Area Information

Southport

Southport, NC is a quaint historic fishing town that offers numerous restaurants, shops and historic sites. It is located where the Cape Fear River pours into the Atlantic Ocean and it is also met there by the Intracoastal waterway.

Southport has a long history as it was established in 1792 when the town of Smithville was created. Later, the town was renamed Southport. This community saw the establishment of North Carolinas first fort, Fort Johnston in 1754. Today, Southport hosts the North Carolina's official 4th of July Festival when over 60,000 people come to celebrate this great day on her streets. Citizen gather at Forth Johnston and observe a 13 gun military salute to the original 13 states. Southport is listed in the National Register of historic places. It is also ranked by Rand McNally and Kiplinger as one of the most desirable places in the united states to retire. For a glimpse of Southport, read local author Robert Ruark's novel, The Old Man and the Boy. Southport is also home to the US Open King Mackerel Tournament.

Southport is the place we call home. Come and visit and you will see why!

Oak Island

Oak Island, North Carolina is the most populated and largest of the Brunswick County barrier islands, it is home to more than 5,000 residents. Live Oaks and Yaupon trees, the Intracoastal waterway, beautiful beaches and nature trails make this a nature lover’s paradise.

A community defined by its dedication to family-friendly activities, Oak Island is a great place to live or visit. It has over ten miles of southern facing beaches, the island offers more than 50 public beach accesses, several public boat ramps, picnic areas, extensive sidewalks, nature centers, parks and walking trails. Activities include golf at the Oak Island Golf Club, fishing charters, boating, crabbing, claming, shelling, walking on nature trails or just plain relaxing on the beach. Visitors and residents appreciate the many colorful shops and restaurant options also found here and in Southport. Situated midway between Wilmington and Myrtle Beach Oak Island is close to a host of cultural and entertainment activities, while maintaining the hospitality and warmth of a small town.

Oak Island is 12.6 miles long and averages about one mile across, It consists of the Town of Oak Island and the Town of Caswell Beach with areas of salt marsh, freshwater wetlands, maritime forests and miles of beach strand. With a complex ecosystem, the island is home to a wide variety of plant and animal life. Loggerhead, Green and Kemp Ridley sea turtles, considered to be some of the island’s most important residents, return annually to lay their eggs.

St. James

Whether you prefer golfing, boating, and fishing or dining, shopping and lounging on the beach, you’ll love all that this area has to offer. Golfers will find 30 golf courses within 30 minutes of St. James , including The Gauntlet, The Players Course ,The Members Course, and the new Nicklaus course at the Reserve, all at St. James; Carolina National at Winding River Plantation; Lions Paw and Panther Run at Ocean Ridge Plantation; the Freddie Couples course; The Pearl; and many more.

For the boating enthusiast, St. James has its own marina. You can play on the waters of the Cape Fear and Lockwood Folly rivers, the Intracoastal and the Atlantic Ocean. Offshore, you can go to the Golf Stream and you’ll feast on marlin, wahoo, bluefish, King mackerel and more! Inland, crabs, shrimp and clams await in tidal creeks along the Waterway. And for those who would rather lounge, you’ll enjoy the wide, white sandy beaches of Brunswick County, just a ten-minute drive away.

A quick drive, or a short boat ride down the Intracoastal, brings you to the quaint fishing village of Southport, where the streets are lined with live oak trees shrouded in Spanish moss. Residents enjoy the best of both worlds, with small-town charm served up in renowned local eateries such as Fishy Fishy Cafe and Provision Company. From the decks of riverside restaurants, you can watch the sunset, the salt marshes rustling with shore birds and Old Baldy lighthouse silhouetted in the distance on Bald Head Island.

A 30-minute drive takes you to the cultural scene of historic downtown Wilmington. Forty minutes to the South, you’ll find the golfing mecca of Myrtle Beach, S.C. In addition, St. James is only 10 minutes to Oak Island, 15 minutes to Caswell Beach, 20 minutes to Holden Beach and 30 minutes via a ferry or boat to Bald Head Island. Two area airports are 30 minutes to the north or the south.

Holden Beach

Of the three islands in the South Brunswick Islands, Holden Beach is the longest and the largest. Stretching 11 miles along the Atlantic Ocean, the island is a jogger's paradise. Visitors will find a host of opportunities for assimilating themselves into this exceedingly quiet family community. The beach and the sea are the central attractions in this town, which prides itself on a serene quality of life.

Holden Beach has several restaurants such as Paradise Cafe and the Holden Beach Provision Company. Rentals are available on the oceanfront, second, third and fourth row as well as canal and Intracoastal rentals.

There are many surrounding communities such as Lockwood Folly, Seascape and Oyster Harbour.

 

Ocean Isle Beach

Ocean Isle Beach is the center island of the South Brunswick Islands, offering 8 miles of beach with a total resort experience: restaurants, specialty shops, public tennis courts, access to all water sports, and a water slide. This beach has the only high-rise hotel on the Brunswick Islands. There is an airport that makes getting to Ocean Isle accessible by air, but don't expect to see commercial jets at this relatively small facility. Ocean Isle welcomes visitors to a peaceful place.

Several restaurants on the Island and the Mainland offer a wide variety of family favorites from Seafood to BBQ. Rentals are available on the oceanfront and ocean view.

 

Sunset Beach

Sunset Beach is the smallest of the Brunswick County Islands, it is only 3 miles long. Despite its size, this island experienced a 150 percent population increase between 1990 and 1997, with a current year-round population of more than 2,000 residents. Sunset Beach has, or is in the process off, obtaining a nw bridge

Although this island is residential in character, it is a great choice for a family vacation. Some of the best bargains in vacation rentals are here, and the visitor who wants a quiet coastal place will do very well to book a house on this beach. As with all of the beaches on the southern coast, quality golfing is available on the mainland. For fishing enthusiasts, there is a full-service pier. Sunset Beach also offers a special delight -- a walk to Bird Island at low tide.

Bird Island is completely untouched by development. A walk through the shallow inlet at low tide is easy for adults as well as children. There are frequent informal guided tours, announced by posters attached to street markers on the beach, so it's easy to hook up with locals who are pleased to share their knowledge of the island. The environment is purely natural and deeply comforting, where people of the 21st century can experience life as it was before the development of the land. In order to keep it this way, in 2002 the state of North Carolina purchased the island and dedicated it as the state's 10th Coastal Reserve Program site. Through this purchase, nearly 1,200 acres of wetlands, marsh and beaches are preserved for use by endangered species, including sea turtles and some species of sea birds. The island will be managed for use as an outdoor laboratory for research and education as well as traditional uses through a cooperative effort by the Division of Coastal Management, the Bird Island Preservation Society and an appointed Bird Island Local Advisory Committee.

Boiling Spring Lakes

Boiling Spring Lakes, also known to locals as "BSL," got its name from a natural boiling spring. In addition to the "Big Lake," a 150 acre lake with 10 miles of shoreline, the city also boasts an array of 50 other natural and man-made lakes. Boiling Spring Lakes was originally developed in 1961 by Reeves Telecom and encompasses over 14,000 acres of land. Boiling Spring Lakes features wooded home sites, waterfront home sites and golf course home sites as well as some commercial tracks along Hwy 87 and 133.

History

In 1961, the developers of Boiling Spring Lakes happened upon a gushing spring concealed in a wooded ravine. Wishing to beautify the area, a 4-foot high brick wall was built to encompass this natural phenomenon. Almost before the masons had completed their work, the spring suddenly stopped running. Within a few hours, it burst out in a free full flow some 15 feet outside the wall. When the 3-foot wall enclosing the spring was built, the weight of the water in the enclosed area resulted in a back pressure against the spring so it moved to an easier release point. Over time the wall broke allowing the impounded water to flow. With a lower water level in this area, the spring returned to its former location, and it boils today.

Many years ago, the spring was known as Bouncing Log Spring, in as much as a large chunk of petrified wood was tossed and churned in the water gushing up from the ground. Eventually, there was no longer a log being bounced around by the upward thrust of groundwater, and the name was changed to the Boiling Spring. State geologists have calculated that the spring discharges approximately 43 million gallons of water each day.