Pleasure Island, North Carolina

My girlfriend and I went during the offseason and had a great time. Our room was about $80/night and only a five minute walk from the beach. The town was almost empty, except for the locals, who were all older white people. They all went out of their way to be nice and welcoming towards us. Some of the locals were flying confederate flags, but we never interacted with any of them. We saw probably two other Black people total in the town. The beach was clean and mostly empty; it was very peaceful. There were some decent restaurants within walking distance, but they were overpriced. I’d recommend Freddie’s if you have the money. The seafood is cheaper and better if you take the 15 minute drive to Wilmington. There’s also a rowdy, small bar called Bud and Joe’s near the beach with cheap drinks and friendly locals. If you’re interested in Civil War history, there are some nearby museums, confederate forts, and battlefields to explore. Fort Fisher is a couple minutes down the road. The museum at Fort Fisher had in-depth exhibits that covered Fort Fisher’s history from the perspectives of confederate soldiers, union soldiers, enslaved Black and native people, women, leaders, etc which was very cool. There’s also an aquarium near the fort with cheap tickets and a lot to see. It was packed with other tourists, but we had fun. Some stuff, like the pier, was closed because it was the offseason, but there was still a lot to do. I would definitely make another trip here to explore the neighboring Bald Head and Oak Islands more.