Benjamin Holden bought this island in 1756, and for generations his family farmed and fished there. In the 1920s they began developing the resort community that thrives today. A remarkable bridge that connects the mainland to Holden Beach rises 65 feet above the Intracoastal Waterway, providing a stunning view of the ocean and a sweeping entry to the island. The beach and the sea are the central attractions in this town, which prides itself on a serene quality of life.

Holden Beach is the longest and the largest of the three islands in the group known as the South Brunswick Islands. Stretching 11 miles along the Atlantic Ocean, the island is a jogger's paradise and, as of this writing, the town is applying for funds from the N.C. Department of Transportation to prepare a plan for bicycling in town. Approximately 900 year-round residents call Holden Beach home, and though the population swells to more than 10,000 during the season, visitors find a host of opportunities for assimilating themselves into this exceedingly quiet family community. Boating, fishing and hiking the island are very popular activities. The island is a sea turtle habitat as well. 

While there are limited commercial establishments on the island, the causeway leading to the island is lined with specialty stores and shops and a Food Lion grocery store. The Town of Shallotte, just 10 minutes, away has several shopping centers including grocery stores and national chain department stores. A little more than 30 minutes away you will find Wilmington and Myrtle Beach, and there are numerous golf courses nearby.

The Town of Holden Beach has been listed in the 2007 AAA Beach Vacation Travel Journal as one of the top 30 beaches in the country. It made the list of the 38 Best American Beaches in the July/August 2007 edition of National Geographic Smart Traveler magazine, and it has officially received National Healthy Beach status through the National Healthy Beaches Campaign.

Ocean Isle Beach

Sunset Beach also offers a special delight — a walk to Bird Island. Once a separate island accessible only by walking through shallow Mad Inlet at low tide, Bird Island today is connected to Sunset Beach since the inlet has closed naturally. However, it is completely untouched by development as its nearly 1,300 acres of beach, marsh and wetlands were dedicated in 2002 as a North Carolina Coastal Reserve after 10 years of work by the Bird Island Preservation Society to protect it. This designation protects habitat used by several threatened or endangered species, including sea beach amaranth, Kemp’s Ridley and loggerhead sea turtles, piping plover, wood stork and black skimmer. A unique feature to be found on the island is a mailbox where "kindred spirits" can leave inspired messages. There are frequent informal guided tours, announced by posters attached to street markers on the beach, so it's easy to hook up with locals who are pleased to share their knowledge of Bird island. The environment is purely natural and deeply comforting, where people of the twenty-first century can experience life as it was before the development of the land.  

Calabash is a part of a 48,000-acre grant made to Landgrave Thomas Smith in 1691. Prior to 1750, The Boundary House was built as a place of rendezvous for travelers. During the late 1700s, the Altson family owned most of present-day Calabash at Little River Neck. In the late 1800s the area was called Pea Landing because of the growing and shipping of peanuts to Wilmington. Around 1890, Samuel Thomas purchased Hickory Hall Plantation and his descendants live in Calabash to this day. Calabash became known for its seafood restaurants in the late 1940s and became known as the "Seafood Capital of the World." Calabash was incorporated in 1973.

According to local lore, in the 1930s fishermen brought in their catch and were met by the locals to make their purchases. Calabash quickly became known for its fine quality of fresh shrimp and fish. The fishing crews were fed under the trees, nd the aromatic smell of fresh fish cooking in big pots prompted residents to buy any leftover cooked seafood. "Calabash style" seafood was born when Clinton Morse, a local businessman, began serving up tubs of the deep-fried seafood that had been dipped in a light seasoned batter, cooked golden brown and served very hot. These open-air picnics were the beginning of  the many original family seafood restaurants that are now run by descendants of the founders. Rumor has it that Jimmy Durante's signature sign-off, "Good-night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are," was aimed at the owner of a particular restaurant here.

Calabash sits on the banks of the Intracoastal Waterway and retains much of its original fishing-village atmosphere. Restaurants abound, and deep-sea fishing boats are docked in town waiting to take you on the adventure of your life. Golf courses are nearby and there are many small boutiques and art shops as well as one very large store full of souvenirs, Christmas decorations and more. Though small, with nearly 1,420 year-round residents, Calabash is abutted on the west by the town of Carolina Shores, a residential community with a shopping center that includes a chain grocery store within its limits and is located on U.S. 17 South. Its location at the North Carolina/South Carolina border makes Calabash only a hop, skip and a jump from Myrtle Beach's shopping and entertainment.