I have been wanting to take this trip for quite a while but it didn't fit my schedule. When I lived in South Carolina, my primary beach destinations were Myrtle, Charleston and Savannah. I've also been to Hilton Head. I rarely ventured up to the North Carolina coast and the section of the coast between Wilmington and the Outer Banks was totally unexplored. Memorial Day weekend was as good of a time as any for a trip here.
Day 1- Drive was smooth until I got close to Myrtle Beach. The skies opened up briefly but when I got to the coast, I found cloudy but dry conditions. I hoped to have time to take a dip but didn't expect it to last much more than one hour because of time constraints. It turned out that I only got about a half hour in the surf before the storm hit. It was probably the same one that I had driven through. Oh well, any time in the ocean was a bonus today.
My hotel was about 30 miles north and just across the North Carolina border. It was about 10 minutes from a lesser known place called Holden Beach. I got some really good fried chicken at a local to go restaurant. I think it was called Smithfield's. The rain stopped just in time for a nice sunset over the marina.
Day 2- Up for the sunrise but unfortunately, it was too foggy. That would burn off soon and it would be a glorious day at Surf City on Topsail Island. Air temp was about 82 and CRYSTAL CLEAR on the coast with a water temperature of 74. Plenty warm enough for comfortable swimming and only cold for a couple of minutes. What surprised me the most was the clarity of the water. Beyond waist deep, you could see your feet. Waves broke far out and conditions enabled long rides all the way to the shore. Perfect day! I spent the night in Wilmington and had a beautiful view from my room. You would have thought that you were in Florida but no, it's North Carolina.
Day 3- This was Memorial Day itself. I was up with the sun and went to the nearest beach called Wrightsville. This time, I did catch an awesome sunrise. In what turned out to be a questionable call, I went further south to Carolina Beach, still on the same island as Wrightsville. I chose this beach because I had been there before and liked it very much. Water was not quite as clear and waves broke too close to the shore. Parking fees were outrageous but my biggest gripe was the crowds. There were people lined up at the shore, which meant that I had to be careful with the board. Fortunately, I had no such issues. I probably should have stuck with Wrightsville. Sure, I still had fun. Almost every wave that I caught took me to dry sand. One man asked me how I was able to ride the waves all the way in. I told him to watch me and start to kick when I say. It felt good to see him catch a few when he was next to me.
After lunch, I would hit the road again going back south. I ended up just south of where I stayed the first night, still in NC but just across the border. The town was called Ocean Isle. I splurged a bit tonight for a hotel on the beach. Since the holiday weekend was over, I got a deal on it. I arrived early enough to take a 2 hour dip. Conditions were very much different. It was choppy with more murky water but the waves broke far out. Rides were longer but did not take me all the way to the shore.
Day 4- Stopped back at Myrtle Beach on the way home. I only had 2 hours because I wanted to get home at a decent hour. It was a very nice time. Not quite as perfect as Surf City but it was much less choppy than yesterday and I got plenty of good long rides.
On the way back, I made one short detour to the town of Monticello, Georgia. My Cousin Vinny is one of my favorite movies and this is where most of it was filmed. Pretty cool to see that courthouse.
Final thought:
Very nice trip. Yes, I'd go back. If I am to do so, I will stick with Topsail Island and possibly Emerald Isle, which is another island just north of Topsail. The drive is about 9 hours so it's doable in one day. It's nice that you gain an hour on the way back.
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