Are you trying to decide where to go for your next family vacation? Whether Holden Beach is your annual tradition, or it’s been way too long since your last visit or you’ve not yet discovered our jewel on the southeastern coast of North Carolina – the Brunswick Beaches are among the most beautiful in the United States.
While there are many fantastic beach destinations, we’d like to share our top 10 reasons to add Holden Beach to your short travel list.
#1 – Family-Friendly
Holden Beach is proud to be a family-friendly beach offering lots of fun for everyone to enjoy. We are consistently named to travel lists among the top family beach destinations, and it truly offers vacation activities perfect for every age.
The kids can enjoy a variety of beach toys and games and beachcombing for seashells, sharks’ teeth, and other treasures from the sea. When everyone needs a break from the beach, an afternoon at Magic Mountain Water Slide is always fun, or a round of mini golf at Treasure Island. You can complete any beach adventure with a family outing for sweet treats, including plenty of ice cream shops located on the Causeway and on Sabbath Home Road just across the Holden Beach Bridge.
#2 – Abundant Water Views
As an island nestled along an 8-mile stretch between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean, Holden Beach offers an abundance of water views throughout the island. The island sits east to west, with a south-facing view which is unique for NC, and offering incredible sunrise and sunset views over the water from almost anywhere.
Hobbs Realty offers a large selection of Holden Beach oceanfront vacation rentals and canal, and waterway rentals near Holden Beach offering the best water views from your deck or living room. Many of our boulevard and dunes vacation rentals also offer water views.
Additionally, there are several public beach access points throughout the island, including a small parking lot at the East End and public parks on the waterway on Sailfish Drive and Jordan Boulevard.
#3 – Delicious Local Restaurants
When it comes to food, there truly is something for everyone to enjoy at our variety of delicious Holden Beach restaurants. We have burgers and hot dogs, seafood, Southern comfort food, Mexican cuisine, fine dining, BBQ, deli classics, pizza, wings, bakeries, ice cream, and more!
While many visitors find everything they need right here in Holden Beach, additional options are just a short 10-minute drive away to nearby Shallotte. You can also shop at local produce farms, seafood markets, and the Food Lion grocery store, all conveniently located just across the bridge so you can easily find what you need to prepare delicious family meals in your vacation rental.
#4 – Convenient Location
Holden Beach is situated just far enough from the hustle and bustle while being close enough to everything you need to have a fun and relaxing week or two at the beach.
We are conveniently located about halfway between Myrtle Beach, SC and Wilmington, NC and a little over 3 hours from both Charlotte and Raleigh. During your Holden Beach vacation, you can find all of your supplies right here at our local gift and grocery shops, and there is a Walmart and other larger stores nearby in Shallotte.
#5 – Beautiful Beaches
The beaches on Holden Beach feature soft, white sand, with sea oats lining the dune areas between the stretch of oceanfront homes and the Atlantic Ocean. And we certainly love the many days when the sun sparkles off the blue water stretching as far as you can see.
Most visitors can’t resist putting their toes in the sand as soon as possible after arriving at their vacation rental. Hobbs Realty confession: locals love escaping to the shore just as much as you do!
#6 – Plenty of Things to Do and Explore
No matter what your interests are while enjoying a week at the beach, Holden Beach has plenty of things for you and your family to do and explore.
Some visitors enjoy fishing or golfing, while others prefer long walks on the beach looking for seashells while on the way to one of the three memory mailboxes on the island.
For those who love shopping, there is a selection of gift shops and art galleries in Holden Beach and throughout Brunswick County.
#7 – Great Day Trip Opportunities
In addition to the things to do in the Holden Beach area, there are aquariums and museums located as close as 30 minutes away, and even more options an hour away in Myrtle Beach or Wilmington.
You may want to visit the two beautiful lighthouses right here in Brunswick County, too – one on Oak Island and the other on Bald Head Island (but both are visible from the Southport Waterfront!)
#8 – Nature Lover’s Paradise
Everyone loves water views - and you can’t beat our sunrises and sunsets - but Holden Beach is also a nature lover’s paradise! We are proud to be a sea turtle sanctuary each year during sea turtle nesting season, made possible by the dedication of the volunteers with the non-profit Holden Beach Turtle Watch Program.
Many visitors love birdwatching as many coastal birds live on or travel through Holden Beach. Several species of coastal plants and flowers also show off their colors throughout the island and surrounding areas.
There are definitely plenty of Insta-worthy places to take pictures here - that’s for sure!
#9 – Peaceful Vacation Getaway
While the summer months are the busiest season here, Holden Beach offers a peaceful vacation getaway when you visit any time of year. We are proud to be an island without any high rises and only a few small businesses located on the island, with most commercial activity taking place across the bridge.
This also means we don't have any neon lights or loud music interrupting the serenity. For even more relaxation during your beach vacation, there are plenty of places and spaces to rest and find rejuvenation.
#10 – Recreation Opportunities
Though walking on the beach is the exercise of choice for most visitors and locals, there are plenty of other recreation opportunities.
Visitors enjoy water sports here throughout the year, including kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, jet ski rentals, and surfing. As a Hobbs Realty guest, you can enjoy special Hobbspitality discounts from our #Hobbspitality partners – Holden Beach Jet Ski Rentals and Holden Beach Watersports.
If you prefer land activities, you can find yoga classes, tennis, pickleball, three bike paths, and more.
Boomers Rentals and Beach Fun Rentals have bikes, kayaks, paddle boards, surfboards, and more available to rent.
Book Your Next Family Vacation Today!
So, are you ready to book your next family vacation to Holden Beach? We know you’ll find your own 10 reasons (or more) why you love it here.
Browse our Holden Beach rentals to find the perfect getaway for you and your family. If we can help you with your search and planning, our vacation specialists will be happy to help. Give us a call at (844) 846-4885.
We hope to see you soon... at the beach!
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Darcy Geho is a contributing author to this Hobbs Realty blog. She spent 11 years working in the vacation rental industry while she lived on and traveled the North Carolina coast. Like most of our visitors, when Darcy isn’t on Holden Beach, she looks forward to her next visit.