Pleasure Island, NC: Now’s the Time to Start Planning Your Summer Vacation on Pleasure Island

As we become more deeply settled into the long, often cold and dreary months of winter, it helps to have something to look forward to! For many Americans, the activities that go into planning summertime getaways start as soon as the holidays are over. The time between those seasonal start and finish dates of Memorial Day and Labor Day feels woefully short. Those that plan ahead know it’s the best way to squeeze in the maximum amount of fun from every precious day! More positive points about getting an early start on your summer getaway plans is that it frequently means you’ll have your choice of dates and sometimes, better prices.

Whether you’re interested in a Pleasure Island family vacation, romantic getaway, special occasion or just carving out a plan for a little “me-time”, we have some suggestions to get you started.

Choose your dates

Review work and school calendars to figure out which time will be the best. Depending on the goal of your visit to the breathtaking Cape Fear Coast, please keep in mind that it’s a treasure trove of activities year-round. In addition to perusing our site and calendar, here is another helpful and comprehensive calendar of events for the entire area: http://www.whatsonwilmington.com/

Pick your accommodations

The wonderful thing about Pleasure Island is our amazing selection of lodging options. From quaint beach cottages to charming family-owned oceanfront motels and inns to condos and luxury hotels, there is plenty to choose from. Regardless of the type of experiences you’re after, including family fun, just fishing, couples’ time, a surf safari, foodie adventure or something in between, we’d be happy to guide you-and we are a phone call away.

Visualize yourself here

After you lock in on a date, we suggest that you begin exploring the area online. If you are a first-time visitor, sites such as Google maps and TripAdvisor are priceless for getting you acclimated to the area well before your trip. Online research enables you to gauge what is within walking distance of where you’ll be staying and which attractions and restaurants are not to be missed. It is also helpful for locating a few iconic points of interest such as Carolina Beach State Park, the Winner fleet, Britt’s Donuts, the Ft. Fisher historic site and the N.C. Aquarium.

Know before you go

After familiarizing yourself with all of the wonderful things to see and do along Pleasure Island, we encourage you to review a few guidelines. For example, having all of the pertinent details in regard to factors such as parking, driving on the beach, fishing, surfing, or which months Fido is welcome, is the best way to get the most from your visit. For information on such things, please use this handy link: http://www.pleasureislandnc.org/beach-information/

To plan or not plan

Of course many folks set their clocks to island time and visit the Cape Fear Coast with just one goal in mind: beach time, lots of beach time! Of course, we certainly understand that itinerary choice. However, because your time is extremely valuable, we also believe that formulating a plan or two is a vital strategy in ensuring that everyone has an unforgettable experience. In addition to perusing the calendar of events, please review our site as well to discover when the summertime fireworks, movies by the lake and other special events occur. If SUP or surf lessons are on your list, we encourage you to get in touch with a few surf shops to get the lowdown on lessons, schools and rentals. The same goes for those who are anxious to explore the big blue on one of our legendary fishing charters. Those with kids in the picture are likely familiar with the importance of having Plan A, Plan B and of course if those fail, Plan C. Factors such as the weather and inexplicable and instant changes in attitude are easier to handle when there is a plan in place.

Good luck with you plan! We look forward to seeing you soon! In the meantime, here are more handy links that will help -- and beware of the surf cams, they have enticed more that one spur of the moment escape: