Sunset Beach

Sunset Beach lies immediately west of Ocean Isle Beach, accessible in about 10 minutes by car. It shares the same barrier island geography — wide, undeveloped beach facing the Atlantic — but has a slightly different character: quieter even than Ocean Isle, with more year-round residents and less commercial development. The beach is known for its unusual tidal flats exposed at low tide, which attract shell collectors and waders.

Bird Island Reserve is technically at the western tip of Sunset Beach, making it a natural continuation of the same undeveloped barrier island chain. Visiting Sunset Beach as a half-day excursion from Ocean Isle is simple; the two islands together give a good sense of how the southern Brunswick County beaches have managed to hold the line against overdevelopment.

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A story
Sunset Beach was, until 2011, connected to the mainland by one of the last remaining single-lane pontoon swing bridges in the United States — a wooden drawbridge dating from 1958 that had to open for boat traffic, sometimes backing up cars for significant stretches. When it was finally replaced by a modern bridge, a preservation campaign saved the old bridge structure as a local landmark.

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