Can a 20-minute ferry ride transport you to another world? In North Carolina, it can.
Bald Head Island sits three miles from bucolic Southport. Its lighthouse – Old Baldy – peeks over the maritime forest canopy, marking your next getaway destination. Park your ride and leave it behind because the island is car-free, care-free and ripe for discovery. After a 20-minute ferry ride, you’ll feel like you’ve entered a new world. On the island – 3.5 miles end to end, 1.6 miles at its widest point – travel tree-shaded roads and curving seaside routes on golf carts, bicycles or your own two feet.
Bring along friends to fill a luxury compound like Bon Dia Beach House; opt for rooms at Marsh Harbour Inn or The Inn on Bald Head Island; or stay in the maybe-it’s-haunted Captain Charlie’s I, a historic lighthouse keeper’s cottage on the dune ridge.
While you’re here, wander 14 miles of beach to work on your tan, surf or fish; join the Bald Head Island Conservancy for seasonal birdwatching walks (spot painted buntings in spring, osprey and eagles any time of year) and to search for nesting sea turtles; climb the lighthouse; get in a round of golf or recharge and reconnect however you choose. Even if you hit all of these spots, this is a getaway that leaves you little choice but to slow down.