Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce

Many visitors and vacationers who come to the island by boat, need places to dock, moor or tie up their watercraft. Some local, privately owned marinas are available for transient dockage. Boaters are directed to use guide books and online directories to find suitable facilities in the Pleasure Island vicinity.

Joyner Marina at 401 Marina Street at the north end of Carolina Beach (adjacent to Oceana) has floating docks with 69 slips accommodating vessels up to 60 feet. Slips have electricity, water, pumpout connections and Internet access.  Facilities at the fuel dock can take boats up to 100 feet.

The Town of Carolina Beach maintains a Municipal Marina at Carl Winner Avenue and Canal Drive with slips occupied primarily by sport fishing charter and party boats, though a limited number of tie up cleats are for short term use.  A field of public mooring balls owned by the Town is centrally situated in the Carolina Beach Harbor. Permitted vessels between 26 and 55 feet in length can tether using the provided pennant line attached to the boat’s bow. This relatively new addition was designed to give recreational boaters easy access to our wonderful beach, Boardwalk and central business district. All they need is a small portable watercraft for a short ride to one of the convenient dingy docks. A fee is charged and stays are limited to 10 days.

Free public boat launch ramps with adjacent parking lot are located at the mouth of the harbor near Snow’s Cut bridge. This offers convenient access to the Intracoastal Waterway for small size craft that can be trailered or car-topped.

Carolina Beach State Park has a marina with 54 slips and two public boat ramps located at the junction of Snow’s Cut and the Cape Fear River. Fuel is available. Modern facilities provide boaters with restrooms, showers, laundry and a small store where they can purchase snacks and supplies.

Speaking of Carolina Beach State Park, nature lovers, campers and fisherman will definitely want to come here. Six miles of relatively flat hiking trails meander through diverse habitats. You may even spot a deer or two along the way. Wooded campgrounds offer both individual and group sites with picnic tables and grills. Swimming is not allowed, but fishing is. There’s even a wheelchair accessible deck perfect for casting a line.  The park has a large visitor center that emphasizes environmental education. Getting to the park is easy – just over the Snow’s Cut Bridge, past the shopping center, turn right on Dow Road, then right onto State Park Road.

Rapidly becoming one of our area’s most popular beach places to go is Freeman Park, just past the North End Pier in Carolina Beach. Accessible only on foot or by four-wheel-drive vehicles with the proper wide tires, this place is hopping in the summer and on holiday weekends. Passes are required for 4×4 vehicles to get access. A pay station is at the park’s entrance and during peak hours of activity, an attendant is present to give assistance. Additional passes and reservations are required for camping overnight on the beach strand between April 1 and September 30. Dogs are permitted in the Park with restrictions: they must be on a leash during the same months, but may be off leash the rest of the year under its master’s close supervision and voice control.

Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce / www.PleasureIslandNC.org / 1121 N. Lake Park Blvd. Carolina Beach, NC 28428 / (910) 458-8434