An
incredible vacation destination, Topsail Island
is one of the soft-sand barrier islands of coastal
North Carolina. Nestled between Wilmington and
Jacksonville (next to Camp Legeune Marine Corp
Base, it is part of both 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 and Topsail
Beach on the south end. There are two coastal
inlets, at the north end and south end of the
island.
Two bridges take you 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 or get a great meal in one of the
restaurants in the greater Topsail Area.