Hammocks Beach State Park, Swansboro

Great place to catch the ferry to Bear Island. Very inexpensive around $5-6 a person and under 4 is free. There is a small museum that is worth checking out inside. (I'll add some pictures so you can see) If you don't want to catch the ferry then they also have a small walking trail that leads to a small beach.

The ferry tickets were already sold out by the time we arrived so that was a bummer - I didn’t realize that might be a possibility. It seemed that others arriving after us were also caught by surprise. So if you want to go to the island, plan to arrive early to ensure tickets. But otherwise, the views from the visitors center were beautiful and there were lots of picnic tables and lawn spots for lunch. We hiked all the trails, which looped together nicely so we didn’t have to retrace our steps. There was a fun feature for children to read a book while they hiked, with pages being posted periodically along the trail. The trails weren’t strenuous at all if you’re used to walking, and would be good for jogging as well. Hope to make it to the island next time, but there was still plenty to enjoy here without that side trip!