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Local Author’s Books: Huge Hit!

Local Author and Illustrator Miller Pope has spent a lifetime as an artist Read more

Local Surfers Rule In CA Again!!

Local surfers Mike and Ben Powell have once again ruled the waves the in the NSSA Collegiate Surfing Championships in Dana Point, CA!

Michael Powell took 1st Place and his brother Ben Powell 3rd Place NSSA Nationals Mens Division! What a way to represent the Sunset Beach / Brunswick County NC area!

SunsetNC.com salutes the Powell brothers (from Ocean Isle Beach) significant accomplishment.

Mike and Ben Powell came to the NSSA Collegiate Surfing Championships in Dana Point, CA with the hope of proving to the California-dominated contest that East Coasters schools could surf too. Instead, the brotherly duo from Ocean Isle Beach (surfing for UNC-Wilmington) almost took the whole thing!

Last year the brothers took second and third place and they ruled the national contest again this year,

Brothers Michael and Ben Powell together operate The Carolina Surf School which offers private and group lessons.

With more than twenty years of surfing experience combined they are semi professionals that can really are help you push your ambitions to the next level as a surfer.

Contact Michael and Ben Powell: 910.233.8908 or 910.233.4004 http://www.carolinaschoolofsurf.com

Sea Turtles

Here are three videos showing a Turtle laying eggs, eggs hatching and baby turtle making his (or her) way to the ocean! This time of year the Turtles are coming ashore to lay their eggs – you can help by observing the rules at the bottom of this page!

Sea turtle laying 209 eggs on bird island:

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Sea Turtles Hatching at Sunset Beach,NC during August, 2009 near midnight:

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A Sea Turtle makes his (or her) way to the ocean!:

You can help the turtles when you visit Sunset Beach by following a few simple guidelines:

Do Not Disturb: If you see an adult sea turtle coming on shore, stay quiet and keep your distance! Otherwise she may get scared and go back into the ocean without nesting. They are an endangered species and it is a federal offense to harass them.

Turn Off All Flashlights! Lights may scare or confuse the adult female and cause her to leave without nesting.

Lights Cause Hatchlings To Go In the Wrong Direction: Please turn off all outside lights each night. Also if there are curtains or blinds use them so your indoor lights do not lead the hatchlings away from the ocean.

Never Pick Up A Hatchling. It is critical that they crawl on their own.
Do Not Disturb The Nest Area. Watch for the nest markers.

Stay Off Sand Dunes & Do Not Pick Sea Oats. Sand dunes provide critical habitat for sea turtles and help prevent flooding during times of extreme tides and storms. Foot traffic kills plants and severely damages the sand dunes. The penalty for failure to adhere to this requirement is a $100 fine.

Help Us Keep Our Beaches Clean -Sea turtles may mistake a plastic bag or other forms of litter for a jellyfish (they eat them). All personal items and equipment must be removed from the beach each day- these items may trap a sea turtle.

Please Fill In All Holes On The Beach When Done Playing.- Holes can trap sea turtles and are a safety hazard to humans.

Keep Dogs On Leashes At All Times!- No dogs shall be permitted on the beach strand between the hours of 9:00am and 6:00pm during period of Memorial Day through Labor Day regardless of whether they are leashed or not.
Fireworks can scare off nesting sea turtles and leave behind trash that may be mistaken for food by marine wildlife.- Discharge of fireworks is not permitted per North Carolina state laws.

Please Report all sightings of nesting turtles, dead turtles, unmarked nests or crawls (looks like a bulldozer came out of the water).

Call the Sunset Beach Turtle Patrol at CARMEL ZETTS, COORDINATOR
P. O. Box 7745
Ocean Isle Beach, NC 28469
PHONE: 910-579-5862
CELL: 910-209-1079
E-MAIL – CZETTS@ATMC.NET

You can send donations to:

Sunset Beach Turtle Program (SBTP)

P.O. Box 7745

Ocean Isle Beach, NC 28469

. Please include your name, the name of your nest and your mailing address. Keep up with the Turtle Patrol at: http://www.sunsetbeachturtles.org/

Local Artist Paints Sunset Beach

Local artist Joyce Hanson Anderson has been painting scenes of Sunset Beach and the surrounding area for years. We thought we’d share this videoof some of her work.

“I love to photograph and paint scenes of the Sunset Beach & Ocean Isle Beach areas near my home. The video shows some prints of my work.”

Sea Trail & Charlestowne Hotels

Sea Trail Golf Resort & Convention Center at Sunset Beach selected Charlestowne Hotels as the exclusive onsite lodging, rental management operator.

Charlestowne Hotels has also assumed operation of the Village Activity Center and is offering memberships to the facility.

Members and guests of the resort may enjoy the indoor pool, fitness center and the spa treatments offered there.

Sea Trail Golf Resort & Convention Center encompasses over 2,000 acres on the mainland at Sunset Beach, North Carolina’s southernmost barrier island.

Sunset Beach sits conveniently between the history and quaint shops of Wilmington, NC and the numerous entertainment and shopping venues of Myrtle Beach, SC.

In addition to luxury resort accommodations, the Sea Trail Convention Center, voted 2009 Best of the South by Meetings South.

The Convention Center features 58,000 square feet of convention and event space.

The Village Activity Center offers additional locations for social events and gatherings around the beautifully landscaped pool or inside in the Sunset Room.

Sea Trail also boasts three award winning golf courses by renowned designers Rees Jones, Willard Byrd and Dan Maples. The Oasis Pool Bar, Brassie’s Pub and Magnolia’s Restaurant provide a variety of dining options for guests as well.

“We are excited to partner with the owners of Sea Trail to enhance one of the premier vacation and meeting destinations in the Southeast” said Michael Tall, Senior Vice President. “We will be working not only with all of the onsite amenities, but also with attractions and golf courses in both North and South Carolina in an effort to provide the perfect vacation package or business retreat for our guests.”

Charlestowne Hotels, Inc. is a full-service hospitality management company which has become one of the most successful firms in the hospitality industry, and one of the largest hotel management companies on the Southeast coast currently working with 24 properties.

Sea Trail Golf Resort & Convention Center encompass over 2,000 acres in Sunset Beach, North Carolina. Located in the southernmost barrier island and town, Sea Trail is a beautiful and relaxing setting surrounded with lush fairways and peaceful lakes. Offering over 500 condominiums and villa-style suites to fit every lifestyle, they range from one to four bedrooms and feature full kitchens with large living/dining areas. Convenient to the full array of Sea Trail amenities, guests can enjoy 54 holes of championship golf, pool and fitness facilities, several on-site restaurant options and even activities for children.

Click here to visit their website and check availability here: http://www.seatrail.com/resort

Ingram Planetarium

A few minutes drive, between Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle Beach, Read more

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

The Winds Resort Beach Club

A Tropical Escape Closer Than You Think!  A small, intimate island resort.

Ideal for vacations, romantic getaways, weddings, honeymoons, reunions, golf excursions or small meetings.

The Winds is set oceanfront surrounded by palms, bananas and flowering hibiscus on nearby Ocean Isle Beach (15 minutes from Sunset Beach).

Oceanfront rooms and suites overlook lush tropical gardens and the breathtaking island beach.

Also Four, Five and Six Bedroom Resort Cottages with full kitchen, living room and large whirlpool spa.

Rates include complimentary hot breakfast buffet & use of all amenities Three Pools (one indoor), Whirlpools etc.

The Garden Bar and poolside Tiki Bar both feature a light menu & mixed drinks.

The Winds also offers year round golf packages on over 90 top area courses as well as a FREE SUMMER GOLF program!

310 E. 1st St, Ocean Isle Beach, NC 28469 1-800-334-3581 http://TheWinds.Com Email: Info@TheWinds.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 www.museumofcc.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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