Ranked among the “Top 10 Family Beaches in the US” by National Geographic’s, TRAVELER Magazine, Holden Beach is a barrier island, located on the southern coast of North Carolina.
In 1756 Benjamin Holden purchased the island now known as Holden Beach. His family farmed and fished here for generations. They began developing the resort community that thrives today in the 1920s. It maintains its nostalgic appeal today with low density and limited commercialism.
The bridge that connects the mainland to Holden Beach rises 65 feet above the Intracoastal Waterway, provides a breathtaking view of the ocean and a sweeping entry to the island as visitors come across it. The beach and the ocean are the main attractions in this town, which prides itself on a restful, quiet lifestyle.
With 9 miles of oceanfront, Holden Beach is the longest and the largest of the three islands in the group known as the South Brunswick Islands.
Approximately 930 year-round residents call Holden Beach home, and though the population swells to more than 10,000 during the season, visitors find a host of opportunities for assimilating themselves into this exceedingly quiet community. Boating, surf fishing and hiking the island are very popular activities.
There is a fishing pier, and the island is a sea turtle habitat as well. While there are limited commercial establishments on the island, the causeway leading to the island is lined with specialty stores and shops and a grocery store. The Town of Shallotte, just 10 minutes, away has several shopping centers, which include grocery stores and national chain department stores.
A little more than 30 minutes away you will find Wilmington and Myrtle Beach, and there are numerous golf courses nearby.