An Oak Island, NC Winter Getaway

Sunset can be a magical time when blue shifts to purple and white clouds catch fire with yellows, reds, and oranges.

UPDATED: 2/5/2023

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For the second year in a row, we rented a beach house with a couple of family members for a Christmas/winter getaway. Our goal in picking a destination was to find somewhere warmer than Virginia but within a reasonable driving distance.

Last year, we went to Pawley’s Island, SC (read those blogs here) and had a wonderful time exploring the South Carolina coast and interesting spots in the area such as Brookgreen Gardens (read that blog here).

Below we’ll share an overview of Oak Island, ideas for activities in the area, dining recommendations, and information on where to stay.

An Overview of Oak Island, North Carolina

Winter is the best time to visit the beach! There were more birds on the beach than people.

This year, we opted for North Carolina, to have a little bit shorter of a drive, and selected Oak Island, which is very close to the border with South Carolina to get the warmest weather possible. Oak Island is located about 45 minutes south of Wilmington, NC, and about an hour and 15 minutes north of Myrtle Beach, SC. Oak Island is technically considered part of the Myrtle Beach Metropolitan Area.

Oak Island is - as its name states - an island, separated from the mainland of the state by the Intercoastal Waterway and reachable via a short causeway. The town has a residential population of about 8,000 people, which swells to a summer seasonal high of 30,000-50,000 people. One of the reasons we love visiting beaches in the winter is that they are so much more quiet and peaceful!

One of the downsides of visiting beach towns in the winter can be the seasonal closure of restaurants, but we really didn’t run into that issue in this area. There were plenty of options nearby so we had the benefit of the off-season without the downsides!

What to Do in Oak Island

The size of these canons left us feeling very tiny.

For those of you used to reading about our travels, you know that we are active travelers with nary a lounge day in sight. But, we took a different approach this go-around. We actually spent the majority of the time hanging out at our beachfront rental property reading, relaxing, spending time with family, and yes, working on blogs. Partially this was because the first two days of the four days of our trip were rainy and windy, but whatever the cause, it was a nice break for us!

On our last day, we had planned on doing some hikes but then discovered that even though they were part of wildlife refuges and nature reserves, they were closed for Christmas. Each day - except Christmas when most things were closed - we ventured out for a meal and to explore surrounding areas.

Here are some of our Oak Island area recommendations for activities, including those we had researched and didn’t get to this time around.

Southport - This cute town is a mere 12 miles (about a 15 minute drive) from Oak Island. There are a lot of restaurant choices, several cute streets in the downtown, beautiful houses on the city blocks around the city center. For those who enjoy shopping or window shopping, there are many boutique and local shops to explore. See our restaurant recommendations below for a few spots we ate at in Southport. Southport is picturesque enough to have had several movies filmed there. Most recently the movie Safe Haven was filmed there, and you can read about others filmed in Southport here.

Wilmington and Wilmington’s Riverwalk - About 45 minutes away from Oak Island, Wilmington is a larger (but still quaint) town perched on the Cape Fear River, an inlet in from the ocean. There is a cute cobblestone street with shops and restaurants, and a raised pier that is the Riverwalk along the river. Fans of the 1990’s show Dawson’s Creek may recognize the area as its filming location, and it was also the filming location for the nine seasons of One Tree Hill. You can check out other movies and shows filmed in Wilmington here.

Battleship North Carolina - located on the other side of Cape Fear River from Wilmington's Riverwalk, this World War II battleship is just a couple minutes' drive. The battleship has been painstakingly saved and restored and allows visitors to take a self-guided tour throughout huge sections of the ship. The battleship also has an audio guide app if you wish to follow along, and there are placards with information explaining each room of the ship that include origin images and quotes from those who served on board. If you find military history or ships interesting, this is absolutely worth a stop. Without the audio tour stops and moving at a decent pace, we still managed to spend two hours wandering through the ship following the well-marked tour route. Tip: Wear good shoes with solid treads, as you'll be climbing up and down nine levels of steep ladder-like staircases. This site requires significant mobility levels.

Hike at Lake Waccamaw State Park - This is where we planned to hike on our last day, until we realized it was closed on Christmas. This site has multiple trails of varying lengths, including a longer one that is four miles.

Green Swamp Preserve - This is a spot we found that we would like to visit when nature is in bloom. The Venus Flytrap is located here along with 13 other types of carniverous plants. The preserve also is home to orchids and other rare plants and animals. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1974.

Walk Oak Island Beach - This one is obvious but worth noting. Oak Island is a very walkable beach with a lengthy open beachfront. In addition to multiple walks, I enjoyed several runs. If you are a dog person like we are, you'll be pleased that this is a very dog friendly beach. We got to pet, play with, and admire from afar many dogs!

Explore Fort Fisher State Historic site - Accessible via a one hour drive from Oak Island or via ferry from Southport (total travel time is about the same with a 15 minute car ride to Southport and 35 minute ferry ride). Fort Fisher was the entry point for blockade runners seeking to deliver goods to Wilmington during the Civil War. Not much of the fort is left today, but the remaining portion has a quarter of a mile trail around it, and the site includes a short video on the history of Fort Fisher. We did not make it here during our visit this year but plan to in a future year. This site is free to visit.

Explore Brunswick Town and Fort Anderson State Historic Site - Located 30 minutes from Oak Island, Brunswick town dates to the days prior to the Revolutionary War. In 1776, it was burned by British troops, and Fort Anderson was later built on the site and used during the Civil War. There is a trail, ruins, and informational signage at the site, which we also did not make it to this trip but plan to in the future. This site is also free to visit.

Santa lost his sleigh and was forced to use a row boat!

Wilmington is a cute city and would be enjoyable to walk through.

The Wilmington Riverwalk was a great place to take a short walk along the river after eating lunch.

Where to Dine Near Oak Island

Oak Island itself does have restaurants that are close and convenient for those wanting to find a nearby spot. Other than the meals we cooked at home, the restaurants we ate at were further afield. For those looking to cook their own meals, there is a pretty nice Food Lion grocery store right in Oak Island.

Dining in Southport, NC

Fishy Fishy Cafe has a relaxed dining atmosphere and delicious food.

At just about 15 minutes from Oak Island, the cute streets of Southport are a short drive away. A few restaurants are right on the water, but most are in the downtown portion of the town, only a couple of blocks from the water. In each case, parking was easy and convenient with parking spots right near all the restaurants (though our disclaimer is that we were there in the winter; summer is more crowded, but still, there was good parking).

Fishy Fishy Cafe - This waterside and over-the-water dock restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor dining with beautiful water views. This restaurant was repurposed as the General Store in the movie Safe Haven for those film location afficianados among you. For an appetizer, we enjoyed delicious jalapeno hushpuppies, which were just the right amount of spicy. For entrees, we had shrimp and grits (very creamy and rich and spicier than expected but tasty!) and the catch of the day, which was tile fish, served with mashed potatoes and asparagas. Between the views and food, we would definitely eat here again when we're next in town.
Moore Street Oyster Bar - In the center part of town, Moore Street Oyster Bar is housed in an old building with the character that comes with that. The interior walls are brick, and the building is two stories tall, leading the thin, long building to feel larger than it is. This spot is a sports bar with TVs every few feet with all sorts of sports games on. For an appetizer, we enjoyed Fried Crab Balls served with tomato jam. For dinner, we had BBQ shrimp, which was described as being served in a barbecue broth but was served in a barbecue sauce (though tasty!), and fish and chips, which Dustin really liked, although the 'chips' were actual homemade potato chips instead of the traditional pub variation with fries. Our family member traveling with us who eats oysters said they were very tasty.

dining in wilmington, nc

With a warm sunny day, we decided it would be a good opportunity to wander over to Wilmington and explore the Riverwalk on Christmas Eve. We had picked out a restaurant online that looked good, called The Pilot House Restaurant, situated right on the Cape Fear River that runs along the Riverwalk. Upon arrival, it turned out they were closed for the holiday, but just a building or two away was Elijah’s, so we popped in there for lunch.

Elijah’s - This restaurant is located right on the Riverwalk and offers both indoor and outdoor seating. In addition to the main restaurant, which has both lunch and dinner hours, there is an oyster bar that is open throughout the day. Dustin and I both ordered popcorn shrimp, which is something I haven't eaten in years and years. It was delicious and served with crispy fries, which were also very good, and jalapeno cole slaw, which is the best thing I have ever seen happen to cole slaw, which I usually find to be bland. While we didn't end up eating at the spot we'd set our sights on, we lucked out when we found Elijah's and would definitely return to this spot again.

Where to Stay in Oak Island

Our rental stood slightly separated from the other houses on the beach and gave us a perfect amount of privacy.

Oak Island is a residential beach town, so your best bet would be to rent one of the many vacation homes available. I would highly recommend you rent a spot directly on the beach. While there are public access points scattered throughout for those staying a block or two inland, having such close beach access and water views is much more ideal.

There are small sand dunes along most of the shore, though in some places they are almost non-existent due to erosion or storms. But even where they are taller, like where we stayed, they are low enough to not block your water view. From where we stayed, we could easily watch the waves crashing, the pelicans in groups of 5 or 6 skimming the water’s surface, and the ever-changing colors of the water as the sun moved across the sky.

You can find homes in Oak Island on VRBO.com, Homeaway.com, and Airbnb. Depending on the dates of your trip, you may be best served by checking out all three to find the best option for you. Many of these beach spots book up well in advance, and many families return annually so you will have the best options if you book further out. In our case, we booked in early January for the following Christmas, so nearly a full year in advance. We searched all three sites and ultimately booked through Airbnb.

The place we stayed has been named The Boys of Summer (after the Don Henley song), as is a quaint 1960s era beachfront cottage home. The center of the house has an open-concept family room, dining area, and bar-seating kitchen. Flanking that main space are two nearly identical sides to the house - each with a bedroom facing the beach, a full bathroom with a hallway entrance, and a bedroom facing the street. On the beachfront side of the home is both a covered porch as well as a lower porch open to the sky for sunbathing.

While we didn’t take any of our four dogs with us, the house is also dog-friendly and has a fenced yard. The house was a perfect size for our group of two couples. As is typical of quaint beach cottages, the rooms were on the small side so in our case, we were able to use the extra bedrooms to store our suitcases and extra belongings.

One of our favorite parts of this house besides its appealing decor was that it is more private than most homes along the beach. There is a house on one side of it but then open lots and space after that; on the other side, there are no immediate homes with several open lots. Given that most of the beach houses are lined up house after house, this felt much more secluded.

We enjoyed the place we stayed so much that we have already booked it for a return trip next winter! We found the owners to be very responsive and helpful, always an important factor with a rental!

Relax by the ocean, crack open a cold beer, and read a good book.

As the sun rises into the sky, early risers walk down the beach.

Soft morning light illuminates dune grass with a yellow glow.

The sun dips below the horizon on our last evening in Oak Island. Goodbye beach!

Oak Island: In Summary

Between the sweeping beaches, beautiful views, and a number of nearby activities that we didn’t even get to fully explore on this trip, we look forward to returning to Oak Island next winter to do just the right amount of exploring and relaxing!

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