Stay Close
A local guide to Wrightsville Beach
Wrightsville Beach is a small barrier island east of Wilmington, North Carolina, with the Atlantic on one side and Banks Channel and the sound on the other. It is about five miles of beach, one road down the middle, and a town that is easy to cross on foot or on a bike.
Our family has been coming here for a long time, and this is the guide we would give a friend: the places we actually go, and the way we spend a week when the days are our own.
Getting your bearings
Between the ocean and the sound
The island is narrow enough that you are never far from either body of water, and that is the whole point of the place. The ocean side is the long open strand: surf, swimming, walking, fishing. The sound side is calmer water, docks and marsh — where boats, paddleboards and sunsets happen.
Five miles of beach, and water on both sides of the road.
Stay Close sits on the sound between the bridges, one block from the ocean. That geography shapes the day more than any itinerary: you can be in the surf in the morning, on flat water by afternoon, and back on the porch before dinner without moving a car.
The ocean here is unsupervised outside of guarded hours and guarded stretches, and conditions change with wind, tide and inlet currents. Check the flags and the forecast, and ask locally before swimming somewhere new.
Where this guide comes from
A 1935 cottage, restored by the family
Stay Close is a cottage that began in 1935 and was restored by Chris's father, John Schultz, a master carpenter, with the family working alongside him. The heart-pine stair, the paneling and the trim came out of that work, and the standard it set is still the standard for the house.
It sits on the sound between the bridges, one block from the ocean, with three porches. The one facing Banks Channel is where the day ends: salt still on everyone, dinner going inside, the light going out over the water.
The recommendations below are the family's own, built up over years of stays. Nothing here is sponsored or paid; they are simply the places we go.
Things to do
Surfing, paddling and the water days
Wrightsville is a surf town. The beach breaks along the strand and around the piers work on a wide range of swells, and there are surf schools and board rentals on the island — worth booking ahead, and worth asking what conditions they expect on your day.
The sound side is the better bet for stand-up paddleboarding: flatter water, marsh channels and creeks to poke into. Lees Cut, the channel behind the north end of the island, is a favorite of ours — and if you have a boat, Masonboro Island, the undeveloped barrier island just south, is the day trip everyone remembers. Buddy's Beach on the sound is our own family spot for a low-key afternoon in the water.
Fishing runs year-round in one form or another: from the surf, from the piers, from the sound, or offshore with a charter. What is running depends entirely on the season, so ask at a local shop rather than trusting anything written months in advance.
Things to do
The Loop, and getting around on foot
The Loop is the walking and running path that circles the middle of the island, past the sound, the park and the drawbridge. It is the most reliable way to see how the town actually lives — early morning and early evening especially.
Beyond that, the island rewards not driving. Bikes get you the length of it. The beach itself is the other long walk: five miles of sand, and at low tide you can go a long way before turning around.
Where we eat
Our current list of places to eat and drink
These are the places we go, grouped roughly by the kind of evening you are having. Menus, hours and seasons change constantly at the beach, so treat this as our current notes rather than a directory, and confirm before you set out.
On the water
- Dockside — On the waterway, and the one we default to for lunch by the water.
- Bluewater — Sound-side, easy for a group.
- The Oceanic — On the ocean, with the pier.
- Sharks — Casual, near the water.
Casual and everyday
- Tower 7 — Baja-style, in the middle of the island.
- Trolley Stop — Hot dogs; a Wrightsville institution for us.
- Poe's — Casual, unfussy.
- South Beach Grill — Dependable, close by.
- King Neptune — Long-standing seafood on the island.
A little more of an occasion
- Adapt — Where we go when the meal is the plan.
- Drift — Coffee, and a good first stop in the morning.
- The Workshop — Worth checking what they are doing while you are here.
Stocking the house
Groceries, seafood and the market run
Cooking is a large part of how this house works, and the provisioning run is its own small ritual. Roberts Grocery on the island is the closest and the most useful for the things you forgot. Lighthouse Beer & Wine is the stop for beer and wine.
For a bigger shop, Harris Teeter, Trader Joe's and The Fresh Market are all over the bridge in Wilmington. The farmers market and the Tidal Market are the ones to catch if the timing works — both are worth checking days and hours in advance, since they run on their own schedules.
Motts Channel Seafood is the family stop for fish and shrimp. Buying there and cooking it back at the house is closer to the point of the week than any restaurant meal.
Off the island
Shopping and the short drives
Lumina Station, just over the bridge, is the pleasant version of an errand: shops and food in one place. Surf City, Sweetwater, Wings and Redix cover boards, beach gear and everything you meant to pack. Hallelu is worth a look if you are shopping for something other than sunscreen.
Wilmington itself is close, and the historic downtown along the Cape Fear River is an easy change of scenery on a hot afternoon or a gray day.
Stay close to the things that matter
Stay Close is the 1935 family cottage this guide comes from: on the sound between the bridges, one block from the ocean, with the sunset porch facing Banks Channel. If the dates work, we would love to have you.