Topsail
Island is one of the barrier islands of coastal
North Carolina, just north of Wilmington and south
of Jacksonville, right next to the Marine Corp
Base, Camp Legeune. It is part of Onslow and Pender
Counties.
There
are three towns located on Topsail Island, North
Topsail Beach at the north end of the
island, Surf
City in the middle (half is on the island,
half on the mainland) and Topsail
Beach, on the south end, with coastal
inlets at the north and south ends of the island.
There
are two bridges onto the island - State Highway
50/210 (the swing bridge) enters the island in
the middle at Surf City, and State Highway 210
is a high rise bridge that enters North Topsail
Island through Sneads Ferry. There is no bridge
at the south end of the island.
At
first glance it looks like every square foot has
a house on it, but much remains undeveloped. It
has the flavor of an old time family beach with
many private cottages that have been in families
for generations.
From
the early days when Native American Indians fished
and hunted for their bounty to the military's
use of the island for missile development and
testing during WWII to today's modern vacation
paradise, Topsail Island has had a colorful
and unique history. Not much has changed
from the Good
Old Days.
So,
what is there to do on Topsail Island? Everything,
or nothing! That's the beauty and charm of the
island and what keeps people coming back.
You
can spend your days lying on the beach soaking
up the sun or try hunting the beach for Treasures
in the Sand, natures bounty deposited
in the soft sand beaches of Topsail Island.
You
can take a ride and see if you can find all of the
missile
observation towers left on the island from
it's military days, search for souvenirs and gifts
at one of the shops
on the island or take in one of the many family
fun attractions
or area events in the greater
Topsail Area.