Holden beach

I was looking to purchase a beach house some where in North Carolina so I could be close to my home base of Charlotte, NC and not feel like when I returned, I would need a vacation from my vacation.. I checked out all the beaches from Sunset to the outer banks and this is what my wife and I surmised: We immediately crossed OBX off our list because it was very far and because of the lack of medical care nearby…you have to think of these things once you have children. Sunset was ok, but not quite what I was looking for in a beach destination. Ocean Isle was very pretty, had lots of charm, but way overbuilt now for my liking. I am needing relaxation from the city enviornment, so I didn’t want to be stressed out at the beach too. We really enjoyed Holden Beach because it was not overbuilt, no high rise hotels or condos, very family oriented and very peaceful…almost like going back in time when things were slower and quieter. Oak island had beach erosion issues which I didn’t want to deal with every year. Wrightsville has become very expensive and very crowded even thought it is a beautiful island. Carolina Beach was a headache to reach and maybe too much of a party town for me. So, there you have it….we settled on Holden Beach and we are enjoying it immensely.

Despite the foggy day, it was still absolutely beautiful.

Fantastic location with an abundance of incredible beach finds, including megalodon shark teeth, sea biscuits, Lion's Paw shells, and even WW2 artillery shells.

I absolutely love this place. Had a wonderful time and discovered plenty of sea biscuits.

Tourist trap.. Have been going for 10 years but the last 3 years it has become worse. Holden Beach Realty will rip you off and Hobbs Realty will rent the house right out from under you… even though we put in a request while we are there for the following year..and to top it off we haul our boat from SC every year and now they have “ another” rule.. we have to buy a special license plate for our boat trailer to park on Holden Beach…which is a a new rule that we were not aware of and issued us a $ 50 parking ticket ( along with many other unsuspecting visitors..what a rip off! What use to a friendly low key beach is nothing but a horrible tourist trap making money off people that help support their local economy any way they can. BEWARE,