Sunset Beach is Better Than Ever!

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 10:51:00 -0400

Summer at Sunset Beach is even better!

The new Sunset Beach Bridge has been open & operating smoothly now for 18 months and the most commonly asked question is, how has it changed the island? Most of us would agree that Sunset Beach is still the same idyllic island it has always been, only better.

As many of you current Sunset Beach lovers already know, the island of Sunset Beach is uniquely accruing more sand each year. Therefore our oceanfront homes tend to get a bit farther from the ocean, making our pilgrimage from sand to sea longer each year as well. The town of Sunset Beach works to improve the public wooden beach access walkways during the winter months, either by adding a few extra feet or fresh new railings. The young un-weathered lumber is easily seen and much appreciated.

If you have ever visited the Sunset Beach Gazebo or parked close to the pier to enjoy the central location, you’re sure to have seen or used the less than desirable port-a-johns. Great News! There are now NEW & Improved facilities for public use. This may seem insignificant to most, but you Sunset Beach lovers totally get this. There are 2 units located in the pier parking lot, one is close to the pier and the other at Main St. Each unit contains a men’s, women’s, and handicap facility complete with A/C & sinks. The units are open 7am to Sunset.

Another delicate subject that has been improved upon is the installation of a central sewer system on the island. Each of the island homes & businesses have been maintaining a private septic system which has caused limitations. Don’t worry, the island will not turn into a high-rise commercialized area. There is still a 35 ft. height restriction building code on the island that will help us keep the high-rises away. The public sewer system has a new yellow housing facility on North Shore Drive near 5^th St. that will virtually go unnoticed. Sometimes the best improvements are the unseen ones.

The most recent update is the new Sunset Beach Boat Ramp which had the grand opening today, Friday, June 29^th at 11am. We are very excited about the convenience this will offer our local & vacationing boaters. Those of us that LOVE to boat remember the days of using the area by the old bridge as a boat ramp. It was common to see a vehicle stuck and high tide creeping near the rear bumper, making us all cringe. No more! We will now have an easily accessible boat ramp, and I’m looking forward to trying it out.

Last, but certainly not least, SunsetBeachNCWebcam is tickled to offer 3 LIVE WEBCAMS 24/7 for everyone to enjoy Sunset Beach virtually from anywhere! The 2 new latest cameras provide a live view of the Sunset Beach Pier and an Oceanfront view towards Bird Island. We feel confident you will enjoy the webcams on your smart phone and your computers. I personally love to make any one of the webcams full screen and keep it open while I’m working….I need to see if a sick-day is coming on!

We want you to come see Sunset Beach for yourself, whether it’s been a few years, a few months, a few hours since you’ve been here. If you have never been to Sunset Beach, we believe you will fall in love with one of the many comforts this paradise island has to offer.

June at Sunset Beach

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:29:00 -0400

Schools Out!!!

Written by Monica- 13 year old Sunset Beach island resident

and all-around incredible daughter!

School is finally out!! I couldn’t be happier. No more homework, no more teachers, no more anything!!! I can do whatever I want, whenever I want; well, as long as I don’t disobey my parents. When summer break comes around, the island comes alive! The flowers come out, the animals come out, and the people come in. The many businesses and homes on Sunset beach have come to life. Flowers are being planted and grown everywhere. The squirrels are running around and the deer are here and hungry. Warning! If your flowers aren’t protected, they will be eaten. The flowers make the island shine with colors.

People are starting to come from all over to see our beautiful island. Saturdays are our “Check In/Check Out” days for renters and traffic gets heavy in the afternoon. My parents try not to leave the island on Saturdays and always grocery shop before the weekend! During the week the line going off the island doesn’t get all that bad until everyone starts leaving around 5pm and stays that way until dinner traffic clears. Don’t forget, the Bridge opens on the hour, every hour for boat traffic and takes about 15 minutes. But soon enough (too soon for me) that problem will be solved. The bridge construction is coming along great! It should be up and running by December of 2010. The construction workers are working hard. Sometimes it feels like they never leave. The columns are going up fast. They’ve gotten far enough to where they are working on the third giant column in the water. The drilling is done!! All the massive drills have left for good and they were cool, too.

The beach is starting to get extremely active. Every way you look, there are beach loving people, umbrellas, radios, beach chairs, and sand toys. The water is getting warm and so is the sand. All the radios are entertaining to listen to. When people start turning it up and listening to different music it gets kinda weird. All the kids playing in the water can be especially fun to watch. They dance & jump & dive through waves and are guaranteed to make you laugh. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you will see dolphins. Last summer, 2 or 3 of them swam right up to the pier. Everyone got out of the water and we watched them swim between the poles of the pier. The birds flying over your head waiting to be fed and the crabs popping out of their holes when you’re not looking make great pictures. Occasionally, you will see jellyfish or skates. The skates I’ve seen look exactly like a stingray but were smaller and brown. They might scare you (they scared me out of the water the first time I saw them) but they didn’t hurt me. Like any sea creature, just don’t mess with them and they won’t mess with you!

The rental houses are getting filled and so is The Sunset Inn. People are relaxing and taking advantage of the summer vacation. There is a big vacant lot beside the Inn that is now home to few Killdeer birds and their new babies. They are adorable. They are extremely small and make their nest on the ground. To learn more about our amazing island, come and see it all for yourself. I guarantee that you will have a blast.

Side note regarding traffic: As of June 11, according to the Town of Sunset Beach, Barnhill Const. will be closing Shoreline Drive East from Azalea Circle to HWY 179 near Bill’s Seafood. The closing will be within the next several weeks and will take approx. 6 weeks to complete. Traffic will be routed to Park Road.

Sunset Beach NC Webcam - June at Sunset Beach

Sunset Beach is Better Than Ever!

June at Sunset Beach