Playground

Sycamore Lodge Resort

19 RV Sites

Sycamore Lodge Resort in Jackson Springs, North Carolina, provides a lake resort camping experience in Moore County's Sandhills country, where the long-leaf pine and wire grass ecology of the North Carolina Sandhills creates a distinctive natural environment and the proximity to Pinehurst's legendary golf courses and the Uwharrie National Forest's hiking and off-road vehicle terrain makes this corner of the Carolina Piedmont a more recreation-rich destination than its modest visitor profile suggests. The resort's private lake, boat docks, cabins, hot tub, and comprehensive recreation roster create a self-contained family vacation experience in a natural setting that preserves the Sandhills character of one of the Southeast's most ecologically distinctive regions. The resort's recreation infrastructure delivers variety across water and land-based activities: a private lake with boat docks and swimming beach, an outdoor pool, hot tub and sauna, mini-golf, golf cart rentals, canoeing and kayaking, basketball, volleyball, corn hole, bocce ball, planned activities, walking trails, game room, RV storage, general store, pavilion, dog park, laundry, and Wi-Fi serve the full family vacation recreation agenda across multiple days without requiring guests to leave the property. Cabin rentals provide enclosed group lodging alongside the full hookup RV sites, and the library and fitness center serve guests whose resort stay includes reading, exercise, and the indoor recreation that complements the lake and sports programming. Jackson Springs occupies the Moore County Sandhills where the ancient marine sediments of the Atlantic Coastal Plain meet the Piedmont's harder crystalline basement rock in a transitional zone of well-drained sandy soils that once supported the vast longleaf pine forests whose resin and turpentine production defined the colonial North Carolina economy. The Sandhills region's deep sandy soils also proved ideal for the golf course development that has made Pinehurst the most celebrated golf resort destination in the United States—the Village of Pinehurst, approximately 15 miles northeast, contains Pinehurst No. 2, consistently ranked among the top 10 golf courses in the world and the site of multiple US Open championships. The Uwharrie National Forest, approximately 40 miles northeast of Jackson Springs in the Uwharrie Mountains—the eroded remnants of some of the oldest mountain ranges in the world—provides hiking trails, OHV terrain, primitive camping, and the Troy area's gold mining heritage that reflects the piedmont geology underlying the Sandhills' sandy surface. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, managed by the North Carolina State Parks system near Southern Pines, protects old-growth longleaf pine habitat in one of the few remaining stands of the mature Sandhills ecosystem, and the nature center interprets the red-cockaded woodpecker recovery program conducted within the preserve's protected pine forest. Sycamore Lodge Resort operates seasonally from spring through fall in Moore County's temperate Piedmont climate, with the spring and fall seasons providing the most comfortable outdoor conditions for the resort's lake and trail recreation and the surrounding Pinehurst golf community's prime playing season from March through May and September through November. Summer's warm temperatures make the lake and pool the primary daytime recreation anchors, and the resort's shaded Sandhills pine landscape moderates the heat better than open-terrain campgrounds in the Carolina piedmont's hotter months. The golf course access nearby extends the adult recreation options for guests whose Moore County visit combines lake camping with Pinehurst-area tee times.

from $72/night

Spacious Skies Sandy Run

61 RV Sites

Spacious Skies Sandy Run in Fayetteville, North Carolina, offers 61 full-hookup RV sites beneath longleaf and loblolly pines, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 90 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Back-in and pull-through categories with concrete patios join standard and water-and-electric tiers, with an outdoor pool, jumping pillow, gem mining, and pond. Sixty-one sites span back-in, back-in with concrete patio, pull-thru, pull-thru with concrete patio, and pull-thru water-and-electric categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with site WiFi, sized to 90 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Confirm your tier, as the water-and-electric pull-through does not carry sewer at the site. Ninety feet is exceptional and accommodates the longest coaches with a tow. Cabins round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, propane fills and exchange, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. All guests check in at the main office and sign the terms — e-signature in advance is encouraged. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a jumping pillow, gem mining, walking trails, hiking, biking, a pond, creek, playground, pavilion, and dog park filling the rest. Fishing and swimming round it out. Pets are welcome. The Sandhills pine forest gives the property genuine character, and the position serves a specific market well — Fort Liberty, the largest Army installation in the country, is less than an hour north, which brings a steady flow of military families and visitors alongside travelers on the Cape Fear corridor. Spring and fall are most comfortable in the Sandhills. Reserve ahead for graduation and change-of-station periods.

from $40/night

Norwood Campground

25 RV Sites, 10 Tent Sites

Norwood Campground in Norwood, North Carolina, sits at Morgan Mountain on the shores of Lake Tillery in Stanly County's Piedmont foothills — a well-equipped campground with 86 full-hookup RV sites, primitive tent camping in the hardwood forest, and exclusive Lake Tillery beach access that gives guests the combination of developed campground infrastructure and genuinely fine lake waterfront that makes Norwood a destination campground for the Charlotte metro, Piedmont Triad, and central Piedmont regional market. Lake Tillery's 5,000-acre Yadkin-Pee Dee River impoundment and the surrounding Uwharrie National Forest's ancient eroded mountain terrain give the campground a natural setting of understated but genuine Piedmont distinction. Eighty-six full-hookup RV sites with level pads and the infrastructure for comfortable extended stays, alongside primitive tent sites in the surrounding hardwood forest, give the campground the accommodation range from fully equipped RV travelers to minimalist tent campers who want Tillery-access and the Morgan Mountain forest experience. The campground's exclusive Lake Tillery beach access gives guests a private waterfront amenity that distinguishes Norwood from the surrounding area's public lake access points — a private beach in walking distance of the RV sites creates the daily lake swimming, fishing, and kayaking access that Tillery's warm Piedmont water sustains through the full camping season. Pets are welcome. Lake Tillery, one of four Yadkin-Pee Dee River lakes managed by Duke Energy through the central Piedmont, provides largemouth and smallmouth bass, striped bass, crappie, bluegill, and catfish fishing across its 5,000 acres of river-corridor lake water. The lake's combination of cove structure, rock bluffs, and the submerged river channel sustains a diverse and consistently productive recreational fishery that the Stanly County and surrounding Piedmont counties' fishing community has relied on since Tillery's impoundment in 1928 — one of the oldest hydroelectric lakes in the Carolinas, with the fishing character of a well-established natural system. The Uwharrie National Forest, west of Norwood in Montgomery and Randolph Counties, preserves the remnant Uwharrie Mountains — an ancient eroded mountain range whose Precambrian volcanic and metamorphic rocks represent some of the oldest exposed geology in the eastern United States, predating the Appalachians by hundreds of millions of years. The forest's hiking trails through the ancient ridges and hollows of the Uwharrie Range, the Birkhead Mountain Wilderness's primitive backcountry, and the Uwharrie Trail's 20-mile through-hiking corridor give Piedmont-based outdoor recreation guests a mountain hiking experience within an hour of Charlotte's urban core. Norwood Campground operates through the Piedmont Carolina camping season, with the spring and fall seasons from April through May and September through October delivering the most comfortable temperatures for Lake Tillery fishing, hiking, and extended outdoor activity. Summer heat in the Stanly County Piedmont is genuine but the lake's water recreation — swimming, kayaking, and evening fishing — moderates the seasonal challenge for water-focused guests. Charlotte, 45 miles west, provides the metropolitan service access, professional sports, and cultural programming that makes a Norwood campground base practical for guests combining lake recreation with metropolitan day trips. Reserve full-hookup sites ahead for spring and summer weekends when the Charlotte-area regional market's lake camping demand consistently fills Tillery-access campgrounds.

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

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

Midpoint I95 RV Park

13 RV Sites

Midpoint I95 RV Park in Sellers, South Carolina, offers 13 full-hookup pull-through RV sites with water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp service, sized for rigs to 50 feet. Every site is pull-through, which is exactly what an overnight I-95 stop should be, and a pond with a fishing pier, dog park, and playground make it more than a parking lot. Thirteen pull-through sites carry full hookups with 30 and 50-amp, sized to 50 feet. Pulling through means no backing after a long driving day and no unhitching for a single night — the practical case for this park in a corridor where quality options are limited. Laundry is on site. Pets are welcome. The grounds do more than the site count suggests. A pond with a fishing pier gives guests somewhere to spend an evening, walking trails and hiking run the property, and a dog park and playground serve pets and families after hours in the vehicle. Gaga ball rounds out the recreation, and the beach is not far. Sellers sits in Dillon County just south of Latta, at roughly the midpoint of I-95's 360-mile run through South Carolina. That position — a few minutes off the highway but far enough for quiet — is the park's entire proposition for the Maine-to-Florida snowbird corridor, which gives South Carolina's I-95 campgrounds the most consistent year-round occupancy of any campground corridor in the eastern United States. The park operates year-round. The heaviest traffic follows the seasonal snowbird migration south in fall and north in spring. With 13 sites, arriving without a reservation during those windows is a gamble — book ahead.

from $59/night

Camping World Racing Resort

386 RV Sites

Camping World Racing Resort in Concord, North Carolina, offers 386 full-hookup RV sites with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 100 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout — the capacity that matters at a motorsports venue where coaches arrive with trailers. Back-in, pull-through, and small back-in categories sit at the epicenter of American racing. Three hundred eighty-six sites span back-in, back-end pull-through, pull-through, and small back-in categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 20, 30, and 50-amp, sized to 100 feet, with picnic tables. The small back-in category is a useful option for compact rigs that would otherwise pay for space they do not need. A laundry, dump station, propane exchange, restrooms, showers, firewood, and WiFi handle the practical side. Shower and bath facilities are secured after hours — call the park for the access code if arriving late, Mon–Fri 9am–5pm or weekends. A recreation center, pavilion, playground, dog park, community fire pit, volleyball, and horseshoes fill the grounds, with planned activities through the season. Pets are welcome. Charlotte Motor Speedway's 167,000-seat superspeedway is the draw, hosting the Coca-Cola 600, the Bank of America Roval 400, and the All-Star Race. The complex also holds zMAX Dragway and the racing museum and experience infrastructure that makes Cabarrus County the center of the sport. Race weekends drive everything here and book out far in advance at premium rates. Check the Speedway calendar before planning a stay.

from $50/night

Crossroads Coach Resort

In the heart of South Carolina's Pee Dee region, in a small city that has reinvented itself as a destination for arts and culture, CrossRoads Coach Resort at the ROB offers a well-engineered full-hookup RV park in an unlikely but genuinely rewarding setting. Lake City's Main Street arts district—known locally as the ROB (Right off 52)—puts boutique galleries, murals, museums, fresh food markets, farm-to-table restaurants, and a lake with a surrounding boardwalk within walking distance of the park's gate, making this one of the few campgrounds in the Southeast where guests can park the coach and spend an evening exploring a legitimate arts destination entirely on foot. Thirty-two large concrete pads accommodate motorhomes, motor coaches, travel trailers, and fifth-wheels of all sizes. All 32 sites feature large, level concrete pads with 30/50-amp electric service, water, sewer connections, and free Wi-Fi throughout the property. A fully functional modern bathhouse and complimentary laundry facilities serve extended-stay residents, and EV charging is available for registered resort guests who need it. Paved streets and well-maintained grounds deliver the polished, clean atmosphere that coach-class travelers expect from a property that takes the resort designation seriously. The park accepts motorhomes, motor coaches, camper vans, travel trailers, and fifth-wheels, covering the full modern RV spectrum. Lake City's arts renaissance has been remarkable—a small agricultural town in Florence County that leveraged its creative community into a recognized destination through the ROB arts district and annual events including the FRaB arts crawl. The boardwalk surrounding the central lake provides a scenic loop for morning walks and evening strolls, and the surrounding galleries and studios represent work from artists across South Carolina's Pee Dee and Lowcountry. Fresh fruit stands and farm-produced foods available within walking distance reflect the agricultural heritage of a county where the land and the community remain deeply connected. Florence, the regional hub of the Pee Dee about 25 miles east, provides a full complement of shopping, dining, medical facilities, and the Florence Museum of Art, Science and History, alongside proximity to I-95 for travelers moving along the Eastern Seaboard. Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand, the Southeast's most visited coastal destination, lies about 70 miles east and provides a straightforward day trip to the Atlantic for guests who want surf and boardwalk alongside the Pee Dee's rural character. The Lynches River, a South Carolina Scenic River winding through the county's bottomland hardwoods just south of Lake City, offers canoeing and wildlife watching in some of the Pee Dee's most beautiful old-growth swamp forest. The Pee Dee's climate makes CrossRoads Coach Resort a viable camping destination from early spring through late fall, with the most comfortable conditions arriving in April-May and October-November. Summer heat and humidity are the expected trade-offs for the region's mild winters and the warm hospitality of a small-town South Carolina arts community that genuinely welcomes travelers. Special events in the ROB district—art shows, food festivals, and the annual FRaB arts crawl—add calendar highlights throughout the year that give guests additional reasons to time their stay around a cultural celebration rather than a simple overnight stop.

from $60/night

Sun Outdoors Myrtle Beach

424 RV Sites, 124 Cottages

Sun Outdoors Myrtle Beach in Conway, South Carolina, offers 424 full-hookup RV sites and 124 Carolina Cottages with 20, 30, and 50-amp service, cable TV, and rigs accepted to 55 feet. Elite and premium back-in and pull-through categories sit alongside a water park, lazy river, spa, and mini-golf, open all year. Four hundred twenty-four sites span standard back-in, elite back-in, elite pull-through, and premium 30/50-amp pull-through categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric with cable TV and site WiFi, sized to 55 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. One hundred twenty-four cottages come fully equipped with kitchen needs, bed linens, and towels — bring your own towels for the pool. A general store, boutique shop, laundry, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. The amenity roster is resort-scale. A water park and lazy river anchor the summer alongside an outdoor pool, hot tub, sauna, and spa, with a fitness center and mini-golf besides. Pickleball, volleyball, basketball, gaga ball, horseshoes, corn hole, and billiards fill the courts, with an arcade, jumping pillow, playground, dog park, pond fishing, and golf cart rentals across the grounds. A bar, snack bar, and live music cover the evenings. Pets are welcome. Conway sits just inland from the Grand Strand's barrier island beaches, which is the point — guests get the Myrtle Beach corridor without the beachfront price. A beach, state park, golf courses, and wineries are all close. Summer is decisively the season on the Grand Strand. Reserve well ahead.

from $57/night

Brunswick Beaches Campground

76 RV Sites, 14 Tent Sites

Brunswick Beaches Campground sits in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, at the southern end of the Brunswick Islands—a string of barrier islands along the Cape Fear coast that offer some of the most uncrowded beaches on the East Coast, positioned between the better-known resort communities of Myrtle Beach to the south and Wilmington to the north. The brunswick beaches campground provides a full-service camping base within easy reach of multiple beaches, golf courses, and the distinctive Lowcountry atmosphere of coastal Brunswick County. The campground offers 84 full hookup RV sites with 30 and 50-amp service, water, sewer, and WiFi, plus 5 cabins and 15 primitive tent sites for guests without rigs. Big-rig friendly pull-through sites are available, and the property includes a swimming pool, stocked fishing pond, basketball, volleyball, and a fenced dog park with separate sections for large and small breeds. The camp store and full camp kitchen give tent campers and cabin guests cooking infrastructure that goes beyond what most campgrounds provide. On-site security staffs the park after office hours, and an air tower and vacuum at the driveway allow rigs to be cleaned up and tires checked before departure—a thoughtful operational detail that regular travelers notice and appreciate. Sunset Beach itself is one of the best-kept secrets among North Carolina's coastal communities—a quiet barrier island with wide, flat beaches, excellent shelling, and minimal commercial development compared to the more heavily visited stretches of the Grand Strand. The Brunswick Islands chain extends through Ocean Isle Beach, Holden Beach, Oak Island, and Caswell Beach, each with its own character and beach access points that distribute the summer crowd across a coastline long enough to absorb it. The Intracoastal Waterway runs behind the barrier islands, providing calm-water kayaking and fishing opportunities that complement the ocean-front activity. Calabash, a small town five miles south, has earned the self-proclaimed title of Seafood Capital of the World, and the cluster of family-owned seafood restaurants that line its main street—known for their particular style of lightly battered, deep-fried seafood—has drawn visitors from across the Carolinas for generations. Myrtle Beach is about 30 minutes south, offering golf, nightlife, waterparks, and the full resort entertainment infrastructure of one of the Southeast's most visited destinations. Wilmington, about 45 minutes north, provides a historic downtown, the Battleship North Carolina museum ship, and several state parks along the Cape Fear River. Brunswick Beaches Campground is open year-round, though the summer season from Memorial Day through Labor Day brings peak beach and pool demand. Fall through spring delivers the mild coastal weather that makes the Brunswick Islands particularly appealing to snowbird travelers, and the combination of uncrowded beaches, fishing, and the lower-key character of the Cape Fear coast makes this an ideal off-season camping destination. Reserve sites early for summer holiday weekends, as proximity to multiple beaches drives high demand through July and August.

from $23/night

North Myrtle Beach RV Resort and Dry Dock Marina

230 RV Sites, 12 Cottages

North Myrtle Beach RV Resort and Dry Dock Marina in Little River, South Carolina, offers 230 RV sites and 12 cottages on the Intracoastal Waterway, with 30 and 50-amp service, cable TV, ADA-accessible sites, and rigs accepted to 75 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. A full marina, boat docks, splash pad, and hot tub sit behind a gated entrance. Two hundred thirty sites span back-in, water-and-electric back-in, premium back-in, premium pull-through, and pull-through categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with cable TV, sized to 75 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Accessible sites are available. Twelve cottages round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, dump station, restrooms, firewood, and boat storage handle the practical side. Sites along the activity areas fill fastest — the resort is busy through summer and school breaks. The marina is the distinguishing feature. Boat docks, boat rentals, kayak rentals, and dry dock storage give direct Intracoastal access for boating, fishing, paddle boarding, and canoeing. A splash pad, hot tub, sports courts, pickleball, volleyball, basketball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, corn hole, an arcade, craft room, playground, dog park, and golf cart rentals fill the grounds, with a bar, on-site dining, snack bar, and live music besides. Pets are welcome. Little River sits at the Grand Strand's northern end, with beaches, golf courses, and an amusement park close. Summer is decisively the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $160/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