If you’re vacationing on the southern coast of North Carolina, consider a day trip to Bald Head Island! It’s a beautiful island with fun things to explore and the perfect getaway spot for the day. We’ve been several times so I thought I’d share some of our favorite things about the island that you can use to plan your own trip!
Where Is Bald Head Island?
Bald Head Island is located at the inlet between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean off the southern coast of North Carolina. The nearest mainland city is Southport, NC and it’s also close to the larger city of Wilmington, NC. It’s two miles wide and just under five miles long.
How Do You Get to Bald Head Island?
The only way to get to and from Bald Head is by private boat or passenger ferry that leaves from Deep Point Marina in Southport. The ferry schedule varies by day and is posted online {here}. I recommend that you buy your ferry tickets ahead of time {here}. You can also buy them in the ferry terminal but some ferries do sell out (FYI, the tickets are more expensive than you might think!). There’s a large parking lot that’s currently $12/day to park in.
The terminal is 40,000 square-foot building with comfortable indoor and outdoor waiting areas and a galley where you can grab drinks or snacks while you wait for your ferry:

There’s also a comfortable outdoor waiting area with rocking chairs that overlooks the marina with views of the Cape Fear River:

The ferry has both indoor and outdoor seating and is a smooth 20-minute ride over to Bald Head Island.
How Do I Get Around Bald Head Island?
No cars are allowed on Bald Head Island other than service and delivery vehicles so people get around by golf cart, bicycle or tram. For a day trip, you can rent a bike from Riverside Adventure Company (they have both regular and electric bikes) or a golf cart from Cary Cart Company (there are 2-, 4-, and 6-person cart options). Both rental companies are only a short walk from the ferry landing. I recommend that you make reservations ahead of time, especially if you’re visiting during peak tourist season. Most of the roads are covered with a canopy of trees, making it a beautiful ride:

What Is There to Do on Bald Head Island?
A short bike or cart ride from the terminal is Old Baldy, which is North Carolina’s oldest standing lighthouse. There is a small fee for admission to the lighthouse, but it’s worth it for the spectacular view of the island that awaits you after climbing 108 steps to the top.

Through the Old Baldy Foundation, you can take an island wide history tour by golf cart that you can learn more about {here}.
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There are a lot of cute shops to stop at including Monkee’s (upscale woman’s boutique), Room Service (home decor), The Silver Peddler (jewelry), and Turtle Central (gift shop).

Of course it’s no surprise that Room Service is my favorite with a mix of new and vintage home furnishings, accessories, and gifts.
There’s a beautiful beach that you can relax on during the summer or just dip your toes in during the cooler months:

You can make it a spa day by booking at the Island Retreat Spa.
The Bald Head Island Conservancy has a calendar of amazing educational programs that you can find {here}. Bald Head Island is nationally recognized for its sea turtle nesting activity and one of BHI Conservancy’s roles is to coordinate and sponsor a Sea Turtle Protection Program. They also offer some great Family Adventure Programs such as Kids Marsh Crabbing & Fishing, Birding Tours, Kayak the Creeks, Island Nature Tour, and more.
Bald Head island is also a beautiful place to house peep! There are so many gorgeous homes!

Where Can You Eat on Bald Head Island?
The restaurants on Bald Head Include:
Jules’ Salty Grub & Island Pub
Jailhouse Provisions
If you go, enjoy your visit and come back and let us know your favorite thing to do on the island!

Anonymous says
thanks for all the info !!! big help, heading that way next week and always wanted to go there . Have 4 kids and sounds like alot of fun…:)
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
I’m jealous – have a great trip! Let us know what other fun things you find to do there!
Leigh Ann says
Thanks so much! Were taking a day trip Saturday with 2 kiddos 🙂
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
You will love it! Have a great time!
Nicole Mosher says
Came across your page looking for bald head island info. Im surprised to see there isnt much info about this place. Your page really helped me plan me and my daughter’s day adventure there. Thank you very much.
Kris Jarrett says
I’m so glad you found it helpful and had a good trip there. We are hoping to actually get back there for a day or two this summer!
Kris Jarrett says
I’m so sorry – I’m just now seeing your comment! Hope you enjoyed your visit there!
Angela says
Great review and very helpful since we have 3 kids under 12! We always stay in Carolina beach and always take the ferry from Fort Fisher to South Port for the day. I’d like to try Bald Head for a day trip! I’m wondering if we can rent a golf cart from Carolina Beach and take it on the ferries?!?!?!?!?!! Any thoughts? Thank you!
Kris Jarrett says
I think you’d love a day trip there! You can’t take golf carts on the passenger ferries but there’s a golf cart rental right where you dock on Bald Head so I would just reserve one there!
Makenzie says
Wow! Thank you so much for this! I’ve always wanted to go to BHI but never knew what to do when I got there, especially with kids. I’m excited to go now!
Diane Hueske says
Your web site about Bald Head Island is awesome. I have company coming and I want to go there for the first time. This helps me so much. I will give you a report afterwards, which is in about 2 weeks. Thank you for the information.
Diane
Dawn says
We just went to BHI (4/28/2018) and Riverside Adventure gave us the Cary Cart Co. number for Golf Cart Rentals. When I questioned them about the scavenger hunt they indicated they no longer rent golf carts and Cary Cart Co. said they didn’t offer the scavenger hunt. We were disappointed, but still had a great time for a day trip to BHI. I am sure we missed some neat things, but hopefully we can get to go back to explore some more.
Kris Jarrett says
Thanks Dawn – this post was written a few years back so I appreciate the updates and have made a note of it in my post!
Jules says
Hey sounds great! Thanks for joining us!! We’re glad you enjoyed your visit! We’re no longer MoJos – but we appreciate the shout out! We’re Jules’ Salty a Grub & Island Pub now! See you again!!
MLN says
Thank you so much for this blog piece. I assume you visited before COVID. We are planning a day trip later this month and could not find any info on what do for a day trip. The tips you have to renting golf carts and places to visit are fantastic.
Veronica says
Thank you for all your great information. Since it a day trip was there places to use the restroom and did you have access to a changing table?
Patricia Blue says
Thank you for this helpful information.