Things to Do on Topsail Island and Nearby: An Insider’s Guide

Come for the beach but don’t stop there.

Whether you’re planning your first trip, returning for your annual family vacation, or looking for something new close to home, use this guide to start building your Topsail itinerary.

But First, Get to Know Topsail Island

Topsail Island is a 26-mile barrier island made up of three coastal communities:

• Topsail Beach: the southern end, and truly serene.

• Surf City: at the center of it all!

• North Topsail Beach: the northern end, a natural escape.

Each section of the island has its own personality. Surf City puts shops, restaurants, bars, and live music within easy reach. Topsail Beach offers Serenity Point, old-fashioned family fun, and one of my favorite fine dining spots, Beach Shop and Grill. North Topsail Beach offers a quiet coastal atmosphere, the historic Ocean City community, and a laid-back island vibe.

You’ll also find restaurants, attractions, shops, and experiences immediately across the Surf City bridge and in nearby Hampstead, Holly Ridge, and Sneads Ferry.

The Greater Topsail area is easy to explore by car, but summer traffic can add time to even a short trip, particularly over the Surf City bridge. Grouping activities by location will help you spend more of your vacation having fun and less of it sitting in traffic.

We know spending time on the beach is probably at the top of your list of things to do on Topsail Island.

Before heading out, check the beach-access and parking information for the town you’re visiting. Rules, fees, and seasonal restrictions vary.

Always pay attention to beach warning flags, rip-current conditions, and posted regulations. Topsail Island does not have stationed lifeguards. Surf City operates a mobile Ocean Rescue response team, but swimmers should never assume that someone is actively watching their section of beach. Always swim with a buddy and actively supervise children.

Click HERE for research, tips, and resources to help beachgoers stay safe from rip currents.

Now, Let’s Go Beyond the Beach

1. Explore the Water on a Boat Tour

A boat tour provides an entirely different view of Topsail.

Check out Tiki Tours in Surf City - they offer sightseeing, shelling, wildlife watching, sunset cruises, live music, and private celebrations. Depending on the excursion, you may cruise aboard the recognizable Tiki Queen or one of the company’s pontoon boats.

It’s a fun option for families, couples, or groups of friends who want to enjoy the water without being responsible for operating the boat.

Listen to the Topsail Insider interview with Tiki Tours before choosing your adventure.

2. Rent a Jet Ski, Kayak, or Paddleboard

If you would rather create your own adventure, Topsail offers several ways to get active on the water.

Surf City Jet Ski & Watersports offers freestyle jet ski rentals, guided jet ski adventure tours, paddleboarding, and kayaking from its Surf City location.

A guided tour can be especially helpful for first-time visitors who want to explore the local waterways with someone familiar with the area.

Hear from owners Houston and Katie Lowder on Topsail Insider.

Seasonal update — October 16, 2026: Surf City Jet Ski & Watersports is closed for the 2026 season. Its website lists a reopening for Easter weekend 2027. Check current availability before making plans.

3. Take a Surf Lesson

You don’t have to arrive on Topsail knowing how to surf.

Surf City Surf School operates alongside Shaka Taco in Surf City and offers lessons year-round, along with summer surf camps. Instructors help children, teenagers, and adults learn the basics, improve their skills, and feel more comfortable in the ocean.

Hear the story behind Surf City Surf School and Shaka Taco in the Topsail Insider interview with Cody Leutgens and Steve Christian.

After a few hours of surfing, step over to the window at Shaka Taco and grab a fish taco or an açaí bowl. Or both! They’re my favorites. 😋

4. Meet the Patients at the Sea Turtle Hospital

Located just across the bridge in mainland Surf City, the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center is one of the area’s most meaningful visitor experiences.

The center rescues, rehabilitates, and releases injured and sick sea turtles while educating visitors about conservation and ways to protect nesting females and hatchlings.

Advance reservations are required for guided tours. Book through the center’s official website before your visit.

For a deeper understanding of its mission, listen to Topsail Insider’s conversation with Executive Director Kathy Zagzebski.

Seasonal update — October 16, 2026: The center currently lists no public tours during October. Check its website for upcoming tour dates.

5. Turn Beach Time Into an Eco-Adventure

The beach becomes an outdoor classroom when you explore it with someone who understands the ecosystem.

Funky Fins offers educational coastal experiences that may include shark-tooth hunting, marsh and beach exploration, fish printing, and kayak adventures. Programs help children and families connect with the ocean while learning about its wildlife and habitats.

Listen to marine biologist and educator Chris Lener explain the adventures offered through Funky Fins.

Contact Funky Fins for current programs and scheduling.

6. Discover Topsail Island’s Secret Missile-Testing History and More

Topsail Island has a fascinating past that reaches far beyond beaches and tourism.

At the Missiles and More Museum in Topsail Beach, visitors can learn about Operation Bumblebee, the secret missile-testing program conducted on the island after World War II. Exhibits also explore pirates, Native American history, women’s contributions to wartime aviation, and the area’s natural history.

The museum is inside the historic Assembly Building, once used in connection with the island’s missile program.

Before visiting, listen to Topsail Insider’s conversation with representatives from the Missiles and More Museum and the Historical Society of Topsail Island.

Museum hours are seasonal, so confirm that it’s open before heading south.

7. Go Fishing From a Pier, the Beach, or a Boat

Fishing is woven into Topsail Island’s identity.

You can fish from the shoreline, visit one of the island’s fishing piers, or book an inshore or offshore charter with a local captain.

Topsail Island piers include:

• Surf City Ocean Pier in Surf City

• Jolly Roger Pier in Topsail Beach

• Seaview Fishing Pier in North Topsail Beach

You don’t necessarily need to arrive with all your own equipment. Ask about rod rentals, bait, and fishing passes.

Before fishing, check North Carolina’s coastal recreational fishing license requirements. Some public piers and charter operators hold blanket licenses that cover their customers, so ask whether you need your own.

If you’re booking a fishing charter, ask what is included, what you should bring, and how weather-related changes are handled.

8. Search for Shells and Shark Teeth

Some of Topsail’s best souvenirs are the ones you find yourself.

Walk near the waterline, especially around low tide, and keep an eye out for shells, sea glass, and shark teeth. Many fossilized teeth look like small, dark triangles, sometimes shiny and sometimes matte black.

Gently sift through the top layer of loose shells; smaller teeth may be hiding just underneath. After a storm has passed and conditions are safe, you may find newly uncovered treasures along the shore.

Bring a small sifter. A kitchen colander will do, or you can find sifters at local surf shops.

For a guided experience, consider a shelling excursion to Lea Island or an educational shark-tooth hunt.

9. Visit Serenity Point at Topsail Nature Preserve

At the southern end of Topsail Island, Serenity Point offers sweeping views of the sound, inlet, and ocean. It’s a beautiful spot for walking, wildlife watching, photography, and taking in the sunset.

This is a protected and environmentally sensitive area. Observe signs and closures, stay off the dunes and out of posted nesting areas, and follow current regulations.

Many locals prefer the sound side of Serenity Point, away from crashing waves. But do not swim near the tip of the island - the inlet can be dangerous with strong tidal currents.

Follow posted safety guidance and consult the Town of Topsail Beach for current access and parking information before visiting.

10. Play Miniature Golf or Go Roller Skating

For some old-fashioned family vacation fun, add miniature golf or roller skating to your plans.

In Topsail Beach, Pirates’ Turf offers mini golf and an arcade.

Renovation update — October 12, 2026: Pirates’ Turf is temporarily closed for renovations. Check its Facebook page for reopening updates.

Shipwreck Point Mini Golf offers pirate-themed miniature golf just across the Surf City bridge on the mainland. Check its seasonal schedule before you go.

Topsail Beach is also home to the Topsail Island Skating Rink, a longtime local attraction with a nostalgic atmosphere. Hours are seasonal, so check before making the drive.

11. Spend Time at a Local Park

The beach isn’t the area’s only place to enjoy the outdoors.

Surf City maintains public parks, playgrounds, athletic facilities, a disc golf course, an off-leash Bark Park, and recreation programs for different ages.

Soundside Park is wonderful for families, with a full playground, picnic shelters, restrooms, a public boat ramp, and a kayak and paddleboard launch. It has a boardwalk that stretches over the water and marsh, offering beautiful opportunities for photographs and wildlife watching. From the park, you can take the boardwalk to the Surf City bridge for an elevated view of the Intracoastal Waterway.

North Topsail Beach and Topsail Beach also offer parks and public spaces where visitors can walk, play, picnic, or simply slow down.

12. Plan Your Trip Around a Topsail Festival

A festival can give you a whole new reason to visit Topsail, or make an already-planned trip even better.

Some of the area’s signature events include:

• Ocean City Jazz Festival in North Topsail Beach

• Autumn With Topsail in Topsail Beach

• Ocean Fest in Surf City

The Ocean City Jazz Festival combines live jazz with the history and legacy of the Ocean City community. Listen to Topsail Insider’s interview with Kenneth Chestnut to hear how the community began and why the festival is known as “jazz with a higher purpose.”

Autumn With Topsail brings artists, live music, food, and family activities to Topsail Beach each fall.

Ocean Fest celebrates the coast through music, surfing, environmental education, local vendors, and family activities.

You’ll also find seasonal concerts, markets, holiday celebrations, races, and community events throughout the Greater Topsail area. Confirm dates with the organizers before booking your trip around an event.

13. Enjoy an Adults-Only Tasting Experience

For an evening away from the beach, head across the Surf City bridge to Hidden Ships Distillery in mainland Surf City.

Its pre-Prohibition-inspired cocktail lounge serves award-winning spirits and craft cocktails. You can also look into a distillery tour and guided tasting during your stay.

Start with the Topsail Insider interview with owners Andy and Amy Szwejbka, then join Andy for a special audio tasting of several Hidden Ships spirits.

14. Play a Round of Golf

If a round of golf is part of your ideal coastal getaway, you’ll find several courses within an easy drive of Topsail Island.

North Shore Golf Course in Sneads Ferry

Olde Point Country Club in Hampstead

Castle Bay Golf Course in Hampstead

BUT if you want Golf, a beer garden, amazing tacos, live music on the weekends, a farmers market every Thursday afternoon, pickleball courts, and line-dancing, you MUST go to Ironclad Golf and Beer Garden in Hampstead. You're welcome! 

Hear more about Ironclad Golf & Beer Garden in my conversation with Cody Leutgens and Steve Christian mentioned previously in the Surf Lessons section.

15. Leave Time to Wander

Not every vacation hour needs an advance reservation.

Walk through Surf City, browse local shops, visit a market, stop for ice cream, listen to live music, explore Topsail Beach, or follow your curiosity across the bridge.

Leave a little room in your itinerary for the locally owned businesses, community events, and small discoveries you didn’t know to look for before you arrived.

And one question we get a lot is:

What Can You Do on a Rainy Day?

A rainy forecast doesn’t have to ruin your Topsail vacation.

In addition to some listed above like Missiles and More Museum, the Sea Turtle Hospital, and roller skating, also consider:

• Check the current public programs and touch-tank at Topsail Aquarium.
• High Tides and Good Vibes in Surf City (mainland) for bowling, laser tag, arcade games, and more.
• Paradise Axe and Arcade in Holly Ridge.
• Get pampered at Inis Spa or arrange for Topsail Island Massage to come to your rental home or hotel room.
• If you love the challenge of escape rooms, check out Epic Mysteries in Surf City (mainland).
• Splattitude lets you get messy and let off steam in their paint splatter and rage rooms in Sneads Ferry.
• Or how about getting a coffee and finding a quiet spot with a good book at one of our newest coffee shops on the south end in Topsail Beach - White Crab Coffee and Books.
• Like to golf but not in the rain? Then head over to the indoor simulators at High Tides and Holeshots Golf in Hampstead.

Check schedules and reservations before getting on the road, especially outside the summer season.

Build a Better Topsail Vacation

You could spend an entire visit relaxing on the sand, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. But when you’re ready to explore, there’s plenty to discover: local history, wildlife, outdoor adventures, family fun, live music, and the people who give this place its personality.

Use this guide as a starting point, follow the links to learn more, and listen to the featured Topsail Insider episodes before you visit.

For even more local discoveries, explore the complete collection of Things to Do episodes from Topsail Insider.

Attraction hours, prices, programs, and availability may change. Confirm current details directly with each business or organization before visiting.