Last year I went to a new East Coast beach destination (woo!), Sunset Beach. Alright, I know we don’t necessarily look at the East Coast for the ultimate beach destinations (except maybe Miami for some of you) but growing up on the east coast I know how awesome it is over here. I LOVE Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks and living in New York I fell in love with those Brooklyn beaches- I mean, you can take the subway there, it’s awesome.
But last summer, I went somewhere I had never heard of, a small beach town called Sunset Beach. This is a small island right next door to Ocean Isle and about 30 minutes from Myrtle Beach. Now, let me say, this island is entirely residential. With the exception of a couple small shops at the entrance, there is nothing but houses and two hotels here, so at first, I was skeptical. Hmm sounds like there’s not much to do, not to mention I was vacationing with my boyfriend’s family for the very first time. Needless to say, this place was AWESOME.
I admit I can get caught up in one way of being, living my life, staying busy, sticking to things I know I enjoy, like trying new restaurants, seeing live music, having interesting conversation over wine into the wee hours, ya know, city dweller things. So taking some time to just relax, get to know people, and be ok just doing nothing was definitely something I didn’t know I needed. Here’s why you MUST add Sunset Beach to your 2019 Summer vacay list:
The beach is incredible
So I have never been to a beach quite like this one, especially not on the east coast. It is SO long and flat, I mean it feels like the sand goes on forever, even at high tide you have a long shore. The sand is super soft and the water is great, and wading into the ocean is so gradual, you can go out what feels like at least 50 feet and only be up to your knees, its awesome.
It’s not “touristy”
The island is mostly houses, a lot of which aren’t for rent. There is only one public beach access and parking area right where you first enter the island and only two hotels on the actual island itself. This makes for great crowd control and a spacious setup on the beach. It also lends for a really great neighborly vibe all around the island.
Fun beach activities
There are some typical and some unique beach activities to partake in here. There is a pier for fishing or just taking a stroll, the little shop at the entrance sells cheap beers to enjoy while taking a walk. You can go crabbing, this I had not done before. Luckily we had a friend to show us the way. Take your bucket, fishing net, and a fish head (you can get these at local fish markets), head down to the pylons at the end of the bridge and throw em in and hope for some action. It seems that this can go one of two ways- you catch a bunch of crabs, or in our case, you don’t catch any. But either way you bring some beer, have some fun, hang out and watch the sun set.
Let’s not forget, bike, kayak and paddle board rentals. There is one spot for all of these on the island at Julie’s Rentals. If nothing else, you will definitely want to get a bike. This island is perfect for bike riding. You can also pop over to Ocean Isle for some boat and jet ski rentals. Check it out here.
You can ride bikes on the beach at all hours
This one is my favorite. For you fellow bike lovers, this is an awesome and super unique perk. Now I haven’t ever really thought about how cool it would be to ride bikes on the beach or how difficult it would be on most, considering the sand isn’t packed down. Sunset beach has a long, flat, packed surface- perfect for bikes and exercise of all kinds really. We would go for long rides down the beach after dark and it was really incredible. Just you, under the stars, all you can hear are the ocean waves crashing, no lights, amazing. Not to mention the whole island is super bike friendly, so you can just ride around all day.
Quality time with family and friends
So as I mentioned, there isn’t much in the way of entertainment here. And it is a blessing. Without the pressure to go out to eat, bar hop, etc, you can just hang with the people you came with and maybe some new friends down the road. We would make big dinners every night with some family friends and talk, drink wine, and walk down the beach at sunset. I didn’t realize how great it is to just not feel like you need to go “experience everything” and instead, just enjoy things as they are.
Things to do nearby
Alright, so if you get a little antsy or like to go shopping when you go to the beach, there are options, and they are CLOSE. You can hop over to Ocean Isle for a little more action, some bars/restaurants, a few more shops. There’s also the town of Calabash about a 10 minute drive away, with more food options, shopping strips and family fun activities like putt-putt golf. You can also head just 30 minutes down to Myrtle Beach if you are looking for some outlet mall shopping. I was having too much fun riding my bike everywhere to make it far but we did hop over to Ocean Isle one day to see what the hype was all about. 😉
So there it is, my simple list of reasons to check out Sunset Beach. It really is a great place to spend a week so definitely check it out if you are looking for something new and different this year 🙂
xx,
Hannah
Looking for other NC beach destinations? I have some awesome things to do in the Outer Banks right here.
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