Holden Beach Town Hall has an amazing staff, awesome volunteers and great public spaces. The new playground is finished at Bridgeview Park, in time for the start of the 2026 season. Need a good beach read? Stop by Town Hall and take the elevator to the 2nd floor. Step out and into a little library. Hardcover fiction and Nonfiction fill up the front room, and paperbacks are around the corner to the right. It's run on the honor system, no ID cards necessary. Commissioner meetings take place the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 5:00 pm. Come by and meet the locals and their elected officials. Summer concerts happen Sunday evenings from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Hopefully the new concert stage will be ready! read more

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All ye beach-lovers hearken, a nod to yesteryear when shores weren't crowded and folks all waved and said Hi. This is Holden and you're welcomed into the inner-circle. High-rise, amusement-park seekers keep driving South on 95. These aren't the beaches you're looking for. 6am-towel-placers relax; there's plenty of elbow and frisbee-throwing room for your whole group. Sparkly new condo communities are a few islands away; embrace the Holden 70s architecture sprinkled among the new. Here you'll talk with many who've been coming with their families for 20, 30, 40 years. It's easy to return to a place that feels like home. And despite small changes here and there, it still seems to stay the same. With 7+ miles of South-facing beachfront, you won't see the sun rise/set over the ocean, but that long stretch of wide sand presents never-ending chances to run/walk/stroll/play no matter the tide level. East or West of town center, you'll have peaceful views as you gaze from a porch or step across the dunes onto the beach. Stay second-row if you must, and there are good values to be had, but the magic is opening your door with only sand between you and the sea. Perennial local dining spots remain for those returning for decades, and you won't see any chains until you drive to Shallotte. A few newer additions help with the variety, but having a standalone beach house also means plenty of meals prepared oceanfront. Activities vary by the season, and we've only come in spring and summer, but enjoy three islands-worth of fireworks on holidays, sand sculpture contests, concerts (when we can again). Turtles love this place, so if you love turtles stop by. Not that we've seen one but apparently people have so it keeps the dream alive. Keep your porch lights off and don't dig big holes if you like not being visited by the turtle-protectors. Beach stores and Food Lion help with affordable provisions, or go even cheaper driving to the Shallotte Wal-Mart. New development: grocery pickup will give you hours back to stare at waves instead of staring at grocery shelves. Plenty of choices to fit your budget, believe me: from the high-roller looking for "sleeps 20 w/ pool, elevator, gold-plated trash bins" (not us) to "sleeps 6, roof, oceanfront" (us), and even that one A-frame on OBE that allegedly sleeps 4 but is kind of a tiny house on the beach. It gets a little crowded on weekends or holidays, or holiday weekends, but those morning and evening magic hours are indeed that. Even the crowds aren't crowdy, and always polite, with occasional child meltdowns when they've had enough of the beach or don't want to leave (take your pick). It's all endearing. In "less busy" times you'll feel like you just discovered this place and have it all to yourself until you see a couple or dog-walker interrupt the fantasy. And they'll probably wave. You'll wave back because this is a family beach. Even RVs have a home in the lot near town center, and there's plenty of paid parking if you're visiting from nearby. But it's best for those times when you are simply doing "beach living" with those you love. For us newbies it's only been 20 years, not in a row, but this year our neighbors were on year 39 straighSame story as ours: heard about it from a friend and kept coming back. Well consider us a friend, and now you've heard. read more

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We were lucky enough to score a hit by staying at the town dock. When we arrived after hours, a police officer helped up at the town hall which is adjacent to the dock. He was so friendly & helpful that's he's to be commended as he was our first experience of Holden. The PD even had Trick or Treat candy!! He issued us keys for the shower & laundry. Following day we used the laundry which was stocked with supplies but I used my own. The shower was clean with plenty of hot water. We then trekked over the bridge to Main Street Grill which was nice for lunch. The staff was super friendly. Our stay has been so pleasant...we've found a real gem while visiting Holden. Only suggestion is to add a small bench or chair in both the shower & laundry room for backpacks, etc. The chair would be good in the laundry as it was a gray day so I wanted to stay inside. read more

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