Carolina Beach State Park

Look for wild Venus flytraps on the trails, climb Sugarloaf Dune and launch a boat onto the Cape Fear River at a free park south of Wilmington.

1010 State Park Road, Carolina Beach, NC 28428 · Carolina Beach, NC

About Carolina Beach State Park

Carolina Beach State Park covers 761 acres on Pleasure Island, 12 miles south of Wilmington, where the Cape Fear River meets Snow's Cut. It is one of the places you can see Venus flytraps growing wild, along with pitcher plants and other carnivorous plants in the wet pocosins. About six miles of trails lead to Sugarloaf Dune, a 50-foot dune river pilots once used as a landmark, and to three limesink ponds. Day use is free; you pay only for boat launches, camping and the marina. Pets on a 6-foot leash are welcome.

#state park
#venus flytrap
#hiking
#camping
#marina

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What's around here?

The closest stops to Carolina Beach State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Sightseeing
Fort Fisher State Historic Site
No admission fee
A Civil War-era Confederate fort on North Carolina's coast that guarded the Wilmington port until Union forces captured it in 1865.
5.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Attractions
Tregembo Animal Park
$25–$50
A family-run zoo in Wilmington, North Carolina, that has operated since 1952 and houses a wide range of animals.
5.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions
Museums
Cameron Art Museum
Under $25
A fine art museum in Wilmington, North Carolina, known for rotating exhibitions and a collection with regional ties.
Transit: reachable by public transit
9.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Museums
North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport
No admission fee
Free museum in downtown Southport collecting and interpreting maritime history of the Lower Cape Fear region.
11 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sports & Outdoors
New Hanover County Extension Service Arboretum
No admission fee
A county arboretum in Wilmington, NC, run by N.C. Cooperative Extension, focused on plants suited to southeastern North Carolina.
12 mi awayMore like this
Sports & Outdoors
Outdoor Adventure
Lake Waccamaw State Park
No admission fee
Walk boardwalks and trails along the largest Carolina bay, a shallow oval lake home to fish and snails found nowhere else on Earth.
36 mi awayMore like this