We're traveling to Topsail next month for a week at the shore. We've been going to the Outer Banks (Corolla) are for the past decade. Can anyone tell me anything about Topsail? Restaurants, shops, etc. We expect it to be quieter than OBX and that's fine with us. Any information would be most appreciated.

Now, this brings back some memories. Topsail was THE place to go after prom and after graduation when I was in high school -- lots of drunken revelry there!

Basically, though, Topsail is a family beach and a fisherman's beach. It's not exotic. You won't find lots of fancy restaurants (although there have been lots of new condominium developments since my high school days, along with more "beachy" shopping and dining options). The beachcombing used to be great -- I found a huge (four-inch!) shark's tooth there.

Topsail doesn't have any of the big tourist draw (aquaria, national parks, memorials, lighthouses) that you'll find at the Outer Banks. You'll be pleased to know that Topsail doesn't have the traffic or the riptide problems that the Outer Banks have, either.

There are several communities on the island -- the major ones, from north to south, are North Topsail Beach, Surf City and Topsail Beach. All parts of the island were hit very, very hard by hurricanes in the 1990s (fishing piers were splintered, for example), and at one point a new inlet was cut across the island, separating North Topsail Beach.

There has been a lot of reconstruction since that time, and I think you'll enjoy your trip, if you want a home-style, relaxed setting.

When I was growing up, there were lots of 1950s beach cottages, mobile homes and campgrounds, and there's still some of that, but there are more upscale areas, too. You may see a white three-story concrete tower or two along the coastline; those are remnants of watch towers from WWII, when German subs were common off the North Carolina coast.

Let's see, what else might be useful information? Topsail is close to Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, a major training base for the U.S. Marine Corps. It's also about a hour's drive from Wilmington, so -- if you're traveling with kids -- you might enjoy a day trip (or two) there, to tour the USS North Carolina battleship or the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher. Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach also have good restaurants and shopping, and you can tour the studios where Dawson's Creek and other productions are filmed.

One of those "upscale" communities has put a virtual tour online here
<http://www.beachhouse-marina.com/topsail/etour1.htm>

and the local chamber of commerce or visitors bureau also has information, online here

<http://www.topsailcoc.com/visitor_center/index.htm>.

Enjoy your trip! (And if you meet a dark-haired guy named Clint playing foosball at the old putt-putt golf arcade in Topsail ... tell him hi for me. *grin* )

I've been going to Topsail Beach for 35 years, since I was six. Love it. Will be taking all three weeks at Topsail this summer--it is the perfect beach for a family with three <5 years of age toddlers. It is uncrowded. In May, my three wildlings had the whole beach to themselves. Ocean temperature will be in the upper seventies by the time I go again in early July. People are friendly, you can drink beer on the beach, and you don't have a bunch of punks playing their boom boxes at Hiroshima volume. If you like to relax, down a couple of beers while reading, swimming and enjoying your family, there is no finer spot on earth. There is a greater variety of restaraunts than people would realize though several were sadly destroyed forever in the hurricanes of 1996 (Barnacle Bill's and The Rusty Scupper to name two). Soundside and Latitude 34 (which took over Beauchaine's space on the south end this spring) have wonderful modern American cooking that would fit in in any large American city. Palotti's, formerly the Pirate's Den, is an outstanding Italian restaurant which also specializes in Italian variations of seafood. The venerable Breezeway offers the traditional fried Carolina seafood but has also modernized its menu to a degree to compete with Soundside and Latitude 34. The island is served by two bridges- Food Lions are established within a couple of miles of each bridge. There is a pretty good grocery store on the island as well. At the south end, there is a small museum dedicated to the post-WW II missile program, Operation Bumble Bee. Because winters can be cold at Topsail, the missile program was move to Cape Canaveral in Florida. Topsail couldn't have been luckier.

Thanks, "hey" and Derek for your input. Topsail sound exactly what we are looking for in a beach vacation. We do not like boardwalks nor much night life, however, we do like to have a few beers or Bloody Marys on the beach and some decent restaurants. That's just about perfect for a week. We've rented a small house right on the beach and if the weather cooperates, I know we can be happy for a week.

Thanks much.

Been there at least 4 times. Very happy with Topsail as a relaxing beach vacation spot without the hoopla.

Ma favorite place in the whole whorl....
Sadly I just saw my first inter race couple.

Thought you might be interested in a woman's point of view. Great area where you don't have to put a leash on you children for fear that they will be lost or swiped. The southern end is more quiet and family oriented and has better beaches (although sounds like you've made your pick already). There can be quite a current (sometimes but not always) despite what "hey" suggested but it indeed is not as vicious as the outer banks (but care should be taken with small children). The Topsail Museum is very small and interesting about WWII's Operation Bumblebee.

As far a shops (which the guys gave no comments on), the Docksider (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)(off Island - between swing bridge and Food Lion) has a wide selection with reasonable prices and is the best place for kids to pick up a souvenier or toy without breaking the wallet. The gaudy Wings store sports cheap junk along with moderately nice stuff and long lines in July (I'd try to avoid it). The Gift Basket in Topsail beach (near post office) has been there for years (decades) and is a little more costly but I've gotten nice stuff on sale. The Topsail Island Trading Co. (Surf City next to Soundside restaurant) is pricey but they sell the best fudge (owners have been there for years). There is a mall in a renovated old Cotton Mill in "old town" Wilmington (I think called "The Cotton Mill") with lots of little boutique type shops. Wilmington has an inexpensive mexican restaurant which is not in scenic area but very good (El Vacquero - in yellow pages).

Latitude 34 and Soundside are pricey but delicious (need reservation). Breezeway and Palotti's (hard to find Italian rest. in Villa Capriani Condos. on North end) are less expensive and just as tasty.

There is an ABC store (state run so prices aren't inflated) on the island in Surf City so you don't have to lug all of your bloody mary mixings (they are closed on sundays).

If you are booked for July 4th. It will be the most crowded of the season. Make your restaurant reservations early and enjoy the fireworks of all the beachcomers who buy there own and put on private shows up and down the beach. But the biggest recommendation for July 4th weekend is NOT to shop at the Food Lion's closest to the island on the Saturday or Sunday before July 4. They will be crowded beyond belief (hour or more in line to check out). Go about 20 minutes south on Rte. 17 to the Food Lion in Hampstead and enjoy more time at the beach on your first day (instead of waiting in line).

IGA in surf city is good for those little things you forgot to get at Food Lion and you just want to run in somewhere close by. If you want to save money, buy the bulk of your food at Food Lion for those meals/snacks you make at your rental.

The Topsail Beach place for put put golf and arcade is fun for 5-14 yr. olds ("hey" mentioned) but I don't recommend bike rental unless you want the exercise. I would recommend beach walks instead. There really aren't any scenic areas where bicycling would be preferred (and we've seen dogs hit by cars which makes me leary about children on bikes in most places on the island). Another fun place for kids and adults is the Island Delights hamburger/ice cream shop in surf city. It has old juke boxes, old pinball machines, and little kiddie rides (like those in front of K-marts). It is good especially for a lunch on a rainy day - it will kill an hour for the kids. The bumper boat, put put golf and arcade place near both Food Lions has always seemed expensive to me for what they offer.

Enjoy and keep a look out for those fossilized shark's teeth.

Two sets of tt's in Putt Putt, my dear. By the way, are the four wildlings on the warpath today? See you tonight, dear.

Island Delights is the best place for a burger and a real milk shake. The Beach Shop on the south end, once home to the world's best milk shakes, gave up making them a couple of years ago. Naturally, I crossed them off my list. Got to have real milk shakes to be a good seaside hamburger joint.

Amy -

Thanks so much for your input(t) pun intended. Just what I needed from a woman's point of view - shopping and restaurants - does it get any better? Yes, we have made up our mind and are staying on the southern part of Topsail Is. because it was recommended by quite a few of the realtors as being more quiet and better beaches. Only about 6 more weeks and we're counting down. It was time for a switch from OBX, which has gotten so crowded from we northerners abandoning the Jersey beaches and going south. Our first trip to OBX ten years ago was wonderful. Now, each year, more huge homes that truly look like hotels and more people, not quite enough restaurants to keep up with the numbers, but it is still a very nice family vacation spot. Perhaps, this new find for us will bring us back. The rental prices are certainly much more reasonable than OBX. Of course, we only have a 3 BR, 2 BA, and not the 7 or 8 Bedroom house we have when we travel with family. Just think, there will actually be food and beverages in the fridge this year.

Again, thanks for the wonderful info.

Karen,
Not to be too intrusive, what's the name of your cottage. I know quite a few down at Topsail Beach.
Warning-the police force is a live-and-let live force at Topsail Beach. However, they wouldn't go for, say, a bunch of people downing a case of beer on the beach, hooting and hollering. Furthermore, very occasionally they crack down on speeders. In "town" the limit is 25 MPH for about 1/4 a mile. On the other hand, the Surf City police can be aggressive at bar closing time- I think it's one o'clock. I've seen them stop cars at that time of night.
Glad my wife could be of help. She's the best gal in the world.

August-October is Hurricane season. Also, be wary of disturbing a loggerhead turtle nest. I've been down at TB in early-October and seen several baby loggerheads get run over by thoughtless building contractors. Saved a few myself by scooping them up and putting them in the water where, I am sure, most became part of the great cycle of life.

Hi Amy and Derek -

I'm almost apprehensive to give you the name of our house. I should have asked for your help prior to renting. Here goes: the name is "PR's Retreat" and the address is 501 North Anderson. As I said, I don't expect it to be as extravagant as some properties in Corolla, but as long as it is clean and in fairly good condition, it is oceanfront, so hopefully it will suffice.

Let me know but please be kind! It's too late to change now.

Karen

P.S. Don't worry, we're not the drink cases of beer on the beach type. It's just the two of us and Winston (our vizsla), and he doesn't drink much nearly as much beer as he once did since he is an aging dog!

It should be clean. A couple of years ago the NC legislature passed a law that these places had to be cleaned by a cleaning service between visits (hence the $50.00 add-on cleaning fee). We've gotten some sticky countertops and sticky refridgerators but nothing filthy.

Not familiar with PR's Retreat. But watch the dog. We've seen dogs hit by cars on Anderson Blvd.

501 N. Anderson is far enough south for a pretty good beach. If you see old tires on the beach don't be alarmed. There is a "tire-reef" that was built years ago off of the south end. It was a dumb idea: They thought it would help protect them from huge hurricane waves. Occasionally after a storm or rough day one will break loose and wash ashore. We usually try to take them to a trash can if it isn't to heavy. People aren't dumping tires on the beach like some believe. It was a Topsail Beach local idea which didn't make a difference.

The last few years we've noticed the beach to have a whole lot more shells. This may be due to the army core dredging to build up the dunes destroyed by the hurricanes of late. I'm an aquatic biologist and that seems to be the best explanation.

Dear Karen,
Your cottage should be somewhere between the old Topsail Motel and a small condo complex at the northern edge of the town of Topsail Beach. Though I don't know of your particular cottage, I don't know of a bad cottage on that stretch of road. Hope you have fun.

As the whole east shoreline of the USA gets built up and crowded, Topsail has gradually gotten upscale. MMany of the newer houses are gigantic for beach homes. On the north end of the island are Nantucket-style mansions for the Vanderbilts of the 21st Century. The old fishing-redneck population is getting crowded out and confined mostly to Surf City, especially around the old bridge. Thrity years from now, I predict, the old fishing-redneck mobile homes will be part of a distant past, replaced by large homes and condos.

7-11 We just got back from topsail island. The hotels were fair, dining was almost non-exsistant, clientel base was not the best. Lot's of low class drunks in Surf City and below. I suggest North Topsail Beach, neat and clean. And bring your own food, we drove forever in the evenings to find food. Oh, go during the week, much more pleasant during the weekdays.

Brian (age26)

Though the hurricanes of 1996 swept away several restaurants, one doesn't have to travel far to find decent restaurants. Latitude 34 and Soundside offer fine modern American dining. II Beauchaine, formerly Beauchaine's has re-opened and serves up delicious food. Palotti's, on the north end, serves up fine Italian and seafood dinners. For typical southern fried seafood, Breezeway and the Oceanside are fine enough. Mollie's serves up a wonderful array of breakfast, from blueberry pancakes to breakfast tortillas to all sorts of omelettes.