Brunswick County Destination Guide

If you are planning to fly to Brunswick County, you may be able to get a connecting flight to the Wilmington International Airport. Just north of Carolina Beach and Southport, Wilmington International receives flights from Delta and US Airways. However, if you can't get a flight directly into Wilmington, you have several other options. Raleigh-Durham International Airport has daily flights from most airlines and is about a three hour drive from the Brunswick County coast. If you prefer a more scenic drive, you could fly into Charleston (S.C.) International Airport and head north on highway 17. This coastal highway would then take you along the Carolina shoreline.

If you are driving into Brunswick County, you can take I-40 south from Raleigh. I-95 runs through Raleigh and most major East Coast cities from Philadelphia to Miami.

Brunswick County FAQ

1. What cities are in the Brunswick County area?

Brunswick is a county on the southeastern coastline in North Carolina. Cities like Shallotte and Calabash are located inland, but many other cities are located on beaches and coastal islands. Ocean Isle Beach, Holden Beach, Sunset Beach, Bald Head Island and Oak Island are all popular golf and vacation destinations along North Carolina's "Golf Coast."

2. What type of golf does Brunswick County offer?

Brunswick County is one of the undiscovered gems of the ever-expanding Myrtle Beach and offers North Carolina's best coastal golf. This bucolic setting is home to nearly a third of the Grand Strand's golf courses. The courses range from bargain level public access tracks and mid-range surprises to high-end daily fee and semi private layouts. With marshland layouts such as Marsh Harbor and Oyster Bay, Brunswick County lays claim to some of the most scenic courses in the entire state. Newer high-end daily fee courses like River's Edge, Tiger's Eye, The Thistle, Crow Creek and Farmstead have opened over the past few years.

3. What are the best courses in the Brunswick County Area?

It's hard to find courses better than River's Edge and Tiger's Eye in Brunswick County. River's Edge opened in 1998 and quickly became one of the most popular in the state. Built along the Shallotte River, River's Edge has one of the most scenic pieces of property in the Northern Strand. Located in Shallotte, River's Edge is an Arnold Palmer design that can pose plenty of problems for golfers. The par five ninth is one of the most talked about holes in Myrtle Beach. An incredibly narrow fairway doglegs to an equally narrow green. But hit the green with your approach and the crowd on the clubhouse porch will probably applaud.

Tiger's Eye is a Tim Cate-designed course that opened in 2000. It is a sensational blend of traditional design principles and modern nuances. Part of the Ocean Ridge Plantation, Tiger's Eye guards most of its greens with water, sand hazards or the long leaf pine groves that afford its distinct feel. Tiger's Eye also features over 40 feet of elevation changes, surreal waste bunkering, immaculate bentgrass greens that are magnificently difficult to master.

4. What is the best place to eat in Brunswick County?

Calabash is known as the "seafood capital of the world." Seafood restaurants litter the waterfront and offer some of the freshest and best seafood on the East Coast. Barracuda Bar and Grill offers a scenic setting on the Calabash River and serves up fresh Tuna, Grouper, Snapper and shrimp. The Calabash seafood here is served fried, broiled, grilled, blackened or sautéed. Another popular choice is Dockside Seafood House. In the heart of Calabash's fishing village, Dockside Seafood House is an excellent way to take in the ambiance of the town while enjoying market fresh seafood straight from the docks. One of Dockside's most famous offerings is the create your own seafood platter, but the prime rib is a force to be reckoned with as well.

5. What else is there to do in the area?

Brunswick County is home to some of the oldest and most historic lighthouses on the Eastern Seaboard. Bald Head Island Lighthouse is North Carolina's oldest remaining lighthouse. Built in 1817, Old Baldy helped guide ships to the mouth of the Cape Fear River.

If you don't mind taking a short ferry ride from Southport to Fort Fisher, you can see the remnants of the Price Creek Lighthouse. This is the only remaining evidence of the string of lighthouses built between 1845 and 1851 from Wilmington to Cape Fear. Price Creek Lighthouse was used during the Civil War to communicate with troops at Fort Fisher.