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.

A great rate for a good time kayaking and exploring the inner water way of Oak Island. A small…read morebusiness ran out of a home, but has good equipment and launch point. Although the boat traffic is a little heavy there is plenty of open water or side channels to explore. A little slow to connect and get going with little direction but ended with good and fair customer service. Did have to help with getting kayaks up and down dock and all life vest a bit old and worn. Did not take the tour but the self guided fun was more than worth the $15 per hour per person.

super awesome staff, helped me purchase a bicycle that I absolutely love, will definitely purchase…read morefrom again

Fantastic buying experience and owner was super knowledgeable. I purchased two e-bikes and he went…read moreout of his way to bring the bikes to me. Both ebikes were prepped and ready to go. We would definitely purchase from them again.

Convenient location on the ICW. Bill was helpful with lines on the docking the boat. Restrooms…read morewere clean. Only complaint is since they are along the ICW, boats FLY by, leaving their large and damaging wakes behind. They have bikes to use, but they HIGHLY suggest not riding into town.

Stayed here for two nights. Everything was clean and the dock people were knowledgeable and…read morehelpful. A very welcoming place and a wonderful walk to town. Hank with Carolina Yacht Care gave us a ride to Walmart to provision. Terrific stop!

The people here were so nice, convenient and accommodating. They even gave me two free days when I…read moreasked for an extension. The nicest, yet most well run business ever.

The bikes were great and the process was seamless! Michael delivered our bikes early in the morning…read morearound 8 am and picked them back up when our rental was over. Very easy on our end. My family and I loved the bikes.

I have used Island Hoppers for many years when we come to visit. They go out of their way to make…read moresure our bikes are waiting for us when we arrive. Today we had 2 brand new easy pedal bikes waiting for us when we got here. They are the best!

We have vacationed at Sunset Beach, NC for the last 25 years, yet when it comes to bike rentals, we…read morehave found that you can't beat Island Hoppers on Ocean Isle when it comes to price, quality and service. . For $55 a week, you get a rust-free bike in excellent condition delivered to your house and picked up at the end of the week. Steve has always provided excellent customer service and is super friendly. I highly recommend this business, and it's nice to know that they appreciate my patronage.

This was our first year using Barefoot Cabanas during our annual week-long vacation on Sunset…read moreBeach, NC. We were impressed by the professional and friendly interactions we had with the young adults who set up and broke down the cabanas each day. Sadly, we will not use them again after finding out that there was no refund possibility for the rainy days when they were unable to set up the cabana. I hope they will consider revising their policy for future clients.

Can't say enough about excellent customer service! Worked with us thru technical difficulties on…read morea busy week. Thanks for making me believe in the good of people again!

We've stayed at several Safe Harbor marinas up and down the East Coast -- Blue Water, Solomons…read moreIsland, and Charleston, to name a few -- and have always had excellent experiences. Unfortunately, Safe Harbor South Harbor Village was the complete opposite and left us absolutely shocked by the lack of professionalism and hospitality. Several days before arriving, I called ahead to ask if they had a "pay to use the facilities" option for anchoring vessels -- something other Safe Harbor locations handle courteously. The dockmaster was polite, helpful, and said it wouldn't be a problem; we just needed to "take care of the dock hands" and could use the showers and laundry. When we arrived, everything seemed fine. We gave a gratuity, received a fob, and went to use the facilities. Moments later, we were confronted by an angry man who claimed to be the general manager, demanding to know what we were doing and accusing us of trespassing. His tone was hostile and accusatory from the start -- no attempt to understand, no professionalism. He even threatened to fire the dockmaster who had helped us and spoke condescendingly to my wife in front of other guests. Completely disgusted, we returned the fob and left immediately. We called Morningstar Marina just down the ICW and were treated with warmth, respect, and genuine hospitality -- everything this location lacked. It's a shame, because Safe Harbor's brand has always represented consistency and courtesy. But until corporate addresses the toxic management at South Harbor Village, we'll be taking our business -- and our recommendation -- elsewhere.

Dates: July 26 - 29 LOA: 48' Beam: 15' Draft: 3'4"…read more Nice, well cared for marina. The staff is all very nice, helpful, and accommodating. Be warned there is a strong current when coming around the fuel dock to the inside of the marina for the slips. We managed with twin screws, but slack tide would be much easier. The dock hands warned us to come around at a 45 degree angle to avoid a shoaling at low tide. Pump out is at the fuel dock, so plan on doing so as you come or go. Two great restaurants on location to choose from - a "big deck" energy bar and grill, and a quaint Italian restaurant that is only open for dinner. Both are worth stopping at. Uber is not available in this small town and the marina is far from everything. The dock office has a list of taxi companies to try if you are needing to head into town at all. While we were there, the mens room was having the floor redone, so men were having to wait in line for the handicapped / family restroom to shower on shore. The women's room had two stalls and a shower and was very nice. We didn't use the laundry but they do have it on site.