48 Hours At Carolina Beach, North Carolina

To me, there’s nothing better than waking up early, grabbing a good cup of coffee with one shot of espresso, and hitting the road. This is my 48 hours at Carolina Beach, North Carolina.

Traveling somewhere I’ve never been before makes me feel alive. I look forward to discovering new places. Carolina Beach has dive bars, small local diners, walking trails, and a beach you can drive on.

My recent trip was about a five-hour drive from Augusta. Carolina Beach, North Carolina. I imagine this is what a beach looked like in the 50’s. Sure, they have a Publix ( thank goodness) and a few fast food restaurants, but old school is still strong here.

First, a boardwalk, complete with an arcade, a few restaurants, and a few bars. You could shoot an old movie here without changing much. I was a tad early for the beach season, but the weather was great. By the time the weather gets hot, they’ll have the Ferris wheel and carnival rides up, just in time for the mad rush of beach lovers from all over. I’m told they take the rides down in the winter, which makes sense.

Freeman Park is one of my favorite finds. One of the cool things you can do is drive on this beach.   It’s $30 for a day pass and $50 for an in-season pass. I gladly paid and watched the sunrise. Later that day, I grabbed a burger and fries from a small diner/convenience store and headed back out to Freeman Park since this place had no seating, only takeout.

I should say here that you must have a 4-wheel drive vehicle to gain access to this park. I found a place to park and had lunch. Then, I let my tailgate down, enjoyed the view, and got some sun after lunch.