This a gorgeous and peaceful park that is absolutely BRIMMING with birds and turtles. We love…read morebirdwatching and we saw our first tri-colored heron and snowy egret here today! There were also several ducks, a few different gulls, doves, bluebirds, grackles, and sparrows. There is a story walk where you can walk and read a picture book with your kids, a nice playground, and lots of swings and benches. We will definitely be coming back here to look for more interesting birds and enjoy the scenery. As the previous reviewer mentioned, the parking lot is small but there are some street parking areas nearby.

This is a beautiful little lake right in the middle of Carolina Beach. They have a wildlife…read morehabitat, paddle boat rentals, a walking path, restrooms, and so much more. There is even a shelter to rent. They hold special events here like family night movies and vendors of all kinds. It is such a well lit, beautiful place that feels very safe. There are restaurants surrounding it and condos. There is not a lot of parking but you can use the side streets. There is plenty of wildlife and fun things to learn as you read posts around the lake.

Enjoyment and peace to me refers to no obsessions, no negative anticipations, a humbled amount of…read moreself-pride, emotions blending with my surroundings, and an acceptance of one's self-imposed introversion. Unlike others, I think I have found mine. It is a place (a Park) where you would feel in awe listening to "Unchained Melody." Five days a week, I take two family members to a park about a mile and a half from our home. The ride to the park is filled with sparkling eyes, hyperkinetic movements, window smears, a few gasps of air from the slightly lowered back windows, and figments of light-colored hair floating around in our truck. When I enter the main gate, one is taken back by not only the neatness but the simplicity of it all - spacious parking spots, immaculate cement sidewalks, paved pathways, well placed quasi overlooks, kempt rest areas, clean water fountains, attractive gazebos, and strategically located benches. All surrounded by a forest of 30' to 80' pines. This park was thought out well by people who knew what they were doing - "You built it and we will come." Maintenance is always ongoing and efficiently done. No sitting around here - on a morning schedule four wheelers, rakes and truck loads of different types of material are coming and going! As I get out of the truck and walk around the parking lot to the main path through the park, my two friends become more excited and look at me with wonderment. This is their "Disneyworld" and they want to get there as quickly as possible. They love not only the setting but their friends who are waiting for them. My gait hastens and my arms feel the vigor of their excitement. We acknowledge others who walk by us and on occasion a new tender bond is formed by my friends and an unexpected empathic acquaintance (a handsome Greyhound, poodle, labrador, Jack Russell, or German Shepard). The distance from our vehicle and the section of the park that is emboldened in my friends' is about a quarter of a mile; it is covered rather quickly. Our destination is in the northeast section of the parks 42 acres. It was built in 2023 - 2024 and opened in 2025. The dog runs are divided into two sections - large dogs go to the right and small dogs (under 14" at the shoulder) go to the left. There are double gates for each entrance along with a cement pad in between. The park grounds are covered with sand, and the trees are trimmed about 10' from the base. There is a multitude of young trees that have been coppiced. The trees are separated strategically by about 4 to 12 feet to allow for safe running and play. A water fountain and a doggie bag container are at the entrance. The sand base is very accommodating. When it rains, it dries quickly. There are always more people in the large dog 1-acre area. Some people come to the park based on their employment schedule. Sometimes just by the hour, other times it is by the day or days of the week. One woman takes her two dogs from park to park. No one asks or inquiries about others employment status, financial well-being, type of car that they drive, political ideation or health. The interactions here are very neutral, friendly, and unconditional. No ulterior motive, no vanity, no ego yet some self-deprecation. It is extraordinary to find such people and such a place. They are truly an egalitarian group with the common denominator being dogs. At times, an occasional slip of a personal situation or problem comes forth - "Kimberly was married while you were gone... my doctor mentioned Alzheimer's... I was unconscious for a month after the accident... my brother died - he could never get off the drugs." And we learn in a moment of spontaneous but unintentional sharing that some of the men and women are representative of different professions and lifestyles from computer operators to physicians to housewives and househusbands to engineers to accountants to college students to bartenders to public school teachers to university professors to police officers to business executives to stay at home father's and retired guys like me. See Part 2

If the main parking lot is full, there is a smaller parking lot on the backside of the park, where…read moreyou will have to access from Antietam Drive. The bathrooms were closed, but they had porta potties available. The drinking fountain was closed during my visit. There is one covered picnic shelter. There was some pretty small purple trees, and some purple flowers on the trails. There are basically two separate loops on both halves of the park. It takes about 20 minutes to walk the loop on the right side by the playground and about 13 minutes to walk the loop on the left side of where the dog parks are located. The left side loop will have more of a view of the road and cars passing by, but you won't have that on the right side of the park. You'll still hear the cars passing by no matter where you are though. Most of the trails are lined with tall trees. It was overcast on the day I went, so can't say how shaded the trail is. I'll guess that it's not very shaded. Some parts of the trails line up to houses in the neighborhood. Walking both of the loops, checking out all of the trails took about 1.5 miles total, but on the website it is 1.25 miles. Highest elevation is maybe 10 feet. The walking trail was paved, easy to navigate with my jogger stroller. The playground is targeted towards older kids. Lots of climbing structures and one slide. The dog park is separated into smaller dogs and larger dogs. There were a lot of tennis balls and benches in the dog park. Located outside of the dog parks was a drinking water station with a doggy bowl. Doggy bags are located in the park and some trash cans throughout the park. There's also an open fitness area right by the playground. Very nice and clean (although, still very new) park to walk.

I have now been to the North End a handful of times and it generally is a great time, but you need…read moreto plan to come. I came with a good group of people, beer, and some food for a day of fun. We came super early at 10AM this past Saturday and spent the whole day here. If we had not showed up at 10AM then we would have been in trouble. Today was the first day in the parks history that they closed it because of capacity. Half the beach was closed because a storm the night before washed it away. The price for one day is $40 dollars, but if it is a holiday then it is $60 dollars. You can get a year pass which is really the only way to do it if you plan on coming twice in a year. There are portable potty's, but I dislike how dirty they usually are so I didn't even bother to find out. Use the ocean for number 1 and pray that you don't need to number 2. The water on the north most part of the park is fairly gentle and calm to the beach side so it is perfect for setting up rafts or tubes. You can have drinks as long as there are no bottles present, or just dump them in a plastic cup. I am not sure when that part of the beach will be open again since the storm washed it away. The park is pretty clean and I saw a lot of people throwing stuff away in the blue bins like they are supposed to. The beach is dog friendly and you will see various cute doggies loose and about. There seems to be a lot of security as I saw trucks and quads with that slow po po crawl by pretty often. At least you will be safe. Also worth mentioning is that you can fish here. I saw tons of people throwing in a line or two and even some guys catching crabs not too far from shore.

Much different than it was in the day. Less glamour. More glitz. Walking access to the front door…read morepresents a genuine obstacle course. Our lunch was exceptional The personnel fantastic. The facility was very clean.

So relaxing! Love the rocks and how close it is to the aquarium and fort fisher historic site. Free…read moreparking and plenty of room to enjoy the ocean and sand! There is also clean bathrooms and plenty of picnic tables for you to enjoy!

Love this beach area! It is on the much quieter side which is nice…read more Anyway, we headed this way, as they have live music on Sundays 6 pm to 8 pm I believe. We had a grand ole time.

What a great park to enjoy the beach away from the hubbub of the boardwalk for a while. We went…read morespecifically to hike the Basin Trail, and it was so much fun. The overlook at the end of the trail offers a great view of some sea birds. We saw pelicans, gulls, and an osprey. On our return back to the trailhead we saw a bald eagle fly overhead. We also saw lots of mollusks and one fiddler crab. There were several bees along the trail, along with some flies. If coming in the warmer months, insect repellent would be a must. Many people were walking on the beach and flying kites. It's a gorgeous well-maintained area.

Let me just say that the state park itself was great, scenic, and accessible. We did not find any…read moreshowers. The real reason for this review was how we were treated poorly by one of the state troopers at closing. During our 4/11/26 visit, we were leaving the beach at 7:58p to get back to our car. Despite us actively walking to the car, the trooper still pulled his truck to the boardwalk and used the megaphone to announce that they were closing. (of course, we knew this, as we were walking back to the car as fast as possible.) The trooper then proceeded to park his truck immediately behind my car as we were walking there. It was 8pm at this point. As we got in the car as fast as we could, he waited by the gate. We left the parking lot at 8:02p. We understood that the park closed at 8, and we were moving as fast as we could, but we did not appreciate how rude the trooper came across. It would have been a different story if we were still on the beach and not moving at 8:02p. As an essential worker, it rubbed me the wrong way that he could not patiently wait a minute or two after his shift (I stay past my shift for sometimes several hours). The park was beautiful, just a shame that this left a bad taste in our mouth.

Update 2026…read more Carolina Beach is a place we visit during winter season after the holidays in Wilmington, North Carolina. Parking is free during the winter season on the beach after the holidays are over. No traffic & no tourists. This year in 2026, stayed at an oceanfront hotel room in Carolina beach with a balcony. We saw so many sunrises on the Carolina Beach from our high rise hotel room balcony. It made me smile every day. The Carolina Beach Boardwalk was beside our hotel and a short stroll. We were sad to see the iconic Ferris wheel by the Boardwalk was taken away. Despite the cold weather and construction, it was good to see the beach again and walk the boardwalk in the morning. Most of the businesses were closed and we spent very little time there. Still a nice walk. ---------------- The best time to go to Carolina Beach is when parking is free and the crowds are gone in the winter. We had a fun time enjoying the warm yet windy January weather on the beach. No crowds, traffic, and tourists. It was very peaceful and fun. We went to Nauti Dogs for lunch and walked on the beach. Most of the stores were closed but we didn't care. Looking forward to revisiting this beach.

Sandy, clean and a great spot to enjoy the beach. We parked at the Hamlet public parking lot which…read moreis an insane $5 per hour but the lot also has showers for washing off the sand and a decent restroom. So better than most beaches I've experienced. There is a planked pathway across the dune with trash cans on both sides. Perhaps that's why there was very little litter today. Hamlet is far enough away from the commercial boardwalk to be quite peaceful and laid-back. The beach is flat and smooth though the sand is loose making for a good workout getting to the water. Very few rocks or shells. [Review 1357 of 2025 - 4476 in North Carolina - 24909 overall]

Searching for True Love & Forgiveness? Talk to GOD and get a…read moreDOG! #ReflectDogs Love & Forgiveness This is another one of those dog parks that somebody intelligently stuck between the outfields of two baseball diamonds!! It is mostly sand but has a little grass around the edges. It has a couple very nice shade structures with picnic tables underneath them as well as multiple other places to relax and sit. There is a nice concrete double-gated entry area as well as a poop bag dispenser and trash can. You park in a little beachy parking lot right next to the dog park. Although it's not that big the dogs tire out easily running in the sand. All the picnic tables are on nice concrete bases