Looking for the best options for tent camping near Burgaw? Finding a place to camp in North Carolina with your tent has never been easier. Each tent site offers quick access to one or more of Burgaw, North Carolina's most popular destinations.
Residents and visitors have long enjoyed the beach area now known as Freeman Park. In fact, the area has become one of Carolina Beach's major attractions as it is one of the only beaches in NC that you can drive your 4X4 vehicle on.
Whether coming to the area to swim, camp, fish, or go boating, crabbing or casting for minnows, people love Freeman Park. Visitors are drawn to the beautiful beach with its variety of wildlife, dunes and majestic sea grasses indigenous to the region.
Overnight camping is only allowed in designated, reserved camp sites Labor Day through the Thursday before Memorial Day each year. Reservations are on a first come/first service basis. During this period, there is a $50.00 per night fee for a campsite permit.
NO OVERNIGHT CAMPING is allowed the Friday before Memorial day through the Sunday before Labor Day.
Visitors and campers driving 4-wheel drive vehicles must have a valid Freeman Park access pass at all times to enter the park (can be purchased online or in person at entrance to park). Camping permits can only be purchased on-line.
$20 - $90 / night
Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area (FFAFRA) is Federal land owned and managed by the United States Air Force, the Army National Guard, and MOTSU (Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point). FFAFRA's primary purpose is to offer recreational activities and lodging as well as training events for DOD eligible groups. There are cottages and lodge rooms along with RV and tent sites for rent by authorized persons with proper DOD identification. There are also meeting rooms, a Military Museum, and facilities available for special events, team building, and official exercises. Come and see why “Ft. Fisher is One of the Military’s Best Kept Secrets.”
$45 / night
$26 - $30 / night
Primitive campsites are located near the beach and the inlet at Bear Island. Fourteen family campsites accommodate up to six people and two tents each. Campsites 1 to 11 are accessible via ferry, private boat or paddling only. Campsites 12 to 14 are accessible by private boat or paddling only and are not hikeable.
Sites 1 to 11 have a picnic table, while sites 12 to 14 do not. Fires are not permitted at Bear Island, but campers may bring propane or backpack camp stoves.
Water and a bathhouse with hot showers is located at Bear Island, but is available from only mid-March through mid-November. There is no water at Bear Island when the facilities are winterized.
Hike-In Distance Light and simple is the way to travel, as campers must carry all provisions to the campsites from the beach or ferry dock.
$12 - $52 / night
Scout
I've been here at different times of the year. I really enjoy camping here in December and January. Less people and the park is so nice.
TravelerThe whole place is so very clean: the bathrooms, camping areas, swimming pool area, even the dumpsters area. The grass is very well kept, the roads and signage, well maintained.
Guide
The campground was fairly quiet. The few campers were very quiet and respectful to the other campers. I camped for 14 days at this location in January.
NOTE: There is no public Wi-Fi.
This location has a bathhouse. The bathrooms are separate from the showers. The bathrooms were slightly heated. The showers, on the other hand, were not heated. All the shower glass units were missing. The water was warm, but not hot. In other words, be prepared to take a warm shower in freezing weather. You’ll take a very short and quick shower under these conditions. But these conditions are better than no showers at all!
Overall, it is a good camping experience at this location. I will be back.
Guide
This campground is an excellent place for young family campers. All the activities are set up for younger family entertainment. All businesses in the immediate surrounding areas are set up for the same young families.
This is a great place to stop at for a short time if you are a single person or an older couple that enjoys a very busy campground. The campground is maintained. The office staff are very courteous and nice. There are a couple of bath houses at the camping areas and a laundry center. Both the bathhouses we’re updated, but not very clean. I stayed 2 1/2 weeks and it was only cleaned properly a couple times.
If you fish, the area is not very fish friendly. If you have a boat, bring it. You might have a better chance of success. Most of the lakes in the area are very acidic and it is challenging to catch limited fish.
All in all, this is a great campground. This was just a bit too busy for me.
Scout
We were here in December, the place was quiet. These sites are on top of each other and I don’t know that I’d use this campground during high season … and the doggie area was right behind us.. full summer heat would probably be a bit smelly for me… but … we had a site with no neighbors, and nearly no dogs while here so it was quiet, the cg is clean and the bathrooms are exceptionally clean and heated. All the amenities were in nice condition so if don’t mind tight neighbors during high season… and you’re a dog lover this is a great value and camp ground. If you’re not so keen on tight neighbors or dogs … I’d recommend off season stays. All in all a great campground.
Scout
Really clean place. Quiet neighbors, but gentle roar of highway in the background.
Good location in proximity to Jacksonville and Wilmington
Guide
I had made a reservation. I showed up on the day and time I had planned. Nobody was there. I called and texted. I finally left after about 15 minutes of waiting. This campground is off a side road. When I pulled into the camp area, I had a funny feeling. I decided not to stay there between the no-show of the staff and the funny feeling my gut was telling me. I hope your experience would be better than mine.
Guide
The campground is in a nice area. The small lake is beautiful and full of fish. It is near a small bustling town with everything you need. The staff is friendly.
The only drawback is that the camp itself is outdated. The so-called bathhouses need a severe update. The bathhouse does not have HVAC in it. There’s one male toilet and one female toilet for the entire camp. There are two portable toilets on the back end of the property. There’s one shower of the two that works and it is a small shower. Do not weigh more than 175 pounds going in that shower.
All in all, it’s a good temporary campsite. This is not set up for long-term, even though there are multiple long-term campers here.
TravelerFrom checking in until packing up to leave, my three night stay was very pleasant and restful. I disperse camp usually, but having the advantage of a very well maintained bathhouse was super nice. I have friends in Wilmington and frequent this area. This Campground will be my go to location when I'm in town!
GuideDo NOT stay here!! The hosts do not follow the published USFS/recreation.gov rules, oe even their own posted rules. FFS sites are in fact booked IN ADVANCE. You can book them for days at a time, anytime. The app is INACCURATE. The hosts simply do whatever they want, then argue when presented with published rules and policies. Additionally, no handicapped placard or other disability proof is required to rent the wheelchair accesssible sites across from the bath house and all were filled with able-bodied persons in huge RVs. Horrible experience and OUTRAGEOUS $8 reservation fee and $10-$18 cancellation fee. Furthermore, there are serious issues with the electric connections, which you have no choice but to pay for. We were only able to occasionally have reliable electricity, resulting in even small 5V items not charging. The biggest issue was inconsistent/incomplete charging of wheelchair batteries. We had to rely on vehicle power charging for most things. The campsites are also poorly arranged, forcing tents to be placed within 2-3’ of fire rings, which is ridiculously unsafe. The sites are also full of fire ant beds - including on the tent/table pad itself. One of the poorest managed campgrounds I have ever stayed in.
TravelerSmall quiet campground that has some adorable amenities. Pet and child friendly. Nick (the owner) is super helpful and they even have item you may have forgotten they will lend out. Firewood is provided. We stayed I. Their little cabin on a whim. Cozy but small. AC and heat both worked well. Their camp store has very affordable gifts and some supplies one might need. We came to this area to try some unique restaurants. The cabin allowed us to stay and try all of them. We went to the Mad Boar on Friday night for some amazing prime rib and unique appetizer. We went to The Country Squire and enjoyed a wine tasting before a dreamy colonial meal. The atmosphere here was so realistic. They even have an inn. And of course we had to go to the Duplin Winery. Next time we will bring the kids to enjoy the craft hour and playground.
GuideStayed 3 nights here. Nice quiet federal campground. Quiet and maintained. Definitely need water at sites. Can't adjust water temp in showers here. Fortunately not freezing water and one night had hot water. With these improvements, would give 5 stars. Can't beat price. Would definitely stay again. Close enough to beach and things we like to do. Had a great breakfast at Angie's Diner near by.
Guide
Such an awesome KOA, bathrooms were immaculate. Free coffee everyday and so many activities! Great communication, they text before every event, and if something is lost they send out alerts. Loved our stay!
Traveler
We stayed from Fri to Sun and we enjoyed every moment we stayed. Caught fish and enjoyed the pool. And the golf cart rental was awesome too
Guide
The spots are very close together. There is no shade, but a constant beach breeze.
You can not see ocean from the campground due to the dunes, but it is about 300 feet to the water.
The owners are very nice. He will even help park your rv with his tractor.
Same price for full hookups verses no sewer. You will have to go across the street to their other campground to dump and there is no water for rinsing, only a sewer drain.
The public bathroom stalls only go as high as shoulder level.
ScoutEverything Beth said, we had the same experience, unfortunately.
ScoutA gem of a place! Call to reserve a spot. The staff is super helpful and friendly. We loved being right by the beach. There are spots for RVs and tents. You could still hear the waves even with RVs running air conditioners.
Scout
Nice pool and walking path around the edge of the sound.
Guide
We recently stayed overnight at Wallace Meadows and it was one of the most lovely places we've ever been to! Rich was very friendly and welcoming and the hookup & amenities they offered for a fee were excellent. The bath house was spotless and we each enjoyed a nice hot shower! The property is surrounded by trees and it was very tranquil. There's even a guesthouse which could possibly accommodate fellow travelers who may not have an RV. There's also a laundry room but we didn't use it. They have a background in hospitality and it really shows. Before we left, we purchased some fresh eggs from their farm, beautifully packaged and delicious! We will return to North Carolina. There's so much to see here and we'll definitely return to Wallace Meadows Farm.
GuideThis is a very large campground with mostly full-time people. Nice laundry facilities, decent sized transient sites, beautiful beach and piers. It was "off-season" but the weekends were quite busy. There is a 5mph campground rule that most definitely is NOT followed. Kids and adults drive golf carts like it's the Indy 500. Was a nice stay, but probably won't go back.
Traveler
Very clean, well kept. Pool great size.
Traveler
Our stay in Site #4 on February 25 in our 20' Mode LT was quiet and restful. The park has an interesting geomorphology, sitting atop cliffs overlooking the river below, and there are miles of hiking trails. The Campground Host was particularly helpful, checking us in when we arrived early. Unlike many state parks they offer their Senior Discount to out-of-state campers. The campground is very clean and sites are very large with gravel pads, but only 14 sites have hook-ups. Our stay was marred by heavy fire smoke from campfires penetrating our van. The distance from I-95 adds an extra hour to your travel if you are just planning a one-nite stopover, so we might not make the trek again.
ScoutCamping in the winter and a newbie, but this place was great. Showers and bathrooms were exceptionally clean. Dog friendly, electric and good clean drinking water on site. Can only stay 14 days at a time.
Scout
We have stayed at this campground many times since 2016 and always loved it. The location is awesome, the owner, and the staff were so nice and friendly. Its not that way anymore. There are no longer loyalty programs for repeat customers and they dont care if you stay there or not. When this new company bought this campground they decided $55 to $80 a night was not enough, they want to charge $155 and up depending on when you are staying. This is insane! There are other campgrounds we stay at that have a lot of stuff to offer and they are no where near this expensive, you hardly have anything to offer at this campground. You are giving the customer a place to park, water, sewer and electricity for $155 and up a night, and thats it! There is no security at this place anymore so you better change your storage locks on your camper because most are keyed alike, dont leave anything outside like bikes, grills, shoes, clothes, etc... because they will disappear. This never happened before, makes you wonder who is wondering around stealing. I won't be back until the prices come down and improvements are made. I wish everyone would find other places to go for the next few years and these owners would be forced to sell and maybe we could have our campground back.
LegendJake from the Dyrt here! This campground is new to the Dyrt and open for reservations through the Dyrt!
RangerWe loved our time at Holden Beach RV Park! The staff is so friendly, and the campground is beautifully maintained. It’s in a perfect location too.
Upon check in we were escorted to our site, and they even helped us back in. The bathrooms and laundry were clean and kept up well during our stay. There’s a small playground and a pretty big dog park. We were there during Thanksgiving, so they had a potluck meal for all of the guests in the park. We really enjoyed that!
The gift shop is super cute, and they have the biggest DVD library for free rentals!
The only negative was that our site seemed to be one of the few that directly faced another site even though it did not show that on the park map. We ended up being super close to the other campers (so much so that we were basically all around the same fire pit) which was a little uncomfortable since they were strangers.
Overall we really enjoyed our stay and will definitely be back! We will just make sure to pick a different site number next time.
Traveler
My husband and I recently purchased a small RV and decided to do a short trip close to home. This campground is amazing. Beautiful views fishing is good and the hosts are very nice and informative. Will be returning to this gem of a campground!
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Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Burgaw, NC is Onslow Beach Campsites with a 4.4-star rating from 15 reviews.
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