The Southern Cape Fear Coast has been in the hospitality industry since long ago when pirates such as Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard visited the area and made it their hideaway.
Today, visitors still use our beautiful coastal area as a way to escape their hectic lives and decelerate to a leisurely more relaxed pace.
The Southern Cape Fear Coast is in the southeastern tip of North Carolina some 20 miles off the beaten track of Highway 17. Nestled between cities of Wilmington, NC and Myrtle Beach, SC the area enjoys a proximity to the amenities of the larger metropolitan cities without the crowds and traffic.
The Southern Cape Fear Coast includes five municipalities all with their own charm and assets.
The City of Boiling Spring Lakes is located on Highway 87 South, 8 miles off Highway 17. Boiling Spring Lakes has 50+ spring fed fresh water lakes, endangered floral and fauna (like the Venus Flytrap or fuzzy fox squirrel), and the Lakes Golf & Country Club.
Continuing south on Highway 87 to Highway 211 you will encounter the historic waterfront community of Southport. The city was incorporated 1792 but traces of Native Americans use of the area dates back even further. The most visible evidence is an 800 year-old oak tree that was bent over by Native Americans when it was a sapling, so it could be used as a trail marker. Not all the oak trees in Southport are this old, but these mighty trees that line its streets are just as magnificent.
There are many activities and attractions in Southport. There is the N.C. Maritime Museum @ Southport, where you can browse through a collection of memorabilia pertaining to the vast nautical history of the Lower Cape Fear area. River Walk and Waterfront Park where one can sit, relax and watch large transoceanic vessels, commercial fishing boats, pleasure craft and sail boats pass on their way up Cape Fear River to the port of Wilmington or traveling the Intracoastal Waterway.
A large selection of antiques, collectibles and boutiques within a four block walking area will delight anyone looking to browse the day away.
Bald Head Island can be reached from Southport by leaving your vehicle behind and boarding a passenger ferry located at the Indigo Plantation Marina. Bald Head Island is a unique resort community offering a championship golf course, croquet greenswards, tennis courts, swimming pools, a church, restaurants and shops.
Activities on Bald Head Island include fishing, crabbing, clamming, cycling, sunbathing and swimming on the 14 miles of beachfront and nature in a very preserved state while you enjoy all the modern conveniences.
Just seven miles southwest of Southport following Highway 211 & Highway 133 South across the high-rise bridge you will find Oak Island. Oak Island is a quiet, 14-mile long island with two separate municipalities --Caswell Beach & Oak Island (formerly the Towns of Long Beach & Yaupon Beach).
Caswell Beach is the least commercial area on Oak Island. It offers a variety of breathtaking views including colonies of waterfowl nesting and foraging for food in its marshlands. Caswell Beach shares the Oak Island Golf & Country Club with its neighbor Oak Island.
The Town of Oak Island has over 60 public beach accesses with parking, two boat ramps, two fishing piers including the tallest piers in North Carolina, a library, a scenic walkway, crab dock, canoe ramp, three picnic areas, tennis courts, playground facilities and much more.
Year round the Southern Cape Fear Coast has much to offer the family, the senior, the couple, the history and outdoors enthusiast and the nature lover in all of us.
For more information on this coastal hideaway the activities, accommodations and festivals please contact the Southport-Oak Island Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-457-6964 US or 1-910-457-6964 or write to 4841 Long Beach Road, SE, Southport, NC 28461.