Old Swimming Hole — Attraction in North Carolina

Beautiful place, nice setup, right by the aquarium. Has grills, picnic tables in the shelter, a bathroom, a playground, a volleyball net, and a swimming area. You can rent it for private events (we did a relaxed picnic-style rehearsal dinner there, and the guests enjoyed it), or go and watch an incredible sunset. The area is kept in good condition and is pretty popular with the locals. On the whole it's a really nice place.

The downsides basically apply to events: some days are very windy, and when it's windy, the black flies come out en masse, so have covers for your food, weights for the napkins, and clips for the tablecloths. You'll also need to bring wind protection if you plan to use the grills, as they're not sheltered and the wind -will- interfere with starting the fire. Plan enough time to clean your grill before cooking, since they're public and people really do use them. The place is hard to find with MapQuest and several other GPS systems--some of them try to take people to the wrong Airport Drive and the two roads do not connect. Give physical directions if you don't want guests getting lost! Also, final note, you may want to check local water quality conditions before swimming, as it is sound-side and there are sometimes water quality warnings in summer due to bacteria levels...

Perfect little park, tucked away from everything on the sound. Shallow water for lots of swimming and playing with kids with a lifeguard on duty (she told us we were the only ones she’d seen that day)! Tiny beach with a boat ramp next to the local airstrip. Super fun to watch the planes and parachuters land. Volleyball net, picnic tables and grills available. It was a nice getaway from the crowds of people on the beach (and way fewer waves pummeling us...

Its exactly what you see in the Google Maps section. Its small, outside (Yes its dirty, as its outside in the elements) and doesn't have a fee.

If you like fishing & planes its a swing for the bleachers.

If you have a/a couple kids, the tucked away small soundside beach will be more than sufficient to burn an hour or two. Pavillion, picnic tables and...