Looking for the best options for tent camping near Southport? The Dyrt helps you find campsites near Southport with tent camping. Each tent campsite offers quick access to one or more of Southport's most popular destinations.
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.”
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
We are the only adventure outfitter that has an outpost on the Waccamaw River that features 1 acre of fun yard games, tree swings, hammocks, large fire pit, clean bathroom, boat dock & ramp, river side picnic tables and access to a 48 acre private island in the middle of the river to explore and camp overnight!
We offer a variety of activities and adventures, including: Escape River Island, kayak and river boat tours to our private island, custom overnight river camping trips, birthday & group events.
$40 - $65 / night
$45 / night
Scout
We were here in December, the place was quiet. These sites are on top of each other and I don’t know that I’d use this campground during high season … and the doggie area was right behind us.. full summer heat would probably be a bit smelly for me… but … we had a site with no neighbors, and nearly no dogs while here so it was quiet, the cg is clean and the bathrooms are exceptionally clean and heated. All the amenities were in nice condition so if don’t mind tight neighbors during high season… and you’re a dog lover this is a great value and camp ground. If you’re not so keen on tight neighbors or dogs … I’d recommend off season stays. All in all a great campground.
Traveler
From checking in until packing up to leave, my three night stay was very pleasant and restful. I disperse camp usually, but having the advantage of a very well maintained bathhouse was super nice. I have friends in Wilmington and frequent this area. This Campground will be my go to location when I'm in town!
Guide
Such an awesome KOA, bathrooms were immaculate. Free coffee everyday and so many activities! Great communication, they text before every event, and if something is lost they send out alerts. Loved our stay!
Traveler
It is insanely packed so in a tent, you have no privacy at all. It’s also very loud and bright during the night cause of all the lights for example at the restaurant. The showers were a disgrace and need to be renovated and they booked my tent at a RV side so I paid over 70$ for one night. You don’t feel like you are at a campground but in the middle of a city.
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.
Traveler
Very clean, well kept. Pool great size.
Scout
I’ll definitely be staying here again! Beautiful and very well maintained landscaping, clean facilities, very helpful and friendly staff. Really close to the beach, a good selection of restaurants as well as other points of interest. My only regret is that I didn’t have time to stay longer. Thanks again for a wonderful weekend!
Brian Leonard
ScoutThis is a relaxing, natural campground. Many bird songs at sunrise and Whip poor will calls at sunset every night. We have dogs and there are nice places to walk along the pond, and grass areas all around the campground. The dog park is nice for some off leash time. The facilities are great with a store, laundry, and clean restrooms and showers. A very nice pool is available, but with Sunset beach, and Ocean Isle beach just minutes away we have gone there daily. I am fascinated by Bird Island that is a nature preserve and reachable from Sunset beach, this is a day trip we are looking forward to taking the dogs on. Calabash is another town we have visited and it is a gem. We didn’t expect to want anything but seafood but the Peruvian restaurants’ line out the door was intriguing and we ended up there for a late lunch and loved it. My partner is an avid fisherman and had a great day fishing on a Hurricane charter out of Calabash.
Scout
3 beautiful pools, a splash pad, lots of activities for kids, homemade ice cream, movie nights!, very clean bathrooms/showers, mini golf, restaurant on site, it’s wonderful!!
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.
Scout
I’ve used this site a few times, very friendly employees and a nice short walk to the beach. Golf cart rentals available and a restaurant.
GuideJust off the road. Close to lots of places to eat and beaches. Seemed to have lots of activities some places even had chimaeras and Weber grills.
GuideAfter hearing about the mosquito situation, I was worried, but have not seen one yet - October 9. We hiked a trail to see Venus flytraps in the wild. A short peddle to the ocean beach. Very nice sites.
Scout
It was a wonderful experience and everyone was so helpful and kind
Traveler
We stayed in site 5 for 11 days. The Yurt had been removed but the platform stayed. We were able to get up our large tent on the platform and have enough space for our chairs. The lake is beautifully kept and clean. Very shallow. You can walk out a good 300 meters. We kayaked and fished while we were here. The rangers were helpful and checked in to make sure we didn’t need anything and kept the trash can empty. All the locals we spoke to we friendly! The down side is you are a long walk to the toilets. This is primitive so no power or water at the site. We absolutely loved it and plan to come back again!
Bring mosquito netting or pop up to keep the horse flies away!
ScoutWe stayed here for one night and I cannot say enough good things about this place ! First of all, we weren’t even supposed to stop here but my mother got sick and we could not continue, so I found this within a 5 min search and book a deluxe spot within 10! We showed up no more than a half hour after that and they were already ready for us. Secondly, I locked my keys in my with the car running and with my sleeping kid and cat in it…. while I was freaking out, their INCREDIBLE staff, I don’t use the word incredible lightly they truly were the most caring people I’ve had at a campsite, tried to find a car kit and when they couldn’t called the fire department for me (shoutout to the firefighters for being so fast) and checked in on us the whole time. Definitely felt embarrassed and mad at myself but the staff was so kind to me I couldn’t thank them enough. Some of my favorite things beside the staff was the welcome packet which includes a free gift at the general store (has everything you forget lol) as well as the tide tables, amazing bathrooms (Pristine and even had linoleum with an outdoor light for nighttime), small shrubbery between the spots so even if you are right next to someone you have still feel like you have your own space, firewood delivered to your sight upon request (obviously you pay for it lol), a free trolly to the public beach and shops, and all amenities were so nice and so clean. Will 100% be back again and if you are looking for a myrtle beach style of vacation, check out Holden Beach and this amazing RV park!
ScoutWe come here a couple times a year. They are always making improvements along with keeping it clean and comfortable. Nice sites for a private campground with meticulously maintained facilities. They also have a new pool that is wonderful.
GuideNice family campground
GuideThis was one of our stops during our trip south from New Hampshire to The Keys…We were the only campers during our stay. We met the managers who made us feel welcomed. We had power and water but no bathroom during this timeframe. We are set up for dry camping so it is not an issue.
ScoutI’ve been camping here since I was born in 30 now that means 30 total stays. We stay for one week over July 4th and it’s been the best time every time. This campground is part of our family and provides one of the best experiences I’ve had at a campground. There is something for everyone and they continue to better the experience. I now have a child and a camper of my own and we are continuing the tradition of visiting this campground. I love this place and can’t wait to return.
Legend
Ashley here with The Dyrt. We're happy to have this property on our platform. Offering 2 sites that are located on the lake, this property is a great place to birdwatch. Check them out and leave them some love.
Legend
Ashley here with The Dyrt! We'd like to welcome this host, Joseph, to our platform. There is a fire-pit available and a new gazebo on the property. You will be the only person camping here. Bring your fishing poles, you'll be right next to the water. Have a dog? This is a great place to let them run. Enjoy your experience with them, take some photos, and don't forget to leave a review!
TravelerThe RV spaces were all full so we were put in overflow. Overflow is great! It was wide open; we were next to the stage, right next to the stage and could see the river and the restaurant. The restaurant was closed but they had a wedding on Saturday, so there was lots of car traffic in the parking lot. Not a problem. Expected a cool day, but it was hot and there were sooo many people going to the kite festival.
All good, inexpensive place to stay. The restrooms/showers, women's, were clean but well worn. Still this is camping, or glamping, right?
Pretty nice place to park the trailer and enjoy Kure Beach!
Guide
We loved it.
We were almost alone, only one other vehicle. Two nice guys just there to night fish. After they left we only had the police truck making his rounds every few hours.
Wonderful to wake up to the sunrise over the ocean.
Tent camping near Southport, North Carolina, offers a blend of natural beauty and recreational activities, making it a perfect getaway for outdoor enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Southport, NC?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Southport, NC is Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area with a 4.1-star rating from 11 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Southport, NC?
TheDyrt.com has all 8 tent camping locations near Southport, NC, with real photos and reviews from campers.
