All About Sunset Beach
Enjoy some great places around Sunset!
Sunset Beach Town Park
The Sunset Beach Town Park opened in May 2015 with a paved parking area, restroom facilities, a picnic shelter, a fishing pier and brick walkways that meander through the five acres of live oak trees. The Park is located on Sunset Blvd. North and overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway and Mary's Creek. Click here to view pictures of the park, benches and swings.
The Park is also home to the Veteran's Memorial which was dedicated during the November 11, 2015 Veteran's Day Ceremony. The Committee to Honor America's Veterans built the Memorial with proceeds raised by selling the bricks that make up the Memorial.
The Living shoreline Project was completed in January 2019. Click here to view a video of the project.
Bird Island
Bird Island is a 1,300 acre State Preserve barrier island that is connected to Sunset Beach and reachable by boat, walking, or biking along the beach. Bird Island is home to Loggerhead turtles and the purple sandpiper, found only on Bird Island.
The shoreline, dunes, maritime forest, and marshland are also important habitats and nesting areas for various species of birds that are threatened or endangered. One can walk from the public parking area and gazebo at Sunset Beach, along the Bird Island beachfront, all the way to South Carolina.
On December 4th, 2006 the North Carolina Birding Trail officially recognized the Town of Sunset Beach as Official Stop #10 on the Southeastern portion of the trail. Pamphlets about our site are available at Town Hall.
You can now view and download maps and site descriptions for the coast region of the Trail from the website: www.ncbirdingtrail.org.
Sunset Beach Pontoon Bridge (The Old Bridge)
Since 1958, the iconic Sunset Beach Pontoon Bridge linked the Mainland and the Island. Opening hourly and on demand, and occasionally breaking down, it served residents and visitors for more than fifty years.
With the opening of the Mannon C. Gore Bridge in November, 2010, the old bridge was decommissioned. She now sits surrounded by live oak trees on a lot across from the Sunset Beach Fire House. To view the video of how Mr. Gore designed the old bridge and see how she worked, go to the "Home Page" of this site and click on the photo of the bridge.
For more information on her new home and future plans, go to www.oldbridgepreservationsociety.org.
Ingram Planetarium
Ingram Planetarium is named for Stuart Ingram, a navigator of WWII planes who used the constellations and planets to chart his way. His quest for sharing his knowledge led to founding both Ingram Planetarium at Sunset Beach, and the Museum of Coastal Carolina at Ocean Isle Beach.
The Planetarium boasts the world’s third SciDome HD Digital Sky Theater, a state-of-the-art facility with a 40-foot dome. See the planets up close and in your face.
Laser music shows are like rock concerts without the band and they are LOUD! Interactive and entertaining exhibits in the Paul Dennis Science Hall include ViewSpace, an award-winning exhibit featuring a continuous broadcast of the most recent updates directly from NASA.
Ingram Planetarium is located at:
7625 High Market Street
Sunset Beach, NC 28468
(910) 575-0033
For additional information, please visit www.MuseumPlanetarium.org.
NC Birding Trail
The Town of Sunset Beach is included in the North Carolina Birding Trail. The Coastal Plains portion of the state-wide trail includes 102 birding sites organized into sixteen groups east of Interstate 95. A brochure providing a guide to the five (5) birding sites and the variety of birds at each site is available here (Sunset Birding Trail). More information about birding trails in North Carolina can be found at www.ncbirdingtrail.org.
The Sunset Beach Turtle Watch Program
The Sunset Beach Turtle Watch Program (SSBTWP) is a private, nonprofit program that solicits volunteers to help monitor turtle nesting at Sunset Beach, North Carolina.
Members of the SSBTWP hold permits from the Non-Game and Endangered Wildlife Section of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to monitor nest sites, strandings, and hatchings. Volunteers record nesting sites, move nests that may be threatened, record turtle hatches, and help hatchlings reach the ocean safely.
Loggerhead sea turtles are the most common visitors to North Carolina beaches. Although their population is more stable than that of other sea turtles, the loggerhead is still a "Threatened" species. This status grants protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).
For more information, please visit www.sunsetbeachturtles.org.
Sunset Beach Park on the ICW.
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