PLEASURE ISLAND SAFARI Come Explore With Us!

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North End

As the name implies, the North End is the well... north end of the island! Officially, it’s Freeman Park, but to us locals, it’s the North End.

Dune system: One of the most important parts of a barrier island are its’ dune systems.  We'll show you why and the efforts being taken to protect them.

Movement of inlet:  The Carolina Beach inlet, which allows access from the Intercoastal Waterway to the Atlantic, is one of the swiftest in North Carolina. We'll show how the movement of water helps shape the island, the inlet and the waterway.

Puppy Playtime:  If your dog is well-behaved and gets along with other dogs, you can bring them and let them frolic in the surf.  We'll let y'all frolic too!

Venus Fly Traps and other carnivorous plants:  Yep, right here on our little 'ole island is one of the few places these cool plants grow.  Learn about them or just stare at them.... (they won't bite you, we promise!)

Maritime forest trails: This forest is almost continuous from the North end to the South end of the island.  The trails take the visitor through a landscape filled with swampy areas, sandy areas and one really BIG sand dune named Sugar Loaf that the Confederates used to protect Wilmington from the Yankees during the Civil war.  Yes, it is really cool!

South End

Yep, this is actually the southern end of the island! It's the location of the Ft. Fisher State Recreation Area and the North Carolina Aquarium at Ft. Fisher.

Wildlife: From ibis to crabs, this end of the island is filled with animals that make the estuaries and forests their homes. We can teach you about them or just let you stare at 'em. Remember your binoculars to see all the birds!

Ecosystems:  In a relatively small area, there are coastal and marsh ecosystems at the south end.  You can just wander through it, or learn all about it.

Shell and shark tooth hunting: Because the South end is so long (several miles from Fort Fisher to the end), there can be all kinds of great shells just waiting to be collected. There are also several locations where we always find shark teeth.

Fort Fisher Hermit: No, this isn’t a local crab, but a man who lived as a hermit on the island for 17 years. We’ll visit where he lived and learn about his life on the island.

Maritime forest ecosystem: An ecosystem that most people don't really think about on a barrier island is the forest.  We'll walk through the forests, learning about the trees and animals that live there.  It's actually one of the most interesting areas and in the summer...it's in the shade!

Rock revetment:  Because of the shape of the shoreline and unrelenting effects or water and wind, a wall with very large boulders has been erected to protect the Fort. Learn about the efforts being made to protect this historic
place as we walk around under those funny
"leaning" trees, which are some of the most recognizable sites of Ft. Fisher.

Coquina rocks:  These rocks are a natural formation and unique to the Southeastern coastline.  Homes have been made from it and these particular rocks are home for some very interesting sea creatures.

Fort Fisher: Learn about the history of the Fort itself. 
Fort Fisher was one of the most important Confederate Forts, and its fall to the North was one incident that defined the end of the war.