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This beach destination ranks as the best in North Carolina. What makes it special?

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North Carolina is bursting with scenic coastal towns — but which boasts the best beachfront?

Ocean Isle Beach now ranks as the state’s No. 1 place to bask in the sand and surf. Here are the other top-ranking beach destinations on the list from USA Today’s 10Best:

  • Carolina Beach at No. 2
  • Kure Beach at No. 3
  • Wrightsville Beach at No. 4
  • Oak Island at No. 5

To create its list of best beach towns, 10Best said travel experts and editors narrowed down top-notch places to visit along the North Carolina coast. Then it turned to members of the public, who could vote on their favorites up to one time each day over the course of a month.

“Sandy expanses in the Tar Heel State are often remote and rarely crowded, and a charming Southern coastal town is seldom far away,” 10Best wrote in its May 29 report.

On the resulting list of readers’ choice award winners, Ocean Isle Beach reigned supreme. The town, near the South Carolina border and a roughly 45-mile drive from Wilmington, said it “stretches for seven miles in an unusual east-west direction,” making its sunrises and sunsets “amazingly dramatic.”

“Ocean Isle Beach offers soft, sandy shores and calm water that’s perfect for swimming,” 10Best wrote in its report. “Guests can spot dolphins and the occasional sea turtle from shore, while the Museum of Coastal Carolina offers ample insight into the biology of the region’s native marine creatures.”

Ocean Isle Beach ranks No. 1 on a statewide list.
Ocean Isle Beach ranks No. 1 on a statewide list. Clint Patterson via Unsplash

The praise for Ocean Isle Beach might not come as a surprise, as it recently landed on CharlotteFive’s list of fan-favorite coastal vacation spots in the Carolinas.

So, which other beach towns made it onto the latest list from 10Best? Rounding out the top 10:

  • Holden Beach at No. 6
  • Atlantic Beach at No. 7
  • Kill Devil Hills at No. 8
  • Topsail Beach at No. 9
  • Surf City at No. 10

10Best has told McClatchy News in the past that it doesn’t reveal how many people vote in its contests.

This story was originally published May 30, 2024, 9:59 AM.

Simone Jasper is a reporter covering breaking stories for The News & Observer and real-time news in the Carolinas.

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Simone Jasper

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