- Waterside Camping
The best waterside camping near Wilmington
95% (1.5K) • 4 campsites
Top-rated campgrounds near Wilmington
Canter Lakes Farm
1. Canter Lakes Farm
100%
(101)
21mi from Wilmington · 3 sites · Tents, RVs
Canter Lakes Farm offers waterfront camping on 47 acres. We are a private horse farm with beautiful swimming lakes and river access on site via “Sand Hill Creek”
At canter lakes farm you can explore over 10 acres of water without ever leaving our property, and hike almost 3 miles of manicured trails here! If you’re an early riser you can witness the magnificent steam rolling in over the lakes, creek and cypress swamp while you sip your coffee at sunrise. Bring your paddle boards and cruise, or warm up with sunny yoga on your private dock. Kayak or John boats can explore the river bends from our property, or even make it out to the big wide cape fear.
We are very close to two public boat ramps suitable for larger boats and jet skis. Holly Shelter boat ramp is literally 2 minutes away, Shelter Creek boat ramp is 10 minutes away. Both ramps have a fishing area and allow kayaks/paddle boards.
Fishing is good on our ponds and the river year round, (bass, catfish, crappie, bowfin, gar, etc) in June hundreds of wild blueberry plants you can pick and eat. We also have prickly pear cacti for harvesting which you can cook the fruit and paddles over the fire and enjoy. If our trails aren’t enough and you want more adventure, just two miles away is the Holly Shelter game lands entrance where you’ll find thousands of acres for hunting, biking, hiking or horseback riding. And if you’re craving a beach day, Wrightsville beach is just a 30 minute drive away as well as is downtown Wilmington where you can enjoy walking the riverfront for shopping or dining.
Stargazing galore! Surrounding the property is privately owned country land- this is a phenomenal place to be amazed by the stars.
Photography lovers will be in heaven from the sunrises and sunsets golden hour is magical here! And with the diverse landscape there’s always something to capture.
Tent camping or dry rv camping only at this time. Hot Shower, sink and full size toilet are provided in the bath house. No feeding of the horses allowed, or entering fencing. campers are welcome to visit or partake in farm experience with permission.
If you’re looking for a yummy bite to eat we recommend chilitos, about 10 minutes away, for some authentic Mexican food!
•Nearest gas station, grocery store and restaurants are in Rocky Point, just 12 minutes from us.
•Wrightsville Beach - 30-40 minutes depending on traffic
•Surf City/Topsail - 35 minutes
•Hampstead- 15 minutes
•Jacksonville - 38 minutes
•Downtown Wilmington - 30 minutes (riverfront/live oak bank pavilion)
•urgent care address: 7910 US hwy 117, Rocky point. (10 minutes from our farm) “novant health express care”.
Pets
Toilets
Showers
from
$47
/ night
Live Oaks Farm
2. Live Oaks Farm
99%
(168)
32mi from Wilmington · 3 sites · Tents, RVs
Live Oaks Farm is a mini farm full of beautiful 200 year old live oak trees, willow trees, azaleas, other plants, and a pond.
We are a great oasis right off of Topsail Island that gets coastal breezes and plenty of sunshine. We are a small growing farm with chickens, dwarf Nigerian goats, and ducks. We also offer a seasonal pumpkin patch and Christmas tree farm.
You will usually see Patrick working around the property or in the wood workshop building furniture. His beautiful wife Brittany and their gorgeous kids Maddox and Everlee enjoying the outdoors as well.
Pets
Toilets
Full hookups
from
$57
/ night
95% (1.5K) • 4 campsites
Top-rated campgrounds near Wilmington
Canter Lakes Farm
1. Canter Lakes Farm
100%
(101)
21mi from Wilmington · 3 sites · Tents, RVs
Canter Lakes Farm offers waterfront camping on 47 acres. We are a private horse farm with beautiful swimming lakes and river access on site via “Sand Hill Creek”
At canter lakes farm you can explore over 10 acres of water without ever leaving our property, and hike almost 3 miles of manicured trails here! If you’re an early riser you can witness the magnificent steam rolling in over the lakes, creek and cypress swamp while you sip your coffee at sunrise. Bring your paddle boards and cruise, or warm up with sunny yoga on your private dock. Kayak or John boats can explore the river bends from our property, or even make it out to the big wide cape fear.
We are very close to two public boat ramps suitable for larger boats and jet skis. Holly Shelter boat ramp is literally 2 minutes away, Shelter Creek boat ramp is 10 minutes away. Both ramps have a fishing area and allow kayaks/paddle boards.
Fishing is good on our ponds and the river year round, (bass, catfish, crappie, bowfin, gar, etc) in June hundreds of wild blueberry plants you can pick and eat. We also have prickly pear cacti for harvesting which you can cook the fruit and paddles over the fire and enjoy. If our trails aren’t enough and you want more adventure, just two miles away is the Holly Shelter game lands entrance where you’ll find thousands of acres for hunting, biking, hiking or horseback riding. And if you’re craving a beach day, Wrightsville beach is just a 30 minute drive away as well as is downtown Wilmington where you can enjoy walking the riverfront for shopping or dining.
Stargazing galore! Surrounding the property is privately owned country land- this is a phenomenal place to be amazed by the stars.
Photography lovers will be in heaven from the sunrises and sunsets golden hour is magical here! And with the diverse landscape there’s always something to capture.
Tent camping or dry rv camping only at this time. Hot Shower, sink and full size toilet are provided in the bath house. No feeding of the horses allowed, or entering fencing. campers are welcome to visit or partake in farm experience with permission.
If you’re looking for a yummy bite to eat we recommend chilitos, about 10 minutes away, for some authentic Mexican food!
•Nearest gas station, grocery store and restaurants are in Rocky Point, just 12 minutes from us.
•Wrightsville Beach - 30-40 minutes depending on traffic
•Surf City/Topsail - 35 minutes
•Hampstead- 15 minutes
•Jacksonville - 38 minutes
•Downtown Wilmington - 30 minutes (riverfront/live oak bank pavilion)
•urgent care address: 7910 US hwy 117, Rocky point. (10 minutes from our farm) “novant health express care”.
Pets
Toilets
Showers
from
$47
/ night
Live Oaks Farm
2. Live Oaks Farm
99%
(168)
32mi from Wilmington · 3 sites · Tents, RVs
Live Oaks Farm is a mini farm full of beautiful 200 year old live oak trees, willow trees, azaleas, other plants, and a pond.
We are a great oasis right off of Topsail Island that gets coastal breezes and plenty of sunshine. We are a small growing farm with chickens, dwarf Nigerian goats, and ducks. We also offer a seasonal pumpkin patch and Christmas tree farm.
You will usually see Patrick working around the property or in the wood workshop building furniture. His beautiful wife Brittany and their gorgeous kids Maddox and Everlee enjoying the outdoors as well.
Pets
Toilets
Full hookups
from
$57
/ night
Recent reviews from the Hipcamp community
E
Eric
2 weeks ago
20 ft truck camper
Truly a splendid place to go. Simple and quiet. Plenty of space and very well maintained. Patrick is a wonderful host. We will return again.
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Trish
November 2025
38 ft Class A
We stayed at The Pond Site from 11/26–11/29 for Thanksgiving, and it couldn’t have been a better experience. The property is peaceful, beautifully maintained, and felt like the perfect escape for a holiday weekend.
Patrick, our host, was incredibly kind and welcoming. He made sure we had everything we needed while still giving us plenty of space to relax. The pond itself was gorgeous, and we loved waking up to the calm water each morning.
The ducks were so fun to watch, and the nearby chickens added to the charm of the place—it felt like a little slice of countryside paradise. The site was clean, spacious, and easy to set up on, with plenty of room for cooking and relaxing.
We truly enjoyed our stay and would absolutely come back. Thanksgiving at The Pond was memorable and wonderfully peaceful.
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D
DAVID
November 2025
Tent
With kids
Love this place! Very quiet and peaceful, the views are beautiful, huge pond to go fishing on, kayaks you can take out, just an all around great place to came, highly recommend to anyone
See moreJ
Jeff
November 2025
45 ft travel trailer
Just stayed at Live Oaks Farm and it was wonderful! The surroundings are absolutely beautiful, and the host was so pleasant and helpful. Access to local attractions and Topsail Island was incredibly convenient. A perfect peaceful getaway with easy access to everything. Highly recommend!
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T
Timothy
October 2025
Tent
With kids
We had a great time! We used the kayaks caught a few fish and made some great memories..
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S
Stacy
October 2025
Tent
My husband and I loved our stay at canter lakes! We loved waking up and drinking coffee overlooking the water and taking walks to go look at the horses. The property was clean and well maintained. The bathroom and shower were also very clean and a great feature to have while camping. We would definitely recommend this property to anyone looking to have a cute camping getaway.
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R
Rebecca
October 2025
Tent
Patrick was very responsive, accommodating and friendly. We lived meeting the goats and hens and ducks and roosters.
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Mackenzie
October 2025
17 ft travel trailer
My boyfriend and I brought our NuCamp Barefoot travel trailer out camping for the first time here and it was absolutely beautiful!
It was super peaceful and a nice large area with everything you need! We’re definitely going to come back with friends very soon!
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Lawson
October 2025
Tent
We had a great time at this site! Only wish we could've stayed longer. Julie was an amazing communicator and the directions/map are very detailed. The bathroom was a plus and very clean. We would definitely stay here and recommend this site!
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E
Eric
September 2025
Tent
With kids
The site was beautiful, well kept and secluded. The spaces around the docks and the beach needed a little TLC but it didn't distract from the beauty of the location. We did some fishing (caught a sunfish and a bluegill), went swimming a couple of times and enjoyed walking the trails. It was really an incredible place to stay. Thank you !
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C
Chris
September 2025
26 ft travel trailer
One of the best HipCamps so far!! Patrick is a great guy and was very hospitable! 10 minutes from beach and thoroughly enjoyed the Pond Site! Will be back in the future!!
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Kristie
August 2025
40 ft fifth wheel
With kids
Great place to stay as always. Patrick is great and beach close by.
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G
Gracie
August 2025
30 ft travel trailer
With pets
We had an amazing time! The views were beautiful and it was so relaxing. We will definitely be going back
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Olivia
July 2025
Tent
I loved camping here! Not only was it a thirty minute drive to Wrightsville beach, but the beautiful lakes on the farm make for an amazing sunset spot! Julie was so kind, and gave amazing directions to help navigate the farm. They provide kayaks and paddle boards to explore the lakes. There's a peaceful walking trail, and adorable horses!
See moreI
Ishor
July 2025
Tent
Great location, private, serene and has everything you need for camping.
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R
Renea
July 2025
22 ft travel trailer
Great host! Good communication, good location, it was a very nice time. Had everything we needed, even left some bug spray for us to use. Thank you we will be back!
See moreS
S.
July 2025
Tent
With kids
This is our 2nd time staying at the fishing site. We got the opportunity to use the kayaks this time. The water was warm and inviting. Love it!
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j
joe
July 2025
30 ft travel trailer
With kids
Sunset cliff fishing site was great! We had a 34’ travel trailer and took some maneuvering to get back in there but after that it was a breeze. Julie had very specific and detailed directions on how to get to the site and utilize the bathhouse. Did a little bit of fishing but no luck, saw a bunch of blue gill tho.
For summer camping with kids I would highly suggest sometime of portable power but I would bet it’s beautiful in the fall.
Bathhouse is nice could use some insulation and an a/c but it gets the job done.
See moreA
Alisha
July 2025
Tent
With kids
I went with my two young boys and we all loved it! We got rained on while we were enjoying Wilmington but the property owners helped us tremendously by letting us use some bedding. They were amazing to communicate with and so helpful! The property was beautiful and we wished we had more time to explore it. We will definitely be back!
See moreC
Chase
June 2025
Tent
Group trip
We had a fantastic time camping on Julie's land a couple weeks ago!! The outdoor space was very accommodating and the facilities were well kept after. Our favorite part was the kayaks which we had a fantastic evening taking out on the river. We will definitely be back, thank you Julie!!
See moreWilmington camping guide
Where to go
Masonboro Island Reserve
Just five miles from downtown Wimington, Masonboro Island Reserve is an 8.4-mile long barrier island. This preserve is federally protected and features a wide array of wildlife and beach access, thanks to its pristine marshes, tidal flats, and other ecosystems. This is a nesting ground for both Loggerhead and green sea turtles. Camping is allowed, but it’s best to camp where people have already camped to reduce impact on the environment.
Carolina Beach State Park
This family-friendly state park offers shaded campsites in the woods along with hot showers and bathrooms. This tent and RV campground has both tent sites and full hookups. Camping here will allow you unfettered access to one of the State’s most popular state parks, which has hiking trails and biking paths, two public boat ramps, and fishing—all just 20 minutes from Wilmington.
Freeman Park
Freeman Park is a great place to enjoy old-school beach vibes and camp in seclusion year-round without getting too far away from civilization. Note that there are a limited number of tent camping campsites here, all of which need to be booked in advance. Freeman Park allows dogs and four wheel drive vehicles, and fires are only allowed from October 1 to March 31. Otherwise this is a great spot to watch the sunset and sunrise while enjoying the ocean waves.
When to go
The best times to camp on the Carolina coast are spring and fall, which avoids hot summer months and out-of-school crowds. However, hurricane season is also a factor between June and November, so be sure to stay updated with current weather reports and stick to a camping trip that occurs earlier in the spring if you’d rather play it safe.
Know before you go
- Since most of these destinations are quite near to Wilmington, be sure to take note of rush hour traffic and plan accordingly ahead of holidays.
- Swimming isn’t allowed at Carolina Beach State Park due to the hazardous coastline.
- Most campsites must be reserved in advance, so book well in advance of your trip.
