Check Out Bird Island!

Bird Island is an undeveloped barrier island located at the southwestern edge of the North Carolina coast, situated between the Town of Sunset Beach and the Little River Inlet in South Carolina. The Reserve site encompasses 1,481 acres consisting of approximately 135 upland acres and over 1,300 acres of marsh, intertidal flats, and subtidal area.

Download The Bird Island Site Brochure Here

The Reserve site represents excellent examples of barrier communities with several occurrences of rare species.

The following barrier island biotic communities are present: upper beach, dune grass, maritime dry grassland, maritime wet grassland, maritime shrub thicket, maritime shrub swamp, brackish marsh, salt shrub, salt flat, and salt marsh.

The most notable species of the island are nesting loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) and seabeach amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus), a plant of the foredune area.

Both species are listed as threatened by the federal and state governments.

 

Getting to Bird Island

Public access is primarily via the ocean beach on the Sunset Beach side, while boats may land on the beach associated with Little River Inlet on the South Carolina side. With the closure of Mad Inlet in 1999 following Hurricane Bonnie, the public may walk the length of the island at all times. The upland property begins at the boundary with Sunset Beach and continues about 0.9 miles until it meets the Corps of Engineers property approximately 0.4 miles from the state line. The sound and marsh areas of the Reserve may be reached by boat, depending on vessel draft and tide levels. Several tidal creeks (e.g. Bonaparte Creek, Clayton Creek, East River) are found within the site.

Visiting the site

To reach Bird Island by foot, drive to the intersection of 40th and Main Streets in Sunset Beach. Limited parking is available at the end of Main Street past the intersection. Overflow parking is along the street, provided the area is not marked as a non-parking zone and residential access is not blocked. Take the 40th street boardwalk beach access to the beach and turn right. Follow the beach until you reach signs indicating the boundary of the Reserve.

Bird Island is also home to the Kindred Spirit Mailbox

Be sure to pay a visit while you are there!

 

 

The Sunset Inn

The Sunset Inn offers its guests an unforgettable North Carolina romantic getaway.  Come spend your special occasion at one of the nicest coastal gems in the Carolinas.

There are few places that offer a better setting for a romantic getaway than Sunset Beach North Carolina.

It’s a beautiful area that offers great weather, breath taking views, fun activities, and first class amenities and accommodations.

The Sunset Inn is located just across the Causeway at Sunset Beach, North Carolina. Situated along the marsh at Sunset Beach, the Sunset Inn is just minutes away from great shopping.

The immediate area affords you over 16 challenging golf courses and excellent dining.

Comfortable and roomy with a relaxed atmosphere, our spacious coastal home awaits your arrival.

Experience the Sunset Inn. It’s the perfect way to begin your day.

910.575.1000 Email: info@thesunsetinn.net Web Site: http://www.thesunsetinn.net

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Spring Fitness Programs

Starting January 1, 2012 the Brunswick County Parks & Recreation Dept., in conjunction with The Winds Resort Beach Club on nearby Ocean Isle Beach (10 minutes from Sunset Beach), is once again offer three great fitness classes. The classes are open to the public but guests of The Winds Beach Resort can participate in two of the three classes at either greatly reduced fees or for free!

For more information please call the Brunswick County Parks & Recreation Department at: 910.253.2538

Here are the programs, schedules and fees:

TENNIS LESSONS
Ocean Isle Beach Park

(Five minutes from The Winds)

$30/hour private rate
Semi-Private Group Rate:
$40 for 3 people
$5 /each additional person per group

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AQUAZUMBA
Mondays & Wednesdays
January 2 – April. 30, 2012
Time: 8am-9am
Outdoor pool
Free of charge to Winds Guests

This is a “pool party” workout for all ages. You’ll learn safe, effective and challenging water-based workouts that integrate the Zumba formula and philosophy into traditional aqua fitness disciplines. Outdoor Pool weather permitting.

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WATER AEROBICS
January 2 through April 30, 2012
Monday thru Thursday
9:30-10:30am
Outdoor Pool weather permitting
Free of Charge to Winds Guests.

Click here to go to Discount Coupons that you can print out and use for a 15% to 20% discount at The Winds Resort Beach Club.

Planetarium Sky Theater Shows

When: Hourly Shows on Fridays and Saturdays

Where: Ingram Planetarium in Sunset Beach, NC

Admission is per show. Attend one show and receive $1 off your ticket for a second show.

Admission: $8 adults, $6 seniors and students, $4 children ages 3 to 4, and free for ages 2 and under.

Due to safety concerns, late arrivals will not be seated once the show starts.

Learn more here: http://museumplanetarium.org

1:00 — Seven Wonders

Go back in time and witness the seven ancient wonders of the world as they have not been seen for thousands of years. Then journey through space and see the seven cosmic wonders as they have never been seen before. Appropriate for all ages.

Click here to view the trailer on our YouTube Channel

2:00 PM — Two Pieces of Glass

Learn about telescopes: Two pieces of glass placed in a metal tube reveal the wonders of space if one learns how and where to focus. Appropriate for all ages.

3:00 PM – Oasis in Space

Voyage through the solar system and deep into the universe in search of water, the key ingredient to life on earth. Appropriate for all ages.

Click here to view the trailer on our YouTube Channel

 

$30 Golf: Canned Food Drive!

Help those in need with a great rate on golf for yourself at Sea Trail!

Sea Trail is helping those in need during the holiday season for 2011 with its Canned Food Drive, Beginning December 1st 2011 you can get one round of golf on any of Sea Trail’s three signature courses of Distinction for just $30 per person with a donation of three cans of food.

Sea Trail collects these donations and delivers them to the Brunswick Family Assistance program to provide food for those less fortunate in the area. Ca;; 910.287.1122 or visit the Sea Trail Golf Shops for more details and tee times.

 

 

March Madness $110.00 Golf!

$110.00 All Inclusive Golf Package!

This March stay at the area’s premier oceanfront resort and play top area courses for $110 per golfer all inclusive!

3/1/12 – 3/31/12: $110.00 Per Person All Inclusive – Package includes:

• Lodging
• Daily Hot Southern Breakfast Buffet
• Daily Round of Golf On Great Courses (See list below)
• Cart Fees
• Greens Fees
• Daily Housekeeping
• Rates based on 4 golfers in a 2 bedroom/2 bath suite, 8 golfers if a 4 bedroom/4 bath Resort House or 2 golfers in a one bedroom/one bath Deluxe Room or one bedroom suite (when available).

 

Courses:

Azalea Sands, Brierwood, Carolina National, Carolina Shores, Eagles Nest, Lockwood Folly, Magnolia Greens, Palmetto Greens, Rivers Edge, Sea Trail Maples, Sea Trail Byrd, Valley at Eastport.

Play Farmstead and Meadowlands for $5.00 more and SeaTrail Jones for $10.00 more!

To book this golf package please call the The Winds Golf Desk Toll Free: 800-334-3581 or Email: GolfDesk@TheWinds.com

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Winter Sizzler $61.00 Golf

 $61.00 All Inclusive Golf Package!

Winter Sizzler 12/1/11 – 2/29/12: $61.00 Per Person All Inclusive – Package includes:

• Lodging
• Daily Hot Southern Breakfast Buffet
• Daily Round of Golf On Great Courses (See list below)
• Cart Fees
• Greens Fees
• Daily Housekeeping
• Rates based on 4 golfers in a 2 bedroom/2 bath suite, 8 golfers if a 4 bedroom/4 bath Resort House or 2 golfers in a one bedroom/one bath Deluxe Room

Courses Include:

Azalea sands, Brierwood, Carolina Shores, Eagles Nest, Palmetto Greens, Rivers Edge Sea Trail Maples, Sea Trail Byrd, Valley at Eastport

Farmstead, Lockwood Folly, Meadowlands, Magnolia Greens and Sandpiper Bay available for $5 more.

Carolina National, Lions Paw and Panthers Run available for $10.00 more.

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Course Review: Sea Trail Maples

The Maples Course at Sea Trail Resort & Golf Links offers a few touches that give it a unique look on the Grand Strand.

Several moss-draped oaks and pine trees grow in waste bunkers that line a few holes; brick and stone walkways lead the way to tee boxes through waste bunkers; an open cemetery is passed en route to the second tee box; and despite meandering through a heavily developed residential community, the course also has a handful of holes that run along the Calabash Creek.

“I’ve seen waste bunkers with pampas grass growing out of them, but never trees,” said Frances Pritchard of Conway, a member of a foursome that reviewed and rated the course in early December. “It’s a nice addition.”

The Dan Maples layout is not overly demanding in length, measuring 6,797 from the back blue tees and 6,332 from the white. And you shouldn’t lose many balls. Tree-lined fairways rather than hazards account for the course’s biggest challenge.

In addition to Frances, a hostess at Papa’s restaurant who carries a handicap of 28, the foursome included me, Pete Veum, a retired salesman from Myrtle Beach who plays to a 13, and Ed Wydro, another retiree from Little River who plays to an 18. Pete played the back tees, Ed and I the white and Frances the 5,090-yard red. The course also features 6,035-yard gold tees.

“It’s a fair challenge from the white tees,” Ed said. “Under normal circumstances, the average player would have a tough time but a good time. The course makes you think a little bit.”

“Which is a real problem for us,” Pete added.

Over the summer and fall, the Maples Course closed for $500,000 in renovations, and changed its greens from Bermuda to an A1/A4 blended bent grass. Due to the increased speed associated with bent, several green complexes were redesigned to reduce their undulation, though there are still significant mounds, ridges and slopes on most.

“I thought they putted well for only being a month or two old,” said Pete, who has played the course three times. “In the summer, they’ll be very fast. They’re much better than they were before.”

Sea Trail also refurbished bunkers with a light, white sand, and managed to improve air circulation throughout the course without significantly altering the course’s tight, tree-lined characteristic.

“You have to be accurate on the second shots on the par-4s and the third shots on the par-5s,” Pete said. “They all narrow down as you go to the green.”

There are approximately 50 bunkers on the course, but many aren’t in traditional landing areas and greens are generally open in front with no more than two bunkers protecting any of them. The course’s rough is not very penal.

“The rough is not too deep, but it’s high enough to let you know it’s there,” Ed said. “That’s the way it should be for the average player. It’s there, but you can play out of it.”

Because it’s a residential course, out of bounds lurks close to the fairways of many holes. But so do friendly neighbors. A bowl of candy was left at the base of a tree behind a home adjacent to the cart path off the 15th women’s tee box, and was accompanied by a sign wishing everyone a merry Christmas. Pete and Ed abstained, possibly fearing a terrorist scheme, but Frances and I each grabbed a piece. “They’re so skeptical,” Frances said. “Some people are just nice.”

The par-3s are all between 150 and 172 yards from the white tees and 170-198 from the blue tees, and holes 5, 11 and 17 are straightforward with an open entrance to the greens. “The par-3s looked a lot alike,” Pete said.

The third hole is the most distinctive of the par-3s. It features split tee boxes, with the red and gold to the left and blue and white to the right, where a pond to the right of the green comes more into play and a short but wide tree that is growing out of a waste bunker in front of the green must be carried. “It’s a different look,” Ed said.

The course gets much of its yardage from the par-5s, especially from the back tees, where they start at 545 yards and stretch to 575. The one reprieve from the white tees is the 490-yard 12th. Otherwise, they measure between 525 and 553 yards.

The fourth hole is a straightforward par-5, while the sixth is designed for three shots. It features a gradual bend to the right that makes it difficult to get a good angle to the green on the second shot, and a small pond 20 yards from the green on the left side to further deter bold attempts.

The 12th hole has the creek to the left but is open to approach shots and can be reached after a long drive, and the 575-yard 15th has a waste bunker running all the way up the left side to the 150 marker, and another small waste bunker with a dead tree to the front-right of the green.

Though the majority of the doglegs turn to the left, the par-4s offer a variety of yardages and looks. “The course is laid out really nice,” Frances said. “It’s not a humdrum course. Each hole is a little different.”

The diversity of the par-4s is demonstrated in the front nine’s closing holes.

The seventh hole measures 410 from the back tees and 375 from the white. A drive of between 200 and 225 is required to get past the left tree line on the sharp dogleg-left, with an approach shot from 130 yards or less to a green that slopes to the front and back due to a middle ridge.

The dogleg-left eighth is 410 from the blue and 380 from the white, and requires a drive over water through a chute of trees, then approach to a green protected by a pair of bunkers to its right. More of the fairway’s left side is open to drives from the white tees, considerably shortening the hole.

The ninth hole is perhaps the toughest on the course because of its length of 455, 445, 420 and 360 from the four tee boxes, and one of the smaller greens on the course with a large ridge separating its right front and back portions.

The course’s first two holes are short par-4s with Calabash Creek running along the right side of each, and the closing hole is a very birdieable par-4, measuring 410 from the blue, 330 from the white and just 250 from the red, with housing on the left.

By Alan Blondin

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Sea Trail Dan Maples Signature Course - Twisted ancient oaks and tall Carolina pines define each hole on the beautiful par 72 course, still regarded as one of Maples finest. This one-of-a-kind course has newly renovated A1/A4 blended Bent grass greens and boasts five holes that wind along the scenic Calabash Creek, home to nesting ospreys and other native wildlife. The course is also peppered with numerous waste bunkers, one of which extends the full length of a fairway. Contact us for additional information or call 800-624-6601 or 910-287-1157. http://www.seatrail.com

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Sea Trail Willard Byrd Signature Course -

Opened in the Fall of 1990, each hole of the Willard Byrd Golf Course at Sea Trail Resort & Golf Links, Sunset Beach, NC is memorable for both beauty and exacting play.

Built around several man-made lakes, each ranging from 14-20 acres, every hole of this par-72 signature course requires a distinctly difference approach. Contact us for additional information or call 800-624-6601 or 910-287-1157. http://www.seatrail.com

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Sea Trail Rees Jones Signature Course – The Rees Jones Golf Course at Sea Trail Resort & Golf Links, Sunset Beach, NC, opened in the Spring of 1990 and has become a perennial favorite of visitors and locals alike. Players of all skill levels will enjoy an extraordinary golf experience on this straightforward golf course with typical Jones bounding. Wide fairways and large mounds are surrounded by water, with water coming into play on 11 holes of the Par 72 championship course. In addition to water hazards, the many pot and large expanse bunkers make for a delightfully challenging game of golf. Contact us for additional information or call 800-624-6601 or 910-287-1157. http://www.seatrail.com

Museum of Coastal Carolina

If you think museums are stuffy, quiet places that people visit for research, contemplation, or when there’s nothing else to do, then you haven’t visited North Carolina’s only natural history museum on a barrier island. New exterior murals predict some of the things you’ll see inside the Museum of Coastal Carolina at nearby Ocean Isle Beach (15 minutes from Sunset Beach, NC).

Happy, interactive voices are encouraged!  One might hear toddlers calling out “Boat, Daddy, boat!” as they climb into the wooden strip boat made here in Brunswick County. Staff and volunteers often hear “Whoa!” when visitors approach the shark jaw exhibit.  Carolina residents track their local rivers to the sea and parents teach their young children to keep the beach clean and protect the animals from trash as they pass the Litterbug Hall of Shame.

Imagine getting up close to the area wildlife on display in the Green Swamp diorama. Then touch or hold a sea star, an urchin, or a hermit crab at the touch tank.  Learn the inside story of shells at the newly updated Carolina Shells and Fossils exhibit. Don’t forget to bring your beach treasures to identify.

Hear “oohs and aahs” as you take a walk through the Ocean Reef Gallery that depicts a reef habitat about 65 miles off the coast of North Carolina. The toddler area in the Barrier Island Gallery has puppets, toy ocean animals, puzzles, and lots of happy noise. Then there’s silent awe at the Legacy of the Loggerhead sea turtle exhibit’s short video filmed on Ocean Isle Beach about the life cycle of the loggerhead turtle that includes a mother turtle laying eggs and the hatchlings crawling to the sea.

In the Coastal Plain, visitors exclaim “Wow!” when they see the American bald eagle up close and eye-to-eye.  Identify the shorebirds you saw on Brunswick beaches. Children like to pretend they are a coyote or a bear with the pelts thrown over their shoulders.  Fisherman are heard to exclaim that they learned to fish with a bamboo rod just like the one in the antique fishing equipment exhibit.

A visit to the Museum of Coastal Carolina is a treat for the young and the young at heart. Many vacationers include it as a multi-generational activity for the whole family.  Local residents know that it is one of Brunswick County’s best family activities.

Summer afternoon family programs are held at 3:30 p.m. on Monday—Friday from June 14 through August 20.  The programs include Know Your Knots on Monday, “What Kinda Fish Is That, Mister?” on Tuesday, Seven Steps to Shoreline Safety & the Firetruck on Wednesday, Megabites! on Thursday, and Touch Tank Feeding and Shell ID on Friday.

Evening programs are Ghost Lore and Legend Walk on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and Snakes Alive! on Thursday at 7 p.m. Come early to tour the Museum before the program. Family vacation passes with unlimited Museum visits for one week are available for $49. (Family vacation passes are for a family that resides together year-round, not multi-generational families vacationing together.  The Plus membership may be a better value for multi-generational families.) Annual memberships are also available.

The Museum of Coastal Carolina is located at 21 East Second Street, Ocean Isle Beach beside the playground and just a block from the beach and the pier. Enjoy coastal natural history . . . for the fun of it!  Summer hours are June 1—September 4 on Monday, Tuesday, Friday & Saturday from 10—5,  Wednesday and Thursday from 10—8:30 and closed Sunday. All-day admission includes programs. $8 for adults, $6 for senior adults 60 & over, $6 students K-12 & College ID, and $4 Preschool ages 3-5, Ages 2 & under are free.  Check http://www.museumplanetarium.org or call 910.579.1016 for further information.
For educational and entertaining gifts and toys, visit Nature’s Treasures Gift Shop at the Museum or Galaxy Gifts at the Planetarium.

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BeachRentalsDirect.com

BeachRentalsDirect.com is the only “Rent By Owner” website that is focused on the beaches of North Carolina!

Vacationers: Search for condominiums, houses and cottages as well as resort properties. Rent directly from the owners and save!

You’ll find premier properties for rent on and near Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle Beach and Holden Beach. Golf course fairway condominiums as well!

Owners:

List Your Property On BeachRentalsDirect.com

BeachRentalsDirect.com is the only “Rent By Owner” website that is focused on the Coast of NC. It is advertised on high traffic Vacation Planning websites like:

CoastalNC.com, SunsetNC.com, OceanIsleBeach.com, HoldenBeachNC.com, Oak-IslandNC.com and TownofBaldHeadIsland.com.

BeachRentalsDirect.com is also advertised on OurState.com the official website for Our State Magazine, VisitNC.com the State of NC’s official Travel and Tourism website.

These sites as well as traffic from Google, Bing and other search engines bring lots of traffic from visitors planning vacations right here on the islands of Brunswick County, NC!

In addition BeachRentalsDirect.com advertises on billboards on high traffic highways on throughout the area.

There are other “Rent By Owner” websites out there but they are not targeted on this area and visitors focused on coming here!

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