Planned Activities

Hatteras Sands Campground

60 RV Sites, 18 Cabins, 6 Cottages, 1 Mobile Home

Hatteras Sands Campground in North Carolina offers 60 full-hookup RV sites and 25 cabin, cottage, and mobile home units at the southern end of Hatteras Island, with 30 and 50-amp service, cable TV, and rigs accepted to 50 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Waterfront back-in categories join standard back-in and pull-through tiers, seven-tenths of a mile from the beach. Sixty sites run in back-in, pull-thru, waterfront back-in, and waterfront back-in with a seven-night minimum categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp with cable TV and site WiFi, sized to 50 feet. The waterfront sites on the canals are the ones to request, and one waterfront tier carries a seven-night minimum, so plan accordingly. Twenty-five cabins, cottages, and mobile homes round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. Pets are welcome on campsites, leashed at all times, with droppings bagged and binned. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a clubhouse, game room, billiards, and picnicking filling the grounds. The canals support boating, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, water sports, and swimming, with planned activities through the season and a state park nearby. This is the only campground on Hatteras Island — a distinction that cannot be replicated. Quiet canals, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and the ferry to Ocracoke are all at hand. Summer is decisively the season on the Outer Banks. Reserve well ahead.

from $79/night

Frisco Woods Campground

210 RV Sites, 31 Cabins, 27 Tent Sites

Frisco Woods Campground in North Carolina offers 210 RV sites, 31 cabins, and 27 tent sites on the Pamlico Sound side of Hatteras Island, with 30 and 50-amp service, cable TV, and rigs accepted to 44 feet. Soundfront back-in categories at both amperages join full-hookup and water-and-electric tiers, with an outdoor pool, recreation center, and maritime forest. Two hundred ten back-in sites span 30-amp, 50-amp, 30/50-amp, water-and-electric, soundfront 30-amp, and soundfront 30/50-amp categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with cable TV, sized to 44 feet. Confirm your tier, as the water-and-electric category does not carry sewer at the site. The soundfront categories are the reason to book here. Thirty-one cabins and 27 tent sites round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, propane fills and exchange, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a recreation center, playground, and dog park filling the grounds. The sound carries boating, canoeing, kayaking, water sports, swimming, and surfing, with productive birding through the maritime forest and wine tasting nearby. Pets are welcome. The soundfront position makes this a premier kiteboarding and windsurfing base — the shallow, steady-wind water of Pamlico Sound is among the best on the East Coast for it, while Cape Hatteras National Seashore's Atlantic beach sits just across the island. The campground has been family owned for five decades. Summer is decisively the season on the Outer Banks. Reserve well ahead.

Natures Trace Park

17 RV Sites, 4 Cabins, 1 Tent Site, 4 Onsite RV/Trailers, 1 Apartment, 2 Tiny Houses

In the quiet coastal plain of Pamlico County in eastern North Carolina, Natures Trace Park offers a gated, big-rig-friendly RV and tiny home community that puts serious fishing, hunting, and coastal waterway access within five minutes of the front gate. Located near Bayboro on the Bay River arm of the Pamlico Sound estuary system, the park serves outdoor-focused travelers who prioritize direct water access, guided experience options, and a secure and well-managed facility. If your trip is organized around the rod and the boat ramp, Natures Trace is built for exactly that. Full hookup sites accommodate big rigs with ease, and the gated entrance ensures a private and secure environment throughout the property. Cabin rentals provide a comfortable alternative for guests who prefer not to set up a rig for longer stays. A community fire pit and well-maintained pavilion create gathering spaces, and a general store, on-site laundry, and dedicated RV and boat storage mean the practical logistics of an extended fishing or hunting trip are well handled on-site. Fishing guides are available through partnerships with local outfitters, with discounted rates for park guests seeking guided access to the region's exceptional coastal fisheries. A storm shelter is available for guests during severe weather events, and the dog park accommodates the sporting dogs that often accompany serious hunting visitors. The Pamlico Sound estuary system surrounding Bayboro is one of the most productive inshore fishing environments on the entire East Coast. The Bay River, just five minutes from the park, provides boat ramp access to a waterway network that extends into the Pamlico Sound—the largest lagoon on the East Coast and one of the most significant marine ecosystems in the Mid-Atlantic region. Striped bass, flounder, speckled trout, red drum, and bluefish populate these waters in numbers that attract serious anglers from well beyond the region. The coastal wetlands and tidal marshes bordering the sound are equally productive for waterfowl and shorebird observation, and duck hunting in the surrounding private lands is well-established. Bayboro and Pamlico County sit on the Inner Banks of North Carolina, a less-touristed zone between the Piedmont and the Outer Banks that offers genuine coastal character without the summer crowds of the barrier islands. The town of Oriental—known as the sailing capital of North Carolina—is a short drive from the park and provides excellent dining, a vibrant sailing community, and a working waterfront atmosphere. New Bern, the first colonial capital of North Carolina, is within easy reach for a day of history and the handsome restored downtown on the Trent and Neuse Rivers. The Outer Banks beaches are accessible for a longer day trip for those who want to add Gulf Stream fishing or ocean beach time. Natures Trace Park operates year-round in the moderate climate of coastal North Carolina, where mild winters make it a viable destination for snowbirds and year-round anglers alike. The fishing calendar runs through every month, with different target species at their peak across the seasons, ensuring that guests who return in different months find the experience genuinely varied. Reserve your site, arrange a guided trip through the park's outfitter partnerships, and discover why the Pamlico Sound country is one of the East Coast's best-kept fishing and wildlife secrets.

from $40/night

Dixon Landing RV Resort

28 RV Sites

On 130 acres of serene wooded land along Goose Creek in Pamlico County, North Carolina, Dixon Landing RV Resort offers a waterfront retreat that combines the tranquility of the Inner Coastal Plain with over 2,000 feet of creek frontage opening toward the broad Neuse River estuary. Located just 20 minutes from the historic river town of New Bern, the resort delivers full hookup RV sites and a natural setting rarely matched along the North Carolina coast—and its 2025 Campspot Award for "Top for a Quiet Getaway" signals that guests have noticed. For travelers who find the barrier island crowds too much, Dixon Landing is the quiet alternative. Sites provide 30 and 50-amp hookups with sewer and water, along with picnic tables and fire rings that invite lingering. A small dock and boat ramp give watercraft access to Goose Creek and, beyond it, the Neuse River and the vast waters of the Pamlico Sound. Kayak, paddleboard, and canoe rentals allow guests to explore the creek system without trailering their own boats. A clubhouse, camp store with snack bar, dog walk and dog park, laundry, and showers cover the essential amenities, while horseshoes, cornhole, bocce ball, and lawn games provide recreational entertainment between water excursions. Hiking and biking trails thread through the wooded property. Goose Creek's blackwater currents reflect the classic character of eastern North Carolina's coastal plain drainages—tannin-dark, slow-moving, and bordered by bald cypress, water tupelo, and sweetgum in a riverine forest that shelters river otters, wood ducks, and great blue herons in surprising numbers. The creek widens toward its confluence with the Neuse, where the views open to marshland and sky and the scale of the Pamlico Sound ecosystem becomes apparent. Osprey and bald eagles patrol the water year-round, and the spring and fall migrations bring wading birds, shorebirds, and waterfowl to the marshes and creek margins in impressive concentrations. New Bern, the colonial capital of North Carolina and birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, offers a beautifully preserved historic downtown centered on the remarkable Tryon Palace complex—the restored Royal Governor's Palace and formal gardens that rank among the finest colonial restoration projects in the country. The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, on the Bogue Sound side of Bogue Banks, provides an excellent introduction to the coastal ecosystem. Beaufort and Morehead City are accessible for ocean fishing charters, ferry trips to Cape Lookout National Seashore, and waterfront dining that takes full advantage of North Carolina's outstanding local seafood. Dixon Landing operates year-round, with spring and fall offering the most comfortable temperatures for kayaking the creek and exploring the estuarine wetlands. Summer is warm and humid but productive for fishing, and the resort's wooded setting provides meaningful shade. The quiet character of Goose Creek and the surrounding Pamlico County landscape makes this an ideal destination for those who define a great camping trip by the absence of crowds rather than the abundance of amenities. Reserve your waterfront site at Dixon Landing RV Resort and discover North Carolina's Inner Coast at its most peaceful and unspoiled.

from $40/night

Cotton Patch Landing

3 RV Sites, 5 Cabins, 1 Tent Site, 1 Cottage

On the tranquil banks of Blount's Creek in Chocowinity, North Carolina—in the tidal estuary country of the Inner Banks where the Pamlico River meets the creek system that drains the coastal plain south of Washington—Cotton Patch Landing provides the specific combination of full hookup RV sites, creekside cabin rentals, and a full-service marina that turns a waterfront campground into a genuine boating and fishing destination. The marina's wet slips, bait and tackle shop, fuel station, boat ramp, boat storage, and repair service create the self-contained marine infrastructure that makes Cotton Patch Landing worth a dedicated trip rather than a convenient overnight stop. When the water access is the point, the marina changes what the campground can be. Full hookup RV sites on the creek's edge provide the primary accommodation, and creekside cabin rentals give guests without RVs an enclosed option with direct water proximity. The marina operates as the campground's most substantive amenity: wet slips accommodate transient boaters arriving by water, a bait and tackle shop handles fishing supply needs, boat ramp access is available for guests launching their own vessels, boat rentals and kayak rentals provide water access for guests without their own watercraft, and boat servicing and repair services make the marina useful for boating guests with mechanical issues as well as those in good working order. A fuel station serves both motor vessels and potentially road vehicles from the surrounding area. The marina's ramp and dock give guests immediate fishing and paddle access to Blount's Creek and the Pamlico River system beyond. Men's and women's restrooms with showers, coin-operated laundry facilities, free WiFi throughout the property, and a playground provide the campground infrastructure alongside the marina-focused primary amenities. A seasonal food truck operates for guests who want quick on-site meals without cooking, and fire rings at individual sites provide the evening gathering space that waterfront camping in the Carolina coastal plain traditionally demands. The campground is pet-friendly throughout both the RV sites and select lodging accommodations, with the creek-edge setting giving traveling dogs immediate access to the waterfront environment where water-loving breeds tend to spend as much time as their owners allow. The Pamlico River country surrounding Chocowinity carries a historical and natural character specific to North Carolina's Inner Banks. Washington, North Carolina—one of the state's oldest towns, situated on the Pamlico River just north of Chocowinity—provides waterfront dining, a river walk, and the historic character of a small Eastern Carolina river town that has preserved its antebellum and post-Civil War architecture in ways larger cities' development pressures prevent. The Pamlico River's connection to Pamlico Sound opens the regional boating itinerary to the Sound's shallow coastal waters, barrier island access, and the extraordinary bird life of the coastal plain. Cotton Patch Landing operates year-round in the mild coastal climate of Eastern North Carolina, and spring and fall represent the most productive fishing seasons on Blount's Creek and the Pamlico River. Fishing for bass, crappie, bream, and the variety of species the Pamlico system supports gives anglers specific seasonal targets across the calendar. The marina's combination of boat ramp, rental kayaks, and transient wet slips makes the property serve equally well as a day-use boating base and a multi-day residential camping destination. Reserve your creekside site early for the spring fishing season and let the Pamlico country earn its reputation as the quieter, more accessible alternative to the Outer Banks camping corridor.

from $26/night

The Lakes RV & Cabin Resort

49 RV Sites, 5 Cabins, 4 Tent Sites

The Lakes RV and Cabin Resort in Maysville, North Carolina, offers new cabin accommodations, modern RV sites, and tent sites in Jones County's coastal plain — a versatile camping destination in the eastern North Carolina lowcountry positioned midway between the Croatan National Forest's freshwater lakes and the Crystal Coast's ocean beaches at Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach, giving guests access to two distinct and compelling natural environments from a single inland base that serves the full range of coastal-plain outdoor recreation without the beach corridor's summer accommodation premium. New cabins with full hookups or full amenities, modern RV sites, and tent sites give the resort the accommodation breadth to serve family groups, solo travelers, and camping parties with widely varying equipment situations and overnight comfort preferences. The resort's family-oriented and welcoming atmosphere reflects a property built for the full spectrum of camping guests from first-timers in borrowed gear to experienced RV travelers with specific hookup requirements. The Jones County location in the eastern North Carolina coastal plain gives the resort the rural quiet and forest edge character that the more densely developed coast communities cannot provide at comparable price points. The Croatan National Forest, wrapping around the Maysville area in Jones and Craven Counties, protects 160,000 acres of coastal plain pocosins — the nutrient-poor, evergreen shrub wetlands unique to the Atlantic coastal plain that sustain an unusual combination of insectivorous plants (Venus flytraps, pitcher plants, sundews), black bears, red-cockaded woodpeckers, and the specific backcountry character of a forest type found nowhere else in the world. Patsy Pond, Great Lake, and the other freshwater lakes within the Croatan provide fishing and paddling access to a coastal plain lake system of striking natural quality. Jacksonville, 10 miles south of Maysville in Onslow County, anchors the regional service infrastructure that Jones County's small towns complement with rural character — restaurants, shopping, medical services, and the Camp Lejeune-sustained commercial economy of a major Marine Corps installation community give Jacksonville the urban services that extended eastern North Carolina stays require. The Crystal Coast's Emerald Isle, Swansboro, and Atlantic Beach communities lie 30 to 40 miles southeast, providing the barrier island ocean beach access that the Croatan National Forest's inland camping experience intentionally omits but that the resort's geographic position makes readily accessible for day trips. The Lakes RV and Cabin Resort serves guests year-round in eastern North Carolina's mild coastal plain climate, where the proximity to the Atlantic's moderating influence keeps both winter and summer temperatures more comfortable than inland North Carolina locations at equivalent latitudes. The spring and fall seasons from April through May and September through October represent the most comfortable camping weather and the best Croatan National Forest hiking and paddling conditions, while summer brings the ocean beach activity that the Crystal Coast's barrier island communities specifically sustain. Reserve cabins ahead for summer weekends when the Crystal Coast regional campground inventory fills from the Raleigh-Durham and Piedmont Triad markets that make the North Carolina coast their primary summer beach destination.

from $41/night

Oceans RV Resort

193 RV Sites, 10 Cottages

Oceans RV Resort in Holly Ridge, North Carolina, offers 193 full-hookup RV sites and 10 cottages on the Onslow County coastal plain, with 30 and 50-amp service, open all year. Deluxe exterior sites with extended yard and parking join interior and exterior standard and Plus categories, with a pool, fitness center, bar, and boat storage. One hundred ninety-three sites span exterior standard, exterior Plus with extra parking, interior standard, interior Plus with extra parking, and deluxe exterior with extended yard and parking categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp with site WiFi, with fire pits and picnic tables. Naming categories by position and by how much parking and yard you get is unusually practical — extra vehicle space matters if you are towing a boat or traveling with a second car. Ten cottages and cabins round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, restrooms, showers, RV storage, and boat storage handle the practical side. An outdoor pool anchors the warm months, with a fitness center, sports courts, pickleball, basketball, corn hole, a pond, playground, dog park, and bar filling the grounds. Fishing, swimming, and picnicking round it out, with planned activities through the season and a beach, golf course, and wine tasting nearby. Pets are welcome. Holly Ridge sits within reach of the Topsail Island beaches and the Crystal Coast's barrier islands, with Camp Lejeune and the region's military heritage close by. Summer beach season drives the heaviest demand on the southern North Carolina coast. Reserve well ahead.

from $67/night

In The Pines RV & Cabin Village

8 Cabins

In The Pines RV and Cabin Village in Bolivia, North Carolina, is a quiet, nature-close camping destination in Brunswick County — a tucked-away small campground near Wilmington that gives campers the peaceful pine forest setting as an alternative to the coastal strand resort campgrounds, with RV sites and cabin accommodations in the longleaf pine and wiregrass woodland that the Brunswick County interior's sandhills landscape sustains between the Cape Fear River and the Intracoastal Waterway's coastal strand. Bolivia's Brunswick County position on US-17 south of Leland gives the campground the practical access to both the Wilmington metropolitan area's cultural and historical attractions and the Brunswick Island beaches that the US-17 and NC-211 corridor connects to Holden Beach, Sunset Beach, and Ocean Isle Beach in the Brunswick County's most visited family beach communities. Small-scale RV sites and cabin accommodations in the pine forest setting give In The Pines the specific quiet, close-to-nature character of a Brunswick County campground whose scale and natural setting give guests the pine forest camping experience that the larger commercial campgrounds' developed landscape cannot sustain — the campground's tucked-away character and the surrounding longleaf pine woodland give the Bolivia property its specific identity as a nature-first campground in the Brunswick County sandhills landscape that was historically the native range of the longleaf pine ecosystem. Pets are welcome. The Brunswick County Islands — Holden Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, Sunset Beach, and Brunswick Island — give the campground its most visited day-trip destinations on the North Carolina coast south of Wilmington, where the Brunswick County barrier island beaches' calm family character, the Intracoastal Waterway's boating and kayaking access, and the Brunswick Islands' less-commercialized resort character distinguish the Brunswick strand from the more developed Outer Banks and Myrtle Beach resort corridors. Sunset Beach's Kindred Spirit Mailbox on Bird Island — the most remote accessible beach in Brunswick County — sustains the decades-old tradition of strangers leaving journal entries in the beachfront mailbox. Southport, 20 miles southeast of Bolivia on NC-211 at the Cape Fear River's mouth in Brunswick County, is one of North Carolina's most charming and most filmed coastal communities — a Victorian-era river port whose tree-lined streets, the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport's maritime heritage collection, and the recurring role as the filming location for films and TV productions (Safe Haven, Under the Dome, and Dawson's Creek among others) give the Brunswick County port town its specific combination of architectural heritage and coastal town character. The Fort Anderson Civil War earthworks at Brunswick Town State Historic Site eight miles north give the Cape Fear River its specific colonial and Civil War heritage. In The Pines RV and Cabin Village serves guests year-round in Brunswick County's mild southeastern North Carolina coastal climate, with the spring and fall seasons providing the most comfortable camping conditions for the longleaf pine forest walks and the Brunswick Island beach visits that the US-17 corridor's easy access to the barrier island bridges enables without the summer heat and maximum beach crowd density. The N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher, 25 miles northeast of Bolivia in New Hanover County, is the largest aquarium in North Carolina — a 100,000-gallon shark tank and the sea turtle recovery program give the Fort Fisher facility the coastal marine ecology interpretation. Reserve sites and cabins ahead for the summer beach season and the fall migratory shorebird season on the Brunswick strand.

from $70/night

Oak Island Campground

52 RV Sites, 2 Onsite RV/Trailers

The Brunswick County coast delivers sun, sand, and Southern charm, and Oak Island Campground puts campers within one mile of it all. Positioned in Southport, North Carolina — a postcard-pretty waterfront town just south of Wilmington — the campground bridges the best of both worlds: uncrowded family beaches on one side and a walkable historic downtown on the other. With a trolley stop on the property, guests can reach Oak Island's sandy shore and Southport's shops and restaurants without ever moving the rig, making this a particularly practical base for families who would rather spend time at the beach than shuttling between parking lots. The campground hosts 51 full-hookup sites with 30- and 50-amp electric service, water, and sewer connections, and pull-through options accommodate big rigs up to 50 feet. A two-story pavilion with ample seating serves as the social heart of the property, and community fire pits, outdoor ping pong, and a dog park give everyone room to spread out between beach runs. Practical amenities — Wi-Fi, on-site laundry with washers and dryers, and clean bathhouses — keep longer stays comfortable, while a camper storage facility less than a quarter mile away handles oversized gear and boats between visits. Oak Island itself stretches nearly 14 miles of Atlantic coastline with uncrowded beaches and calm, family-friendly surf backed by maritime forests of live oaks and sea oats that provide habitat for shorebirds and loggerhead sea turtles during nesting season. Anglers can drop lines from the Oak Island Pier, one of the longest on the North Carolina coast, while kayakers and stand-up paddleboarders enjoy the calmer waters of the Intracoastal Waterway on the island's north side. Multi-use paths trace the island from end to end, making cycling a practical way to cover ground between beach access points without a car. Southport, three miles from camp, rewards an afternoon stroll with a waterfront promenade, eclectic dining, and the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport. The ferry from Southport to Bald Head Island runs year-round, putting that car-free, golf-cart island within easy reach for a day trip. For a genuine adrenaline jolt, Skydive Coastal Carolinas operates adjacent to the campground and offers tandem jumps with ocean views. The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, about 25 miles north, and the historic districts of Wilmington round out the regional options for days when the beach takes a back seat. The campground operates year-round, with spring and fall offering mild temperatures ideal for cycling and exploring Cape Fear's historic sites without peak-season crowds. Summer brings full beach season — arrive during turtle watch weeks in July and August for a chance to witness hatchlings making their way to the sea. Winter stays are quieter, popular with snowbirds and those looking for an off-season retreat along the Carolina coast. Book well ahead for summer and holiday weekends; the combination of beach access and on-site trolley convenience keeps Oak Island Campground in high demand throughout the season.

from $77/night

Camp Clearwater Family Campground

112 RV Sites

Camp Clearwater Family Campground in Elizabethtown, North Carolina, offers 111 full-hookup RV sites on White Lake, with 30 and 50-amp service, cable TV, and rigs accepted up to 105 feet. Luxury back-in, premium pull-through, and standard pull-through categories sit behind a gated entrance, with a beach, boat ramp, fishing pier, and mini-golf on the property. One hundred eleven sites run in luxury back-in, premium pull-through, and standard pull-through configurations, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp with cable TV and site WiFi, sized to 105 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. Laundry and restrooms handle the practical side. Two booking notes: the office is closed Wednesdays and staff are occasionally out at RV shows, so call ahead, and a $10 booking fee applies to each reservation on top of listed rates. The lake carries the recreation. A beach gives direct swimming access, a boat ramp and fishing pier serve boaters and anglers, and boating runs from the property. Mini-golf, a ball field, basketball, volleyball, gaga ball, an arcade, a playground, a dog park, and a pavilion fill the grounds, with on-site dining and a boutique shop for meals and supplies. A gated entrance controls access. Pets are welcome. White Lake is a Carolina bay — one of the shallow elliptical lakes found almost exclusively on the Atlantic Coastal Plain — and its artesian-fed water is exceptionally clear, which is the reason families return. The surrounding Bladen County landscape carries longleaf pine restoration and bottomland hardwood forest along the Cape Fear watershed. Summer lake season drives demand. Reserve ahead for warm-weather weekends.

from $40/night

Sandy Ridge Campground and RV Resort

38 RV Sites

Sandy Ridge Campground and RV Resort in Elizabethtown, North Carolina, provides a gated and well-maintained campground experience in Bladen County's coastal plain country, offering a complete recreation and social environment for families and RV travelers exploring the Cape Fear River basin region of southeastern North Carolina. Positioned in one of North Carolina's most forested and least-developed coastal plain counties—a landscape dominated by longleaf pine, pocosin wetlands, and the dark-water rivers and creeks that drain the South Atlantic coastal plain—the resort delivers organized campground entertainment and outdoor recreation in a natural setting that preserves the unhurried character of coastal North Carolina's inland communities. The resort's gated entrance establishes the secure and private character that the property's owners have designed as a distinguishing element, and the amenity package provides comprehensive on-site recreation: an outdoor pool, pond fishing, game room with arcade, volleyball, basketball, horseshoes, corn hole, pavilion, playground, general store, propane fills, laundry, Wi-Fi, dump station, and firewood. Full hookup sites with water, electric, and sewer service accommodate extended-stay guests, and the pet-friendly and dog park facilities serve the traveling families whose camping agenda includes their pets. The pond's fishing access provides a natural activity anchor alongside the organized social recreation that the courts and game room deliver. Elizabethtown and Bladen County occupy an unusual ecological position in the North Carolina coastal plain where several distinct natural communities converge—the longleaf pine flatwoods, the Carolina bay wetlands (elliptical peat-filled depressions unique to the Southeast Atlantic coastal plain), and the Cape Fear River's blackwater floodplain forest all intersect in a landscape of extraordinary biological diversity concentrated in one of North Carolina's most rural and least-visited counties. The region's dark-water rivers and isolated bay lakes provide habitat for rare and endemic plant species found nowhere else on Earth. Jones Lake State Park, approximately five miles north of Elizabethtown, protects one of the most pristine Carolina bay lakes in existence—a natural lake formed in one of the mysterious elliptical depressions that dot the southeastern coastal plain in alignments that have inspired geological and even cosmological theories about their origin. The lake's swimming beach, paddling, and fishing provide the most developed public outdoor recreation in Bladen County's immediate vicinity. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina's Grand Strand resort complex lies approximately 75 miles southeast via US-74, and the historic antebellum plantation landscape of the Lower Cape Fear region provides cultural heritage exploration accessible from Elizabethtown. Sandy Ridge Campground operates year-round in the North Carolina coastal plain's mild subtropical climate, where the September-through-April shoulder and winter seasons deliver pleasant camping temperatures in the longleaf pine country and the summer months bring the pool and game room into maximum use during the school-vacation family camping peak. The coastal plain's mild winter temperatures make it a viable alternative to more crowded and expensive coastal campgrounds for snowbirds who want southeastern North Carolina's mild climate without the higher costs and competition for sites at the beach communities. Advance reservations for summer holiday weekends ensure preferred site availability at the gated resort's limited total capacity.

from $70/night

Sun Outdoors Cape Charles

428 RV Sites, 12 Tent Sites, 4 Glamping Sites

Sun Outdoors Cape Charles in Virginia offers 428 RV sites, 12 tent sites, and four glamping sites on the Chesapeake Bay, with 20, 30, and 50-amp full hookups and rigs accepted to 45 feet. Field view pull-through and premium 50-amp back-in categories join water-and-electric tiers, alongside a splash pad, fishing pier, mini-golf, and jumping pillow. Four hundred twenty-eight sites span back-in 30-amp, back-in 30-amp water-and-electric, field view pull-thru, premium back-in 50-amp, premium back-in water-and-electric 30-amp, and premium pull-through categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with site WiFi, sized to 45 feet, with picnic tables. Confirm which tier you are booking — the water-and-electric categories do not carry sewer. Twelve tent sites, four glamping sites, and cabins round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, propane fills, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. The property was formerly Cherrystone Family Camping Resort. A splash pad and outdoor pool anchor the summer, with a beach, fishing pier, boat rentals, kayak rentals, and bike rentals opening the bay for boating, paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, water sports, and fishing. Mini-golf, an arcade, jumping pillow, gaga ball, sports courts, pickleball, volleyball, basketball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, corn hole, golf cart rentals, a playground, pavilion, dog park, snack bar, and on-site dining fill the rest, with live music and planned activities through the season. The Eastern Shore's wildlife refuges and the historic downtown of Cape Charles are both close. Summer is decisively the season on the bay. Reserve well ahead.

from $15/night