Nice little (and I stress little!) park in Surf City, NC. There are swings, a slide, and a "camel…read moreback climber" (like a loopy monkey bar/climbing contraption) for the kiddies. There is also a basketball court and small picnic pavilion. The highlight of this spot, however, is clearly the boardwalk that juts out into the bay area. True, the walk is short (920 feet per the website), but it provides quite beautiful views of the bayside, as well as all its inhabitant creatures. From the sides of the boardwalk, you can view tons of fiddler crabs milling about, while from the terminus, it's not rare to see a wide variety of small fish, sand crabs, blue crabs, and mussels. Definitely not a bad spot to check out for some decent views, nature viewing, and "playgrounding".

This park has some awesome stuff. Trails, basketball court, tennis courts, soccer field, baseball…read morefield, playgrounds. There are water fountains and bathroom facilities (which Is nice). The park was clean for the most part. The reason for taking a star off is: the bigger playground is surrounded by sand which is hot, and has tons of sand ticks. We couldnt stay and play long. The park also has grills and picnic tables as well.

Nice park overall. The playground with attached gazebo seems to be the biggest attraction and it's…read morea great place to get the kids to make friends. There's always a groundskeeper present as well and it's kept clean.

Surf City holds a special place in my heart thanks to childhood nostalgia, the site of many a…read morefamily vacation filled with wonderful memories. The original pier and Barnacle Bills were lost to a hurricane, and it's much more developed than it was when I was a kid, but the soul remains.

This is our second day at the beach which let's start positive we have loved! Great food, nice…read morepeople! Saturday when we parked on our first day we paid the public parking price that we honestly though was a steal. Then, a older couple who told us they worked for the pier came to our car from their white van sitting in front of the pier and said "if you are fishing at the pier and buying a pass you could have parked for free in our parking". We thanked the woman who was very nice and said thank you for letting us know, no big deal, will remember tomorrow. Fast forward to Sunday, same older couple same white van Woman comes to the truck says are you fishing here? My husband says yes, goes in purchases the pier pass, she gave us the parking pass day two she's still kind and professional. Not 2 mins after she walks away the older male comes over says you can't park here if you aren't fishing. I explain my husband is fishing (he has a separate fishing cart than my beach cart) however being the gentleman my husband is and knowing we have a teenager who has a disability he states I'm going to help her get the cart down to the beach. This man gives us attitude but my husband helps and takes his fishing cart straight to the pier. Fast forward, my husband spends all day at the pier but time to pack his family up and go. Puts his cart up in the truck comes to help me and the same older man says you have to pay for parking if you aren't on the pier? My husband said we are leaving I'm just helping my wife... doesn't matter if you aren't on the pier. So my husband being the nice person he is went and paid for public parking for an hour to help me drag the cart from the beach which took an entire 5 mins. So if you are smart go ahead and pay for that parking which honestly is cheap anyways and enjoy your day. I write all of this because I work in hospitality and this man was as nice as a hemorrhoid. Stop chasing people down literally before they get out of the car to tell them they shouldn't have paid parking only to harass them the 5 mins it takes for them to help their family get the cart from the beach. Again, the public day parking is a steal compared to big cities. This man is not who needs to be in the parking lot.

Searching for True Love & Forgiveness? Talk to GOD and get a…read moreDOG! #ReflectDogs Love & Forgiveness What a very interesting and sort of eclectic dog park!! Yes it is tucked in back behind the big building and right behind the kids playground. Can you walk across this little wooden bridge and voila there's the dog park! It's got a couple places to sit and a couple poop bag dispensers and the trash can. There is a nice double-gated entry area as well as a water fountain for the dogs. There are a few agility items spaced all around and the ground covering is just normal natural ground covering. You just have to walk around the building!!

Great well-enclosed dog park. Lots of wood chips and leaves on the ground. My dog loved it.read more

I love this park. It has tennis courts, pickleball courts and basketball courts. You can watch a…read morebaseball game or a soccer match. It has swings and slides for the little ones. A great park!

Fun always something for every age of child alone of games to watch and cheer on your favorite team…read morebeautiful fields. Very clean park

This is a square space of Carolinian forest which is not far from the beach, but offers a different…read morevibe and plenty of tree cover. Some bridges cross over small waterways and give the opportunity to gaze over some pretty still water. Relative to the more coastal areas, the obvious advantage here is shade, and the disadvantage would be the potential for a lot of bugs in the warmer weather. There are several trails which circuit navigate the place, and it joins a historic site. It does have its own parking lot and there is no charge to get in.

Visited the new entrance today on Wednesday morning around 9 AM. Not many people were there, so…read morethere was still quite a few parking spots. there was one porta potty. It was a nice short hike. There was a sign at the parking lot of where the trail started, but not totally clear. You just head along the wooden rope fence on a grass dirt area until you'll get to a gate (about .1 miles), where you'll have an option of going either left or right. I decided to make a right and eventually came to another intersection where I I made a left and it was a loop trail, around .75 total miles starting from the gate. There are trail marker wooden sticks, but no trail names. No map either on site. There are garbage cans throughout the trail, dog poop bags at the start, and a couple of benches on the loop trail. It was an overcast day, so hard to tell if it was shady. If I had to guess, it would be semi shady because of all the trees. It was fairly flat, but lots of tree roots. Still manageable with my jogging stroller.

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!

Southside Park is a fabulous park with amazing views of the inner coastal bridge and waterways. The…read morepark is filled with amenities, including a popular playground with climbing structures, slides and swings. Five pavilions with picnic tables are available for picnicking or get-togethers. There is a small stage for local performances and nearby restroom facilities. Nice sidewalks and boardwalks lead around the park and over the marshy inlet. There is a public boat launch and even a kayak launch. Ramps throughout the park easily enable wheel chair and stroller access. Plenty of benches surround the park. We walked around the park several times during our visits. Kids were celebrating birthdays and making good use of the playground. The park is currently decorated for the holidays with a large tree, wreaths and lights that are lit at night. Plenty of parking extends on the east and north sides of the park and includes boat trailer parking. Parking is free off season. The park is a must see during a visit to surf city and a great place to watch the sunset.

We came here to check out the sunset. Close to our Airbnb. Plenty of parking and wooded trails…read more Nice frisbee golf area. We walked the wheelchair accessible wooden walkway that went to the dock. Clean restrooms by the trail entrance.

This is a tract of woodland facing the sound (not the ocean). Parking is free, and there is a bit…read moreof a walk but there are facilities, not just bathrooms but a boat launch. There is also a frisbee golf course. The space is not huge, but there are some interesting sights to be had and it is free. There are some fairly flat boardwalks but also trails which run over hills about as high as you're likely to see on this island.

I can't believe I've never been to this park before! It was such a great spot for a walk around the…read morebeautiful lake and to play! The main path (1.3 miles) is paved with additional dirt trails on the sides. The playground is absolutely amazing and my kid loved it. The park was clean and there were lots of people out. The bathrooms were decent and there was picnic tables under shelter. Parking was filling up but it was a sunny day in February so I think people were out enjoying it. They have kayak launches that I'd love to come back to try!

Great.little park to take a trail around and hike. Nice for canoeing or fishing (catch and release…read moreonly) Dogs need to be leashed , and cannot go near park