Looking for the best Sunset Beach tent camping? Find the best tent camping sites near Sunset Beach. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
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
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
$45 / night
Traveler
From checking in until packing up to leave, my three night stay was very pleasant and restful. I disperse camp usually, but having the advantage of a very well maintained bathhouse was super nice. I have friends in Wilmington and frequent this area. This Campground will be my go to location when I'm in town!
Guide
Almost November and the beach is still nice. The campground has a ton of amenities and a warm indoor pool for the kids. We'll definitely be back during th summer.
Guide
We made our way here just before Hurricane Milton hit Florida and stayed a week right next to the river. Very busy during the day with local fishermen. There's a lot of garage spread out, we cleaned up our area the best we could. Close to a busy highway but it didn't bother us. The river is gorgeous and we spent a good amount of our time here kayaking.
Guide
Such an awesome KOA, bathrooms were immaculate. Free coffee everyday and so many activities! Great communication, they text before every event, and if something is lost they send out alerts. Loved our stay!
Traveler
It is insanely packed so in a tent, you have no privacy at all. It’s also very loud and bright during the night cause of all the lights for example at the restaurant. The showers were a disgrace and need to be renovated and they booked my tent at a RV side so I paid over 70$ for one night. You don’t feel like you are at a campground but in the middle of a city.
RangerThe RV spaces really have no shade or trees, so if you like the sun and to be directly off the beach,this place is for you. They have alot of amenities to offer, including a waterpark with multiple pools, watersides, lazy river, kids' play area, mini golf. They have alot going on here for families. The beach has basketball courts, playgrounds, and you can rent golfcarts. It's a very busy with alot of people driving all around. The beach water was so clean and warm. You can also rent trailers or huge beach houses who share the same pool. The area has so much to do, including pirates adventure, Broadway on the beach, and the hangout with the foam party.
ScoutLove all the daily activities and amenities. Bathhouse is always clean and staff is helpful.
ScoutThis was a nice spot with flat, river front dispersed sites for tents or boondocking. It was easy to discern the campsites and had an open parking lot. There were a few sites that are not safe to drive to because of very loose sand. It is safer to park and explore on foot before driving up to those sites.
Traveler
Very clean, well kept. Pool great size.
TravelerWe as a family have been going to Ocean Lakes since 1998. We fell in love with the experience and as a new couple, we knew that if we could incorporate this type of vacation with our future children, they would appreciate it and enjoy it as much as we have. Our eldest child will be joining us on our trip in October in his camper. We can’t wait to come back!!!
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.
Guide
Park is pretty overall but badly aging. Renovated bathrooms are marginal with tons of maintenance issues and not terribly clean. For instance hot water is a challenge and many broken latches on showers and toilet stalls left you exposed. We had one of the ancient spots with shared power pole that we had to use converter to use the remaining 50amp (we only needed 30). Feel sorry if you were a class A rig and needed the 50 and only had 40 left. Site was large but horrible cable connection, and could not use sewer connection as our “stuff” dies not flow uphill. Avoid the back in regular spots. Pay more for newer albeit very clean together patio spots. And sadly a rustic spot like ours was $87/night. The good is you are in walking distance of Myrtle beach, shops, and restaurants. But we were very disappointed in the area either 1-3 star hotels, lousy food, and cheap trinket shops. Beach is ok but there are much better in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. Like this KOA, maintenance is not a priority for the town or merchants as commercial properties were run down, littered, and many were out of business. Our advice is go someplace else. This area is sad.
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!!
Traveler
The first thing is that the sites were SUPER close together which kinda ruined the “camping vibes” if that makes sense because of how packed it was. I will say the site I stayed at was pushed back in a corner so that was nice. Over all it was a really nice stay + the water was really warm and enjoyable to swim in and there was a lot to do in Myrtle which also made it really fun.
ScoutMyrtle Beach State Park Campground is nice. Overall it is quiet and has clean grounds, restrooms and showers.
If you are a local resident you can get a nice discount. During winter months you can even ride horseback on the beach. (You need reservations) There are nice walking trails, a great fishing pier and a nice store in the campground and on the pier.
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.
LegendMyrtle Beach, SC: Beach Access (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer with a desire for a campsite that has at least some visual privacy - after the trailer is in the spot.)
Overall Rating: 3
Usage during visit: 85% a few days before Thanksgiving.
Site Privacy: Many sites have little to no privacy. Most of the best sites are along the perimeter. Our site, 155, is close to the beach access.
Site Spacing: Close
Site surface: Sand
Reservations: Yes
Campground Noise: Not bad along the perimeter.
Road Noise: None.
Through Traffic in campground: No
Electric Hookup: Yes
Sewer Hookup: No
Dump Station: Yes
Laundry: Yes
Potable Water Available: At sites.
Bathroom: Yes. Flush toilets
Showers: Double curtain showers.
Pull Throughs: Available.
Cell Service (AT&T): 1-2 bars
Setting: Under many mature deciduous trees.
Weather: Warm. Mid to upper 60s
Bugs: None this time of year.
Host: Plenty of volunteers around.
Rig size: Large rigs will fit in many sites.
Sites: Circle 1 and 2 are pretty congested for the most part. The best chance of a good site is the perimeter sites. Among the best sites are: 188, 190, 191, 194, 196, 294 , 298, 302, 304, 307, 319, 323, 331*, 332333,334*, 336*.,237*, 240*, 241. I liked the sites near the beach access. They are not all great sites, but better than the congested area: 152,153, 154,155 (our site which was very nice), 73,64,16,17,18,19.
Legend
Pirateland, Myrtle Beach, SC. It Is All About Close Proximity To The Beach (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer with a desire for a campsite that has at least some visual privacy - after the trailer is in the spot.)
Overall Rating: 3.5 - for beach proximity
Usage during visit: 90% full
Site Privacy: None
Site Spacing: Close
Site surface: Grass
Reservations: Yes
Campground Noise: Quiet for as full as it is.
Road Noise: Not in he beach area
Through Traffic in campground: No
Full Hookups
Bathroom: Flush
Showers: Yes
Pull Throughs: Some
Cell Service (AT&T): Able to call out.
Setting: Open and tight with trailers.
Weather: Beautiful blue sky and warm
Bugs: None
Solar: Yes
Rig size: Large rigs. Look at the pics. Closer to the dunes the more you can hear the beautiful sound of wave action.
Sites: Take a look at the map in my photos. Sites for trailers are colored: grey (sheltered w pad), red (Oceanfront- The ocean is not visible, but the dunes are.), yellow (beach area), purple (not as close to the beach) etc, black and teal have pads.
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.
GuideVery overpriced! $100 for a dirt site covered in pine needles and roots making it impossible to level and no sewer. Cold showers, so far to all to everything and the pics for the dog park weren’t accurate at all.. so small I couldn’t even throw the ball for my dog. Check out is 10am so you don’t have much time to enjoy any of the amenities that morning. $140 a night for an RV pad! You can stay at an rv park in the area for half the price with hot showers and all the same amenities right on the beach. I do not recommend
TravelerFriendly, fun for the family, food all over for any appetite, beach clean and fun, golf cart parades at night, karaoke, an app to help navigate your fun. Arcade, pizza, funnel cake stand, Golf carts, mini golf. Fishing.
Traveler❗️Never get site 947. There is a tree directly in the middle of it❗️
My family enjoyed this campground. The sites are pretty nice for the most part, with a good amount of room. The roads however are pretty tight and a bigger rig could be tough to back in. Our site had very little grass due to the shade which made for a pretty sandy mess, but we have an outdoor rug that helped. The trees kept everything very cool so it was a small inconvenience for how nice that was. The pool, lazy river and splash pad were all very nice and well kept and big enough that we were never super crowded. The lazy river does stay full, but it is pretty good size. The bath house near our site was in good condition and pretty clean. The laundry mat had plenty of washers and dryers and the store had about anything you could need. We didn't do the arcade because it required a game card, but it seemed to have a few games in it. The campground is large enough that a good cart is almost a necessity. We were in the middle of the pool and beach, but really was a walk to either of them. Golf carts run about $330 for the week, but are worth it. The only complaints I have for the campground is the lack of enforcement of golf cart drivers underage. Also, the amount of golf carts on the road can make it difficult to navigate when pulling in and leaving. It was crazy how many people were going crazy on the things. Anyway, not a deal breaker on staying there, just be aware! I think we will be back next year. It's worth the drive from SEKY for a nice place to stay and enjoy the beach for a week!
GuideIf you’re traveling with kids, great place. Lots of activities for them. You can find a spot with shade or they have very nice pull through ones that include grills. Not all have grills so if that’s important to you, make sure you double check. Staff is wonderful. Refer to attached photo so you can avoid being placed right next door to the bathrooms. We rolled up and our assigned site backed up to the bathroom building. The staff was super kind and moved us since that’s not our jam. Very close to town and you can walk or bike. They also have golf cart rentals. Internet was horrible. Couldn’t get on. Quiet spot. Bathrooms are typical for a park - clean. Did not use showers but pics posted here.
GuideIf you like party vibes, making friends with your neighbors, and staying up late for a drink, this campground rules.
We had a basic inland site with full hookups and a picnic table. The area where inland sites are located has a bunch of trees, we loved the shade and it was perfect for our 22 ft trailer, but I can see a big rig having some trouble navigating.
There’s a pool and a lazy river for when you want to switch it up from the beach, and a general store with camper equipment, souvenirs, and stocked with a lot of things you may have forgotten at home. Decent prices too, not slammin’ deals but didn’t feel like there was a huge mark up on anything. Though we have a shower/toilet in our trailer, the bath houses were a clean and air conditioned alternative. They all had outdoor showers and foot rinsing stations, which were super convenient when cleaning up after the beach.
The beach was beautiful, shallows for a couple hundred yards when the tide was out, and relatively clean for a busy beach. We brought our dog with us, so we could take him to the beach before 10AM and after 5PM. You’re supposed to have them on a leash all of the time, but we found a spot devoid of others and we’re able to let him go to play frisbee in the water. Very dog friendly campground, by the way.
Overall, we loved our time there and are even planning on coming back next year! Again, an awesome campground for outgoing folks looking for a beach party vibe. I would steer clear if you’re looking for something quiet and private.
Discover the charm of tent camping near Sunset Beach, North Carolina, where nature meets adventure in a serene coastal setting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Sunset Beach, NC?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Sunset Beach, NC is River Island Adventures with a 5-star rating from 3 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Sunset Beach, NC?
TheDyrt.com has all 8 tent camping locations near Sunset Beach, NC, with real photos and reviews from campers.
