Best Cabin Camping near North Topsail Beach, NC

New Bern is a really wonderful little town on the coast of NC and this KOA is close to all the action. I really enjoyed our stay and the local town. We stayed in a camping cabin that overlooked the little pond area. The bathrooms were nice and clean and cabins were nicely appointed.

Our family has tent camped here twice and recently reserved a camp cabin for a week this summer. This is a quiet and spacious campground mere miles from Carolina Beach at a price that's hard to beat. We tent camp here around $30 a night for a tent site. Each site is very large and spacious. It could could comfortably fit 2 tents and a car.

This Campground offers bathhouses, picnic tables, and fire rings. Dogs allowed, but not in the cabins. Plenty of walking trails.

Campground is flat and shaded, although there are some primative group sites away from the main campground but they don't have as much shade. Grocery store is maybe 6 miles away.

Campground Review:

Carolina Beach State Park is located just over the bridge in Carolina Beach NC.  It is close to many restaurants and grocery stores, but offers a bit of seclusion with the large trees and overgrown shrubbery between sites.  

We enjoy the short hikes at Carolina Beach State Park, and the visitor center!  The visitor center has fantastic exhibits of venus fly traps with hands-on activities for the kids, explaining about the different kinds of carnivorous plants that live in the park.  We found both pitcher plants and venus fly traps on one of our hikes!  

This campground has 2 large loops - with affordable cabins scattered throughout.  It is a fairly large campground - almost 100 sites, with bathhouses, showers, spigots and trash through the park.  Camping costs around $26 a night for a tent site, or you could reserve one of their cabins (double bed and desk in the front room and bunks, or 2 bunk beds) for $58 - what a steal!!  

One of our favorite sites is number 45 - it backs right up to the river - and is slightly elevated, allowing beautiful views (while it isn't raining!).  This campground also has a marina - where boats can be rented as well as put in.  There are hiking trails, both short and long - the shortest being the venus fly trap trail - where you can see both venus fly traps and pitcher plants.  We hiked Sugarloaf - down to the private beach -  and hung out for several hours.  It was wonderful!  

Product review:

As a ranger for The Dyrt, I get to review items.  I reviewed the morsel spork XL while at Carolina Beach with my family. https://morselspork.com/products/morsel-spork

  I have had several sporks while hiking the Appalachian Trail, yet this spork exceeds expectations.  

First of all, the spork itself is sturdy, but pliable.  Secondly, the spatula feature on the side makes it easy to scrape every last bit of food out of your container or food pouch - and on a long hike - we don't want to leave one bite behind!  I have used this spork both with standard tupperware containers and also in dehydrated food pouches - and the XL is perfect! Lastly,  I dislike getting food on my hand when reaching in a pouch and the length of the spork is perfect! I can get a bite (with either the fork end, or the spoon end) and remove the utensil without getting slimy/sticky food on my hands.  I would highly recommend this spork for hiking/camping and my family is planning to use these in our lunches for the upcoming school year!

Carolina beach state park is one of my favorite places to go in North Carolina. Not only does it have an awesome campground, but it's right near one of the best beaches I've ever been to. The sites are nice and secluded, just how I like them. Most of the sites are tent sites, but they have a few full hookup sites for RVs and some cabins to rent too. All of the sites have picnic tables, fire rings, and drinking water.

Within the park, there are tons of hiking trails through a really beautiful area. I hear the fishing is also really good within the park, but I've never done it myself. The only downside is you can't swim within the park, because the currents can get dangerous. The beach is only like 5 minutes away though, so not really a big deal.

As for the beach, it's my favorite one to go to in the states. I like it because it's not really touristy like the outer banks or myrtle beach. Not a whole lot of people come to it, so it's always pretty secluded and clean. In July, the water temperature is perfect, the waves are nice, and it's great all around.

Awesome spot in NC.

I think this is only the third time I have stayed at a cabin at a campground, and it was all right but I like tent camping better. Because of the intense heat and health concerns, we chose to stay in a cabin here. I wish I had taken more pictures of the campground, but my buddy(seen in the photos) and I are photographers who look for scenes of beauty. It’s not that the campground was not“pretty,” but when you are this close to New Bern, there are better things to photograph. There’s Tryon Palace, Union Point Park, the historic Confederate cemetery, the fireman’s museum, the Pepsi Cola museum(New Bern is where Pepsi was born), etc. The New Bern KOA is perfect in every way. The sites are large with full hookups, Wi-Fi, cable TV, etc. It has all the amenities of a top notch campground that you would expect from KOA. I have stayed at several KOA campgrounds, and they all seem to have the oversized chess; and I have never seen anyone playing it with seriousness. They have two pools, a pavilion, a bouncer… and I could go on and on. IF you want to spend your time at the campground, there is so much to do that you don’t need to go anywhere else… HOWEVER… Did I mention New Bern and Tryon Palace? You can’t come this close to New Bern and not go to Tryon Palace. The campground is located on the shores of the confluence of the Trent and Neuse Rivers. Since they join here, you seem as if you are closer to the ocean. It looks more like a bay. There is a really nice pier at the campground beach for fishing, and the KOA here has outdoor boat rentals. There is also horseshoes, pedal bike rentals… Did I mention there is also New Bern and Tryon Palace? Seriously, the New Bern KOA is about the best campground at which I have stayed, but my buddy had never been to New Bern. There was more to see. If you go, make sure to make reservations. New Bern is a historic town with lots of vacationers during the summer. Looking for something to eat? My favorite place to eat in New Bern was Captain Ratty’s, which has great clam chowder. However, New Bern has lots of other great places to eat as well. The downtown area is also a great area for shopping. Back to the campground… the first time I stayed at the New Bern KOA was over thirty years ago, but it has grown in size and amenities. Now, it is more like a resort than a simple campground.

Great location close to Wilmington and Carolina Beach. The recent addition of air-conditioned cabins are a welcome alternative during the hot summer months even though they book up quickly. We enjoyed fishing and exploring the campground.

i would go back again, the bathrooms were clean and had hot water. there was an option for a small cabin but we got a campsite instead. was quiet and being near the marina was a great view. large visitor center and not far from the beach was the perfect spot! will definitely be returning.

I’ve been staying here every summer since i was a kid. So probably 11 summers now. It’s a great place. Clean bathrooms and cute well air conditioned cabins. You can ride your bike or walk to the boardwalk with some of the way having a paved bike trails. Gates close i think at 10 and open in the morning so remember to bring bikes. During the summer it is very humid and hot with lots of mosquitoes so remember to bring your bug spray. Try britt’s doughnuts of wake and bake before you leave, i promise you won’t regret it.

This campground is located between the Cape Fear River and Atlantic Ocean. Nice primitive type of feel to this place. There is tent camping, RV sites, and even about 4 cabins (with more under construction) available at this site. Electrical hookups available for most of the RV sites. There are water pumps throughout the grounds and the bathroom facilities are new and clean with private showers. There are plenty of trash/recycling containers which the staff empty a few times a day, and a dump site for RV's.

There is a supermarket just a few miles away, and a brewery right outside of the campsite. 

The staff is excellent and always available, and do a great job.

Camp Ground is located on “Snows Cut”, a man made, deep channel that connects the Cape Fear River with the Atlantic Ocean. About 15 sights back up (thru 1/8-1/4 mike of light woods) to Snows Cut, making it great for fishermen, kayak’ers, swimmers, or ???. Park restrooms (2 bath buildings w/multiple sinks, commodes, showers) are kept immaculate! Staff is very friendly, and helpful as well. Marina located on Cape Fear side of park w/boat launch, kayak rentals (and lessons), paddle board rentals, fishing boat/pole rentals, etc.

Great park for families or for an individual! Clean, quiet, and safe! You won’t be disappointed!

this place is always clean and quite. great get away w good eats and a short drIv to the boardwalk and amenities

I have camped at Carolina Beach State Park 1-2 times a year for the past five years. The campsites at this park are some of the cleanest sites I have camped at. We never see any trash on the ground or out on the trails. The bath house is always clean and stocked even in the winter. The bathhouse is also heated during the winter months and there are quit a few outlets available which we used to charge our phones. There lots of short trails to hike on where you can enjoy bird watching and viewing the Venus flytraps and other carnivorous plants native to the area. There is also a marina which offers a public boat ramp. The marina also offers kayaks and SUP tours and rentals ranging from 2hrs to a full-day. This Campground is also located next to a food lion. It is also only 5 minutes from the beach and Freeman Park where you can drive directly onto the beach if you have 4WD. This campground is packed on holiday weekends. There were only 2 campsites available when we visited for memorial day weekend.

This park has a few different sections to it that should be mentioned. There is a marina where you can dock or launch boats. I've used this area for small crafts as well, such as a kayak. It's a beautiful area for a paddle. There are also picnic areas and miles of hiking trails. There are multiple trails that will lead you to lakes, marsh, sand dunes, Venus flytrap gardens, and beautiful views across the water (see image below). There is an information office at the entrance, but the camping check-in is by the marina. There is also a general store with all sorts of things you may need for an overnight adventure. The campsites offer bathhouses (toilets and showers) for the tent and RV camping. There are also primitive sites for group camping. While all of this is located within walking distance of each other, the park itself is located right around the corner from a grocery store and other convenient amenities of civilization. It is a short drive (maybe 5-10 minutes) from the beach, and maybe 20 from the NC Aquarium. Check this place out, it's a great spot for a weekend get-away!

I hesitate to give it five stars because of my particular campsite. It was difficult to get into because of the trees, especially since I had a full sized truck. I had to back up, pull forward, back up, pull forward, etc., the first time I pulled in. I love trees, but taking one out would be a lot better for the campsite where I was. 

With that said, the campsite did have many good things going for it. It had a sheltered picnic table with a light, a charging station, and power outlets. However, if you are planning to run a cord between the power outlet and your tent on the tent pad, you need something long than twenty-five feet. I didn’t realize how far away the power was going to be, so I had to go to a store in town to get another extension cord. The site is sandy and level. The tent pad was also sandy and fairly level. If you are going to set up a tent on the tent pad, I suggest making sure it is not too big of a tent. My 8’ x 7’ tent fit, but larger tents may have a problem if there are tie-outs. 

Another problem with my tent site is that it was so close to the bath house, which may not seem to be a problem to most. However, the lights on the bath house are on all night, and they light up the area as if it were a ball field. The bath house itself is really nice—one of the cleanest and well-kept bath houses I have used in my camping experiences. They are individual toilet/shower combos and can only be accessed via a code. However, the water pressure in the shower is so weak it would barely wet a frog’s back(slight exaggeration, but it was still VERY disappointingly weak). The bath house is handicap accessible and has a ramp. 

Another problem I experienced was the noise. If it wasn’t the barking dog, it was what sounded like a garbage truck at 4:00 in the morning. There was also road noise from Market Street. 

The reason most people come here is because of its proximity to Wrightsville Beach and other attractions, but there are things to do at the campground. There is a swimming pool, a playground, a beach volleyball court, and more. It also provides information about tours, and I believe it also has kayak rentals. 

Overall, I would recommend this campground, but I believe it is better suited for RV campers rather than tent campers.

Jake from the Dyrt here!  Your host Kathrine is an experienced host and is ready to make your next camping trip a memorable one!  There's a spot for everyone, from the onsite camper, to bring your own tent/RV sites, check them out and share some pics from your stay on the Dyrt!

Pickleball! And there's the bar/lounge, swimming pool, gym, laundry but most of all, space. You're in the south, so friendly folks who give you all the time in the world is a given. Yes, southern hospitality is palpable here. We're just a few miles from the beach, walking distance to a restaurant and or convenience store; crawling distance to Dales Pub across the road. It's like a KOA here, without the big trikes, lake and boats- but there are a couple ponds where the turtles come and go. Highlights for us; 1.) The laundry will run off an app on your phone. 2.) The pool and patio is truly awesome; we hang there almost every afternoon(weather permitting). 3.) Did I mention pickleball?! Downsides? Well, there is the price, but that's relative. We're getting a$1200.00 monthly rate which makes it do-able. Sometimes, when the winds blow out of the east, every camper smells the sewage treatment plant across the back fence- Check Google maps satellite view. Truth be told, it is rare, only a few days out of the month. The large majority of the time we get the cool coastal breeze. We camped at Oceans RV Resort in a Fifth Wheel.

The 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.

This campground is a little farther than I think most people would like to be from a the beach, but it’s so professional and friendly! It’s clean, it’s close to downtown Wilmington and there is SO much to do there. There is an RV wash right next door! There are a lot of gray farmer’s stands and fresh seafood stands nearby too! We choose this for reliability and friendliness over the beach campgrounds because the service here is amazing. It’s not the most shaded outdoorsy space, it does have a ton of family activities, but the people are what makes the difference for us here.

We loved it here, it was right off a main road but quiet. The deluxe tent sites were very nice with a covered sitting area and soft pads for our tent. The sites were well spaced as well. Bathrooms were very clean and a short walk and the facilities here were useful. We did a day trip to the beach which was a short ride and into downtown Wilmingon which was also a short ride. Restaurants across the street were fun with pool tables and darts. Would stay again.