Bald Head Island, North Carolina

Amid Bald Head Island's 12,000 acres, you'll find 10,000 untouched acres of beach, marsh and maritime forest preserves. The intimate neighborhoods dotting the landscape rise gently and seamlessly, as if Nature herself had a hand in their development.

Bald Head Island is a two-mile journey across the Cape Fear River from Southport, North Carolina. Appropriately, you can reach the island only by boat – a transition that prepares you for a place strikingly different from the one you left behind.

When you board the passenger ferry for the 20-minute ride to Bald Head Island, you leave your car behind — along with the stress of everyday life. Transportation on the island is limited to golf carts, bikes, skates and well-worn walking shoes...an accurate reflection of the slower, more relaxed island attitude.

Although the pace of life here encourages rest and reflection, there is no shortage of recreational options for every age. Golf Bald Head Island Club's championship links, recognized as one of the state's most spectacular courses. Discover North Carolina's oldest lighthouse,  Old Baldy was first commissioned by Thomas Jefferson. Explore the island's protected creeks and maritime forest through programs offered by the Bald Head Island Conservancy.

Pristine beaches, loggerhead sea turtles, Old Baldy Lighthouse...From natural wonders to rich historical drama, Bald Head Island offers visitors a distinctive maritime world awaiting discovery.