Carolina Beach State Park

This is a great park to camp in. Except for one thing-the mosquitos. They are awful. Bring plenty of full strength bug spray and be prepared to stay in your tent or RV at all times. Showers were good. We arrived at 7:30pm on a Tuesday and there were still some spots available. Very quiet no noise at night.
Once you leave the park though it is a nice town with lots of beaches, places to eat and shop. Quiet and sleepy area without lots of tourists.
Fort Fisher beach was our fave-10 mins away and dogs are allowed on beach (leashed).
We felt like we were in Florida-fun area.

We made reservations last fall and we were able to nab a full hook up site. Our site was #10, it is a long and private site. We really enjoyed Wilmington and Fort Fisher Historic site. As of May 2019 the water pressure was so low at our site that we had to fill our tank and use the water pump. Also the sewer hook up was sluggish, if you don't pay attention while dumping you will get a "poop geyser". The quiet hours don't start until 11:00 pm and one site diagonally across from us ran a generator. Open frame construction style generators are allowed here, so the noise can be deafening if you are camping next to them. Verizon cell signal was strong at our site. If you get a chance go see the sunset at the marina. We will come back again. We are also writing a letter to the N.C. State Park system to ask them to adopt the generator rules that the National Park has (limited hours and a 60Db sound limit). Only inverter generators should be allowed... Loud construction generators should be banned in any campground. Campground rate includes North Carolina senior discount.

This is a pretty park! Lots of rangers but none very helpful. Late check-in time (4pm) and they’re sticklers about it (we’ve never encountered anyone unwilling to let us check in so long as the space is vacated- and we’ve been full-timing for two years). Also be aware the gate closes from 9pm-7am NO EXCEPTIONS, even if Jesus himself were to rise from the dead. (Literally- wouldn’t open it for people to get to Easter morning sunrise services.) Maybe our expectations are high after staying in so many beautiful state parks in FL, VA, OR, etc. with awesome facilities and great park rangers— but this park is just OK. Mosquitoes are plentiful and as big as horses. Also it isn’t very close to the actual beach. Verizon d/l decent with roof antennas but u/l not great. ATT usable.

I absolutely loved this campground. I used it as a stay between my thousand trails reservations. I wish I would have stayed longer! I was in site 46 which was a small pull through - I have a 19ft travel trailer. Had to use a couple leveling blocks but it wasn’t bad. Had directly access from the site to the Snow’s Cut trail. Short walk to water, trash, and bath house. The bath house had minimal hot water but it was great to not have to use my rv shower since I didn’t have a sewer connection. Site 46 has no hookups but generators are allowed between 7am and 11pm. I have an inverter generator and I asked my closest neighbors if they could hear it and to let me know if it bothered them and they couldn’t hear it! I didn’t utilize the wooded trails but did utilize the roads to run some long runs and it offered easy routes. Close to groceries, restaurants, and the beach. Dogs are allowed. Very empty during the week but definitely fills up on the weekend. Can’t wait to go back!

We were lucky to snag 1 of the full hookup spots for a week. There aren't many of these but the ones they have are large, private and very affordable.
This park is shady, has a few good walking trails and is convenient to Wilmington. Wilmington is a fun town with a lot of restaurants, breweries and shopping. The beaches are close by. We trekked down to Ft Fisher Historic area beach because that beach is dog friendly. The town is also quite dog friendly. For the price you really can't beat this state park. Cell speeds were great. Verizon was 65 d/l and ATT 31 unboosted. Good OTA stations.
The bathroom situation was odd. It was way in the middle of the park and you had to either walk through an empty (don't be a jerk) campsite or walk WAY around to 1 of only 2 entry points. I have never seen anything like this and it was way deep in woods so if you had to go in the middle of the night, that would be a little scary. Staff was friendly but not intrusive. Trash was very convenient with trash cans every couple of sites. Roads were in good condition and access was easy.

The campground sites are very spacious, surrounded by tall pines. The bathroom/shower facilities were very clean. They do have hot water in this state park. Lots of water spigots dotted throughout the campground if you need water jug refills. There are quite a few hiking trails in the park and this is the only area where Venus fly traps grow naturally!

You are within walking distance to a local brewery (Good Hops) and within driving distance to beachfront and a few miles away from Wilmington and Fort Fisher aquarium.

Several grocery store and convenience store options within a few minutes drive. (Wake n Bake donuts, the Southerly Biscuit and Pie and the Gulfstream restaurant are our local favorite places to eat).

It takes a small act of God (or very advanced planning) to get a reservation at this park, but I can see why it's so popular. A secluded state park near the beach is hard to find! There is a beautiful marina which is the perfect spot to watch the sunset as well as hiking trails for your dog. Sites are spacious. The restrooms are in an odd location and difficult to find if you arrive at night. They are in the center of the camping circle with no real marked paths. We had to cut through campsites to find the small bathrooms, but they were clean with hot water.

The best part of the campground it that location! Minutes from Carolina Beach, but for easier and less crowded beach access, drive down to Kure Beach! Dogs are allowed on the beach until March 31st, and parking is free until then. If you are a craft beer lover, be sure to check out Good Hops which is literally around the corner. Dog-friendly place with great beer, people, and even a disc golf course. The only downside is that they lock the gates at 9:00 so it limits nighttime activities. Plan accordingly!