Oak Island Beach at Yaupon Fishing Pier

Oak Island is the choice of families who seek a quieter vacation. There isn't that much to do here but go to the beach or drive the short drive to check out Southport town, which itself can be seen in half a day.

Oak Island didn't inspire me much. There are some colorful houses but they are kind of spread out randomly around the beach front, and don't have the appeal of the beachhouses at Kure Beach. Oak Island Beach was voted in the ten best beaches in North Carolina, but then my husband pointed out that there aren't that many more than ten beaches in the whole of NC! For me, the sand just puts me off. The water, also, is brownish, not blue-green like the beaches north of the polluted Cape Fear River. And there is some disgusting-looking sea foam on the shore. On the day we visited, near Yaupon Fishing Pier, there were lots of kids having fun though, and clearly many families love this beach.
There are some dunes as you enter the beach and sometimes you can see cannonball jellyfish on the shore. This beach probably looks pretty at sunset.
After, explore Dutchman Creek Playground, in a large park on a sweet cove of the intracoastal.

Directions

Yaupon Fishing Pier on Oak Island Beach is located at 700 Ocean Dr, Oak Island, NC 28465. There are many free parking lots and beach access points in this area. Restrooms and showers are hard to find, so plan accordingly.

Click on map for interactive view