Once again, the staff was very helpful in getting us off the boat and onto land. Mark and Amy topped off the afternoon with treating each of us to whatever we wanted at Flavas across the street. Who am I to refuse a waffle cone with coffee ice cream and sprinkles? I would highly recommend anyone in the Southport Oak Island area to take this cruise with Southport Boat Rentals. Seeing everything from the water will give you a brand new perspective of your magnificent surroundings and how blessed we are that we can enjoy such wonderful gifts of nature and the beauty of the water in NC. Enjoy!

We arrived in Southport too late for a beach day, so we decided to explore the market and booked a…read more6 pm cruise. Such a great decision - overcast weather and beautiful scenery. Our guide was knowledgeable and gave us all types of insider tid bits, not just the run of the mill tour info and history. It lasted about an hour, and again, our amazing guide was accommodating and chased a few dolphins so the kids on board could see them. Another plus- you're allowed to bring drinks on board and there's a few bars nearby to grab and board. Overall, pricing is great and hospitality is even better. Definitely treat yourself on a slow day in Southport or post-dinner cruise.

Great small park with a pier to enjoy the intercoastal waters. You must park and walk down to it…read moreand it gets kinda crowded at times especially during a nice sunset. Most of the time you'll probably have it to yourself though. Just head to the very northern end of OIB to find it. It's great place to sit and relax with a book if you need a change from the beach, just bring a chair with you. Overall a great hidden gem of OIB.

My husband and I went on the Day Safari Tour April 24, 2025…read more This tour was not only fun but very knowledgeable. As we held several animals the guide explained details of each. I loved the chimpanzee hugging me and giving my husband a fist bump. The photographers know exactly when to photo for the best experience. You receive several photos in the package. There were planned bathroom breaks, two refreshment snack stops and a terrific lunch which included a variety of food and drinks. We only wish there were photos of the tiger climbing the post and white tiger chasing the ball. We know we could not be near the tigers for safety but to have these photos we be appreciated. Hopefully next year we can attend and have these two photos added to the collection. Thank you for caring about all these animals. Rena and Darcy

This experience was absolutely worth the price…read more You get exactly what you're looking for-photos with some amazing beautiful animals that you would never truly get to experience anywhere else! This price is extremely fair as I've been to several different animal experiences in the past, the only difference is you can see the love the staff has for these animals and it's just so magical! Thank you to this amazing staff for everything and making sure all the experiences here are extra special!

The hours are currently 10-4pm. Last entry time is 3:00 on the dot…read more I had been trying a couple days to take my kids but missed the 3pm cut off. Finally made it right at three today. The two women in at the entrance/gift shop were nice and welcoming. She even told us to go to the reptile area first because it closes earlier than the rest of the park. We headed right to it. The reptile house has a very off putting smell. Every enclosure was so dark that it was hard to see any of the animals and none of them were moving much, with the exception of the armadillo and the fruit bats. The sidewalks are aged and uneven and a lot of the greenery is overgrown. There is a lot of monkies and pretty parrots. Also they have signs with which exhibits are where but no real directive on the best path to see all the exhibits. When we got to the bigger animals is where thing started to turn for me. The Lion, Tigers, Giraffe, Camel, Llama, panther - all of the cats really were all single cats. most of them seemed very lethargic. One was curled up in the very corner of the cage with a piece or rotting meat near by. The tigers appeared to be pretty agitated as well they were actively following our path along their cages almost like they were looking for something to eat. Majority of the animals just appeared very sluggish or depressed or something. there is also some peacocks that were in a cage but then some random ones that just roamed. All of the more farm type of animals were lively and active and there were larger groups of them. as we were making our way through one of the employees appeared (i noticed he was kind around but not close the whole time we were there - maybe to ensure safety ?? idk - and he let me know that the park was closing in 7 minutes. I said okay and we kept on walking the path that looped back around to the front entrance. Then my kids got excited about the tortise and went to look through the glass and he again right behind us - park is closing in minutes. I confirmed that we were headed in the right direction to the entrance and we continued to walk and he just kinda stood there. It was a rather uncomfortable interaction. The cages are not large at all and are literally a chain link cage with a small chain link fence around he whole enclosure. To be very honest when the tiger seemed agitated I wasn't completely confident that the cage was really secure so i made sure to move past that cage and to the next area. a lot of the animals just seemed a little off. maybe it was because it was the end of the day? I'm not sure but I do not plan to return there or recommend it to anyone.

The animals all looked like they are taken care of and staff are very nice and friendly.. they…read morehelped us today explaining what animal was what.. it was beautiful day sunny not too hot and all animals were awake and playful.. bought some feed in gift shop when we got our tickets and fed a good bit of animals.. great family putting

So much fun fishing!!! Great family adventure. Fred( our captain) and Josh (first mate) were…read moreawesome. It rained pretty much the whole time, but we still had a blast. They even cleaned the fish for us.

The Town of Oak Island Parks and Recreation Department operates this recreation center with an…read moreindoor fitness center and outdoor playground, including swings and courts. It is open to residents and visitors Monday-Saturday, closed on Sunday. The wooden boardwalk through the marsh and to the beach is easily accessible from the recreation center. A kayak launch is also available. Picnic tables are available outside. See their website for a full slate of programs available.