I had a great time fishing today. The area was very clean and the lakes are beautiful!read more

Relaxing and quite a bit of a walk if you are looking for a nice time to get some steps in. I saw a…read moredolphin in the water, a crane and some other birds. The shell tree area is cute and we hung a few ourselves.

It seems to be a pretty busy place I guess it's one of the very few places where you can bring…read moredogs. I realize that along the beach is definitely not dog friendly. I brought my dog on the beach down the road and got a lot of dirty looks and apparently beaches aren't dog friendly for some reason. So a lot of people had a lot of dogs here walking around. They had two Porta potties that are not well-maintained. You can walk along the walkway, they have a few regular porch swings and a few kids swings. There wasn't any grass for dogs to go to the bathroom which would've been nice.

This is a gem of a find off a busy street in Shallotte. This lovely park offers beautiful views,…read morebenches, tables and serene strolls. Bring your dogs and enjoy the walk. We enjoyed a nice leisurely walk and watched the birds. This is a perfect spot for lunch or to lay out a blanket and get some sun or take a nap.

Lovely little green space near downtown Shallotte. There is a small walking path that weaves along…read morethe riverside (partial path; partial wooden deck), with some grassy space and assorted benches along the way. It's not huge, and there aren't any amenities (eg a bathroom or playground), but if you're looking for a space to take in a bit of nature and wildlife, this is a gorgeous option. When we visited there were a few people fishing off of the deck, so if that's your thing, it may be worth looking into.

Beautiful views along the water. There's a lot of parking along highway 17, some paid lots, and…read morefree lots of you're eating at that restaurant. Holiday time the restaurants are decked out in colorful lights with a holiday tree set up at the end of the dock. Can book a sunset cruise boat ride or pirate ship ride. Flat, paved or deck - wheelchair and stroller accessible.

The space is much written about. It amounts to a boardwalk into the marsh and along the water's…read moreedge, along which various boat launches and restaurants are evident. The marsh is characteristically majestic. The businesses aren't much. It's always nice to get a bit of that fresh sea air, but compared to, say, the similar Shem Creek boardwalk in the Charleston suburbs, this one is nothing to write home about. Parking was a tad confusing but out on the street appeared to be free. I'm sure that eating on the water is nice, but food options are better elsewhere in my experience.

I was here in December 2025 visiting friends. We went to this wonderful park. It was very clean…read morewith clear paths to the beach. The have a water station to rinse your feet after playing in the sand. The park has a entrance fee, but I'm not sure what it was since my friends had an annual park pass. Parking was plentiful There is a nice gift shop to which you need to walk through to get to the pier. I found some cute souvenirs as touristy prices. The pier has a gigantic chair for photo opts!

Came here for my classes' field trip! What a beautiful day it turned out to be, the entry price…read morewasn't bad at all- it was $20 for my two littles and me. The park was clean and easy to navigate. The beach is absolutely stunning! I love that there were pavilions close to the beach as well as a park! The shower house was clean and easy to access. It's nice to be able to go home clean from the sand. The day we went the beach wasn't crowded, the sand was nice and soft especially when walking barefoot. This is a must visit spot!

This park is adjacent to City Lake and has a great view even on a rainy day like today. There is a…read moredecent sized parking lot and that was helpful for me to hang out and figure out how to get back to the highway. The park has some covered picnic areas, a nice playground with a soft mulch base, and a walking path next to the lake It's a nice spot and I'd like to spend more time here soon. [Review 13957 overall, 1279 of 2020, number 2599 in North Carolina.]

Beautiful place an love fish there I mostly fish alone so it's nice to be where people can see you…read moreif something go wrong

Jones Lake State Park is located in Elizabethtown, NC. It is full of beauty, science and history…read more European migrants settled in the area and the lakes. Jones Lake was named for a local who donated a tract of land on which Elizabethtown was founded. Salters Lake was named after Sallie Salter. She was an American Revolutionary War heroine who famously spied on the Tories encamped along the Cape Fear River. Jones Lake State Park has a Visitor Center with restrooms and interactive educational displays. These cover the history of the area, the scientific phenomenon and the ecology. Both Jones Lake and Salters Lake are Carolina Bays with highly acidic ecosystems. They are shallow, elliptically shaped depressions found throughout the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Aerial views show that thousands of these ovals are perfectly parallel, precisely aligned along a northwest-to-southeast axis. There are many theories about these geological wonders. From wind and waves to even meteorite impacts. The industry in the area was farming and harvesting cotton and longleaf pines for the turpentine, pitch and timber. The area became overcut, and farmers could no longer survive. This led to an experiment of making these areas into parks. During the Jim Crow Era, it became a refuge for African Americans and was the state's first state park for African Americans. As most areas were segregated, the park is where the community came together culturally for baptisms, family reunions and community celebrations. In 1964, the park became desegregated. I had to double-check the date, as 1964 is not that long ago. The lake's water is tea-colored, and decomposing organic matter produces tannic acids. This lowers the pH to 4.3, so it is closer to vinegar than to lake water. It is nutrient-poor as well, so not much can survive here. The waterlogged wetland and rims create a unique evergreen shrub bog called a pocosin. The bog has evergreen bay trees such as the Sweet Bay, Loblolly Bay, and Red Bay. Bladen County is home to carnivorous plants like the Venus flytrap, pitcher plants and sundews, which thrive here. Not many fish can survive here except for acid-tolerant fish species, like the chain pickerel, yellow perch, flyer sunfish, and yellow bullhead catfish. For day visitors, Jones Lake State Park features over 50 picnic tables, charcoal grills, a sandy volleyball court, and horseshoe pits. During the warmer summer months, the park also opens a designated, roped-off swimming area with a white-sand beach.

Jones Lake State Park is a peaceful well‑kept place to camp and explore. The campground is small…read morebut usually easy to get a spot in, and the whole area is taken care of really well including the bathhouse, which is clean and maintained better than a lot of larger parks. The trail around the lake is an easy but rewarding walk. There's no elevation to worry about, just about five miles of flat, quiet trail with plenty of scenery. It's the kind of hike where you can relax and enjoy the water, the trees, and the quiet without feeling rushed. Just make sure you bring bug spray this is a large lake with standing water which is a perfect breeding ground for bugs. The park also has a fishing dock and a small boat launch that's perfect for kayaks and similar setups. One of the best things about Jones Lake is how quiet it is. You're away from crowds, away from noise, and it actually feels like you get space to breathe. Interesting fact (at least to me) Jones Lake State Park was established in 1939, and it holds an important place in North Carolina history. It was the first state park developed specifically for Black Americans during segregation its cultural significance is still a big part of its identity today. The nearby town of Elizabethtown has a quaint little downtown with a few local restaurants. There's not a ton going on, but it's a pleasant place to stop before or after your time at the park.

Absolutely beautiful area and well worth the visit…read more We took a drive out to Conway yesterday. It's truly an Americana town with so much history dating as far back to the 1732 British settlement. We took a lovely stroll on the Riverwalk and soaked in the scenery. Saw many different types of boats coming thru on the water as the trailhead is right there. Boaters can even dock, do lunch or simply just walk around town. Few people were fishing, and many families were enjoying the fully fenced in playground. A local hot spot right on the edge of the riverwalk is a place called Chanti's Pizza, it's a popular local restaurant that caters to many homeowners, as well as great reviews by numerous visitors that come to town too! Would be a perfect place to dine if spending some time here and wanting to have lunch or dinner on the water. It's truly an iconic boardwalk trail (approximately 1.5-mile of a scenic pathway) along Waccamaw River that goes under the US-501 bridge and over some extremely old railroad tracks. Stunning views of the river and an abundance of Spanish moss draping the trees. Definitely a must do if you are near this community or while traveling on vacation just as we were.

Highly recommend adding Conway downtown and the riverwalk to your local holiday sightseeing…read moreentertainment after sunset. Some light exhibitions have music to add to the ambiance. There's plenty of parking on the side streets and parking lot. Check out the official Conway town website for the most updated information of events starting in December - tree lighting, caroling, shows in the theater. 20-30 minutes from Myrtle Beach. Best of all, it's free. In October, definitely come back for the Halloween town when the trees are decorated with hanging pumpkins and there are spooky displays everywhere. The calendar features events like movie nights, food trucks, and the scare factory.