Bald Head Island is the Perfect NC Island for Vacation

It's time to start thinking about summer vacations. North Carolina is a beautiful place. We are fortunate because we have the mountains and coastal islands. For a special travel series, I'll be updating a lot of North Carolina Travel posts to help you plan your NC vacation. 

Photo by Leigh Powell Hines 

In any spare moment of time lately, I’ve been dreaming of vacations.  Maybe it’s the start of spring, and even though I don’t really want to try to find a swimsuit,  I’m ready for some warm weather, relaxation, and some fun in the sun.  And when I get in these moods, I tend to think of one place.  It is tranquil, beautiful, and in my opinion, one of North Carolina’s most precious gems.



Photo by Leigh Powell Hines

This picturesque island sits two nautical miles off the coast of Brunswick County, NC and is only accessible by passenger ferry or private boat. Golf carts and bicycles are the main forms of transportation on this island.

I’ve been in love with Bald Head Island since I was a TV journalist in the 90’s.  The island was actually on my news beat for a few years.  The island has grown a lot since that time, but in all of its growth, it has preserved the tranquility of nature.   Of its 12,000 acres, only 2,000 acres have development.  The remaining 10,000 acres are protected and will always remain undeveloped.   Famous pirates like Stede Bonnett, and Edward Teach, commonly known as Blackbeard, used Bald Head Island as a combat base and hideout in the 1700s.

I have personally visited the island twice for my vacations, and can’t wait to return with my family.  I’m waiting for my youngest to get a little older so that she can enjoy all of the fabulous amenities, too. 

Those who know me best know that I like to like to hop around for vacations rarely returning to the same place, and I joke that I really only like the beach if I have a beautiful resort behind me, a frozen margarita in my hand, a kid’s club to entertain my children, and great dining options so I don’t have to cook often.   Sitting on the beach all day is not really my cup of tea.  Like a pirate, I like to explore to find those hidden jewels in a place.

When I tell you that I would return to Bald Head Island year after year after year then you know that I have found a special place in my heart for this island resort.  And guess what?   It has ALL the amenities I love.  Your family can rent a beautiful, well-decorated home either with a view of the ocean, the marsh, marina, or in the lovely maritime forest.  The island has such easy access to the beach that you don't have to rent an oceanfront home to have a lovely vacation.  It has 14 miles of a coastline you can explore by foot or in your golf cart, a marina with shops and restaurants, a spa, an 18-hole seaside golf course, and two fabulous country clubs that offer swimming, dining, kid’s club activities and other amenities.  The Shoals Club is the island ’s oceanfront beach club.

Shoals Club, courtesy of BHI website



Here we are heading to the Grocery Store!

And for some reason when I was a guest on the island, I fell in love with island’s grocery store, Maritime Market.  It’s 14,000 square feet, reminds me of a store chain l like  called “Fresh Market."   It also has an excellent café and deli.  I would love to find an excuse to hop in my golf cart, and head to the grocery store to look around.

Bald Head Island is one of the more priciest places to vacation in North Carolina. During the summer, an oceanfront property averages about $10,000 a week for a home with at least four bedrooms. There are oceanview properties, golf course properties, marsh properties and maritime forest properties for all vacation budgets. Personally, I think anywhere you stay on the island will be a treat.