3 Best Sights in Southport, The North Carolina Coast

Reached by ferry from Southport, this beautiful 12,000-acre island resort is a self-contained, car-free community, complete with a grocery store, restaurants (Jules' Salty Grub, on the harbor, and AQUA, at the Shoals Club, are highlights), a marina, two B&Bs, two club complexes with restaurants and pools, and the gorgeous 18-hole George Cobb golf course. There are scores of rental properties, from shingled cottages to luxury homes. You can explore the semitropical island's maritime forest preserve and its 12 miles of deserted beaches on foot, by bicycle, or in a golf cart. Climb to the top of the quaint "Old Baldy" lighthouse, visit the Smith Island Museum to learn about the island's maritime history, watch the loggerhead turtles nest on the beach, or take a guided ghost walk. Walk out onto Cape Fear, the southern tip of the island where the infamous Frying Pan Shoals extend for 30 miles into the ocean, and you'll feel like you're standing on the edge of the continent—you are—and it becomes clear why so many shipwrecks have occurred in these shallow, shifting sands.  The 20-minute ferry ride costs $23 per person round-trip; for most of the year, it leaves Southport's Deep Point Marina on the hour and Bald Head Island on the half hour. Advance reservations are necessary for the ferry and resort. 

About 10 miles north of Southport, you can explore the ruins and excavations of a colonial town and see the Civil War earthworks of Fort Anderson. The visitor center has a video presentation and a museum of historical items found at the site. Living-history events with costumed interpreters range from Civil War reenactments to colonial-era cooking demonstrations. It's also a great spot for a picnic.

If you're approaching the town from Kure Beach and Fort Fisher via U.S. 421, the state-operated year-round car ferry provides a 35-minute Cape Fear River ride between Old Federal Point at the tip of the spit and the mainland. Bald Head Lighthouse on Bald Head Island is seen en route, as well as the Oak Island Lighthouse and the ruins of Price's Creek Lighthouse—in fact, this is the only point in the United States where you can see three lighthouses at the same time. It's best to arrive early (30 minutes before ferry departure), as it's first come, first served. During peak season, there are 16 scheduled ferries each day.