Holden Beach, NC

 

For the second year in a row, our friends and we have rented a house on Holden Beach, NC. Until last year we had never been to this beach before. Our friends have been going there for over forty years and introduced us to the area. We went during the first week in October these past two years and both times the weather was perfect. It was warm enough to sun and swim during the day and cool enough to don a sweatshirt in the evening. There was low humidity, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, no crowds, and plenty of relaxation.

Holden Beach is a strip of island accessible by a bridge with a waterway between it and the mainland. It is one, straight road lined on both sides by houses. There are no hotels or high rises there. You will see a few beachy type business before the access bridge, but otherwise it is a quiet place. Myrtle beach is to the south and Wilmington is to the north. Overall, we like the quietness of Holden Beach for relaxing. The beachfront houses are only yards away from the sand so there is not a long walk to the beach. Almost all of the houses have large, covered decks where you can sit and watch the water under beautifully painted skies. Each morning we spotted dolphins and many fishing birds making nosedives into the water for food. Holden beach is also the only place where you can find fossilized sea biscuits. (You can read about them here) We found some beautiful, intact biscuits last year during a rain storm. We only found a couple more this year but I am always excited to find one. Shell collecting was minimal because most shells were broken to pieces by the waves. The beach is long enough that you can walk miles. Last year Steve and I walked three miles up to the pier and back. 

We drove to Shallotte, Southport, and Calabash for a little shopping and dinners out. Another day we drove to Wilmington for some antiquing and lunch. We found a very nice little antique shop in Shallotte called Miss Minnie's antiques. She had things displayed beautifully and it was fun to browse. There are a couple of ice cream shops and a Food Lion nearby. We also had a pizza delivered one evening which we ate on the deck. Shallotte is only twenty minutes or so away from the beach and there are stores like Hobby Lobby and Walmart if desired.

Our friend Dan fished every day. He threw back all but one fish. The one he kept was a flounder. He filleted and broiled it for dinner and all six of us had a small piece. it was the best flounder I have ever tasted. Flounder are interesting, flat shaped fish with a white underside and a sand colored upper side. Their eyes are both on the top side which makes their face look a little goofy. It reminds me of how a child might draw a fish's face.  

It was a good vacation, especially for Steve, to relax and do nothing much. My favorite part was our evening walks on the beach where we watched the sun set. Each evening it lowered slowly until it finally touched the horizon in a fiery red ball.

There is a man who comes each year and builds sand pyramids. Steve took this photo just as the sun was setting behind them.