The park is primarily a barrier island with ferry service, though there are some onshore trails…read morethrough the forest and ample picnic space while you're waiting for the boat. The ferry is reasonably cheap and does not take advance reservations. They limit capacity on the way over, but obviously this does create a situation where passengers can build up by the end of the day, to which their solution appears to be to have the last scheduled ferry service double up if need be (they had at least two boats it seemed). The island has ample uninterrupted beach, which had plenty of sea life, including a sand dollar which I would more typically see farther south. There was a modest paved walk through the island to get to the beach, passing primitive campgrounds and some bathroom facilities on stilts. During my visit, they emphasized that the water available on the island was not drinkable; apparently they had to repair facilities after a hurricane and the intent was to produce drinkable running water, but there was still some unsolved technical issue. They cautioned us in advance to bring plenty of water, and there were working fountains on the mainland. Every island is different, and in this region, most of them are settled. The next really wild one heading north is Shackleford I think, and heading south would be Masonboro (which I haven't found practical to get to). The atmosphere here is worth preserving.

Really nice park. Nice trails. Well maintained infrastructure. Top notch campground with very…read morenice bathrooms. This is a good place to check out.

Great place, very close to beaches, aquarium and lots of things to do. Very friendly people.read more

I will start by saying that the staff onsite and the community was very friendly. Thankfully, since…read morefrom the moment we arrived we had a whole crowd of onlookers wondering how in the world we were going to fit our 41 foot 5th wheel into the lot they sent us to. Let me go ahead and warn you - if you have anything bigger than a 35 footer DO NOT STAY HERE. If it is going to rain - DO NOT STAY HERE. The lot they put us in they claim can fit up to 42 feet - absolutely not the case. The roads are narrow and if it's a weekend of holiday, packed with trucks, boats and trailers. It took nearly an hour to finally get into our spot (which we could only do by the help of the neighbors and we had to drive through someone else's lots which thankfully the grass was dry, if it was wet at all there's no way we would have been able to get in there.) in fact we would have just left immediately but it was Memorial Day weekend so everything was full. So we finally get into the spot and the water hook up is way in the back of the lot behind the electric box, so unless you have an extra long hose (which we have NEVER needed at any other park) your hose isn't going to reach. Then the rain came. I've attached video and photos to show you how flooded this spot got. We had to walk through 7inches of rain every time we left our house and this was just after a few hours of rain, not like a torrential downpour or anything. With kids and dogs this was absolutely terrible. In order to get the rig out we had to have use plywood in order to avoid getting stuck. After emailing the management team about this, they claim they have put many rigs our size in that spot - though the staff on site specifically told me ours was the first of that size they tried to fit in there. The staff onsite also said they've continuously asked corporate to do something about the way that spot floods and that they agree we shouldn't have been placed there. Corporates response was that it was our fault for having trouble getting in and that there's nothing they can do about the flooding. Perhaps try paving the spot or at least putting down gravel. The fact that this company thinks it's acceptable to place ppl in this muddy mess blows my mind. Thus my warning for future travelers.

The landscape was beautiful and the trails were clearly marked. I was there by myself and felt very…read moresafe. If you're ever looking for a nice quiet place to go for a nature hike, this is your spot.

This lovey trail is part of Croatan National Forest. It's free, and there's a small parking lot…read morewith a restroom at the trailhead. I visited on a warm weekday afternoon between Christmas and New Years and saw only a few other folks out on the trail. There's a big loop that's about 1.5 miles, or you could do a shorter loop. The trail is mostly shaded and quite flat, making it an easy stroll and accessible for kids (including strollers) and people who need low intensity hikes; there are many benches along the way. Many parts are wooden bridges out over the marshland; at the right time of day you can see fiddler crabs in the water. (If it's recently rained, don't go at high tide; parts of the trail may be wet or muddy!) You'll find a really nice variety of trees and micro climates- the grasses and small trees in the marsh land are quite different from the hardwood forests and pines just a few feet further inland. This trail would be especially lovely at sunrise or sunset. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the Emerald Isle/Swansboro area!

Management is very accommodating and friendly. Amenities include clubhouse with clean restrooms,…read moretv, pool table and Wi-Fi. Campers also have access to a salt water pool and dog park. Only about a 10 minute drive from Swansboro and 1/4 mile from the ICW and public access boat ramp. Perfect for a quiet, relaxing and family friendly stay.

This is a basic campground with no frills. Nice green grass with lots of cool small frogs. Fire pit…read moreincluded and the pad to put the trailer is concrete. Sewer, water and electric. There is a pool. Crappy hours of 11-7 because it is not lit. Everyone else on the grounds were permanent residents. It does have a bath house, club house and small kitchen. We paid $25 a night. We went and toured Holiday TravL park, which is $80-$100 per night. Feel like for $25 we got what we paid for. There are no other amenities included. We would return here for the price, location, and basics.

This was our 3rd time here. First time was absolutely amazing. Great customer service, very clean…read moreand tidy bathrooms and camping site. Second time going down hill a little. Not as clean in the bathrooms, wifi consistently not working properly. This third time on our visit bathrooms very dirty with trash cans over flowing with trash, usually only cold water in showers and AC on too cold. Wifi not working and my spouse couldn't connect for work, so we had to use wifi elsewhere. I don't know if we will be back for a 4th time. This is ridiculous how bad it's going. Bathrooms shouldn't be this dirty and not cleaned on a daily or every other day basis. Especially for what we pay. Also, hardly ever any warm or hot water. Then the AC is on high. It's freezing and very uncomfortable to enjoy the facilities.

Just happened to go back to comped for lunch. Smelled something burning and saw smoke coming from…read morethe breaker box. Called front desk twice and left messages for which no one has returned a call. Drive to front desk to have them send an electrician to the site to check the box. Electrician changed out the burnt breaker and stated that we would need a new cord. Went to office to see how they were going to help with what was their breaker box that caused the issue. The manager stated that we would just have to deal with our insurance company for any compensation. So sad how the reputation of this compound has deteriorated over the past year.

My family and I signed up for a boat charter out to shark tooth island to find some shark teeth…read morethis summer. This was by-far our favorite activity that we did on our vacation. In the past, we have rented kayaks from Pogie's and have always loved renting through them. Pogie's was AMAZING to work with both during this trip and in the past. They were very kind and attentive to us during our time with them and gave us some local tips for our adventure. They were able to accommodate our larger group and went above and beyond to make it a fun and successful outing. I highly recommend this place!

You've driven by, wondered how to take that micro adventure. It's too expensive, I've never kayaked…read morebefore, it's too sunny... Well STOP it and stop on by. Book online it will shave off some precious sand dollars. No waves? That's great, too easy. You don't have to put a boat in the water, they have a cool slide to launch you so you don't look like a weirdo. Service was friendly, helpful and able to launch even the stockiest of gentlemen. (Also bring cash for tip)

Was driving through the area and yelp said this was the only campground on the sound. All of the…read moreothers had closed. This isnt a camp ground, its an RV park, though the signs say otherwise. I arrived late on Saturday after the office had closed, the instructions at the office say to pick a spot and check in and pay in the morning. Their camper bathrooms were locked and unable to be used. Had to walk to the pier to use the toilet. In the morning when I went to pay, I was rudely told that I was not allowed to camp here, that they had stopped allowing that over a year ago. Its also 50 dollars for the night for just a small backpacking tent. Place feels wrong. Its a beautiful site and quiet though.

Nice little find on the Emerald Isle. Bill the manager runs the place well…read more Easy access to the beach. Stores and restaurants within easy walking distance.

We forgot to take pics but wanted to leave these guys a review-…read moreRoadside rental with put in located next to the Waterway Inn. Knowledgeable & patient guides made our experience enjoyable. We've done fresh water kayaking with our current so this was our first experience like this. Easy access in and out. We felt safe and never unattended. They offer guided tours too. About 2.5 hours long. Maybe slightly longer. They provide a map and wet bag to protect out stuff. Lift jackets provided too. Over all great experience! Anyone can definitely do this. First timers or not. Reasonable prices. Check them out!

Great staff. Small, private parking lot…read more Once you get on the kayak, it can be rough getting across the channel due to the wakes of larger, fast boats. But after that, it's pristine and lovely. Went to shark tooth island but no luck there. We saw egrets, a heron, hermit crabs, and fish. Incredible natural estuary.

We had a permanent travel trailer there several years back. Loved it. Great location, weekend…read moreentertainment and on the water. Had great fun on our decorated golf cart.

Goose Creek was perfect for what we needed! We called last minute just needing somewhere to set up…read morea tent for the night before heading onto Atlantic beach in the morning. They were open late enough that we could get there in time and it had just the basic space and a bathroom nearby available. Had we been staying longer we would have needed somewhere to possibly build a fire or do some grilling (of which we didn't see any), but for what we needed it worked great- and you couldn't beat the view waking up the next morning!

Front desk definitely needs training. No one knows how to sign up Renew Active clients. The website…read moreclearly shows Renew Active can enroll at the gym, with a 9 digit number (vs a 16 digit for the Silver Sneakers option) yet the front desk employees insisted I HAD TO HAVE a 16 digit number, so I guess I'll be choosing a different gym til they can figure it out. The "eligibility checker" they use goes directly to Silver Sneakers (a totally different program). If you have Renew Active don't bother trying.

A measure of grace for the day; I returned to the pool after almost 16 years, was warmly greeted…read more(...by name- WOW )- the lady at the front desk was very kind. She re-oriented me with the facility since it had been so long. Just like with a bike, once you learn how-you can get right back to it! I was so thankful when this pool/gym was built so close to home, and it felt so good to be back! Thank you for your hospitality!!!