North Topsail Beach

Topsail Island Restaurants and Places to go

Onslow County is home to beautiful North Carolina beaches, none more beautiful than those of North Topsail Beach. With over 12 miles of uncrowded and family-friendly sandy beachfront, North Topsail Beach is the perfect place to vacation all year round.

Getting here includes driving across the high-rise bridge onto Topsail Island, where the awe-inspiring view of the wide-sweeping ocean is both attention-getting and a great welcome to North Topsail Beach. In the distance, a string of beach cottages on the horizon forms a long, rainbow-colored line, marking the place where the blue ocean meets the sandy beach. Upon arrival, its time to be as adventurous or as lazy as you’d like!

The Town of NTB offers various paid parking accesses plus a 4×4 permissible driving area located at the north end of the island off River Road. Visitors must download the SurfCAST by Otto smartphone app to pay for a parking permit pass. More information can be found at www.ntbnc.org. Plus, Onslow County Parks & Recreation offers parking along with restrooms and showers at no charge at three access points.

You can enjoy an array of activities at North Topsail Beach from fishing, paddling, biking, bird watching and possibly seeing sea turtles. In addition, beach activities and rules such as weddings, camping, pets and more can be found below.

Things to do in Topsail Beach

A walk along the uncrowded beach will include seeing families having fun, couples wading along the frothy incoming waves in search of seashells, as well as fishermen who have positioned themselves sporadically along the shore, hoping to catch a Spot or Mullet on their hooks. The combination of warmer waters from the Gulf Stream and the cooler inshore waters yield fishing opportunities year-round. Head over to one of North Topsail Beach’s landmarks, the Seaview Pier, where you can fish or enjoy a stroll to the end to look out over the deeper waters.

Kids love learning that some of the island’s earliest inhabitants were pirates, including the most renowned pirate of all, Blackbeard, who is rumored to have hidden treasures on Topsail Island while hiding his boat between the island and the mainland.

Every now and then, the peaceful silence of the beach is broken by the sound of helicopters from nearby Marine Corps Air Station New River flying overhead, occasionally banking over the island during practice runs.

The island’s history and its music are a winning combination at the Ocean City Jazz Festival, a music showcase that takes place each July, celebrating jazz legends of the past as well as up and coming musicians. The festival pays tribute to its namesake. Founded in 1949, the Ocean City community laid down its roots on the beachfront and became the only place African Americans could purchase and own coastal property in North Carolina. It was 15 years before the Civil Rights Act. Today, the Ocean City community has been designated as an official African American historic site in Onslow County.

We welcome you to discover a wide variety of lodging on North Topsail Beach, where hotels, family-run motels, ocean-front cottages, and multi-level rental homes offer amenities and accommodations to meet your needs. Luxury resorts like the Villa Capriani offer two- and three-bedroom beachfront condominiums, with fine dining, tennis courts, pools and hot tubs to enjoy. Visitors can choose from one-, two- or three-bedroom suites at St. Regis, and enjoy indoor and outdoor pools, a fitness room, a children’s playground, and on-site restaurants.

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Topsail Island Restaurants and Places to go

Things to do in Topsail Beach

Free Visitors Guide