Freeman Park Camping-Carolina Beach, NC

Rules

Campfires

•Campfires are only allowed in the park October 1st through March 31st. •Only natural firewood can be burned in a fire container less than 3 feet in diameter. Burning trash, shipping pallets, or construction material is not allowed. •Small campfires are allowed Oceanside at Freeman Park starting at Marker F and extending north to the end of the park. •Campfires must be contained within fire containers no greater than 3 feet wide. •Small campfires are allowed in campsites but must be contained within a fire pit or container that may not exceed three (3) feet in diameter. Fire pits are not provided. Visitors must bring in and remove fire pits following its use. •No campfires are allowed within 10 feet of the dune or vegetation line. •Fires may not be left unattended and must be extinguished with water, not sand. Only natural firewood can be burned. Burning trash, shipping pallets, or construction material is not allowed. •All fire remains and debris must be picked up and placed in park provided ASH CANS or removed from the beach. Failure to do so will result in a fine.

Daily Vehicle Access Pass Required

If you are not an annual permit holder, you must purchase a daily access pass for your vehicle for the number of nights you are camping. Each day pass is valid until 10:00 am. the following day.

Freeman Park Rules

All Freeman Park Policies apply while camping. Please see our website for further details.

14 Consecutive Day Limit

Camping or sleeping in a vehicle or tent for more than fourteen (14) consecutive days is not allowed.

Fireworks

Fireworks are not permitted at any time.

No Concealed Weapons

No concealed weapons without a valid North Carolina concealed handgun permit. NC General Statute 14-415.23 and NC general Statute 14-415.11(C2) shall be enforced.

Campsite Boundaries Cannot be Changed

Do not attempt to remove or adjust the campsite boundaries markers for any reason.

Quiet Hours

As a courtesy to other campers, please observe the campground quiet hours. Quiet hours are from 11:00 pm until 7:00 am.

Beach Furniture

Only normal camping and beach furniture will be allowed onto Freeman Park. No commonly known household furniture such as couches, chairs, non-inflatable mattress, box springs, etc. are permitted.

Dog Policy

Dogs must be on a leash April 1st through September 30th. Dogs may be off lease October 1st through March 31st if under voice command. All owners are responsible for cleaning up after their animal.

Tents and camping equipment must not be left unattended in a campsite beyond the reservation period.

Tents and camping equipment must not be left unattended in a campsite beyond the reservation period. Day tents, canopies, other similar devices, and camping equipment that are left unattended may be removed from the park by the Town of Carolina Beach without notice.

Trash Removal

ALL trash must be removed by visitors. A Pack It In, Pack It Out policy is in place. Failure to clean and remove all trash and personal items from campsite will result in a civil citation and fine of $500.

No Drinking

It is illegal to possess spirituous liquor and or fortified wine per NC General Statute 18B-301.

Glass Containers

Glass containers are strictly prohibited.

Bounds of the Campsite

All vehicles, campfires, and camping equipment must remain within the bounds of the campsite at all times and must not block the travel lane.

No Walking or Driving on the Sand Dunes

Walking or driving on the sand dunes is strictly prohibited. Park privileges may be revoked and/or a civil citation and fine of up to $1000 issued for any violation.

Sand Dune Fencing

No vehicles or equipment may be stationed within ten (10) feet of the sand dune fencing.

Map

Click to open the map

Area Tips

Freeman Park is open 24 hours a day so vehicle traffic/vehicle noise is possible at all hours.   

Reviews Leave a Review

Earl Styne

1.0

Dont bother to follow any of the rules, you can break all of them if you would like to and you wont get in trouble at all! We had a terrible time at Freeman park in Carolina Beach. For starters, the campsite number was missing so we ended up setting up camp in the wrong spot and had to move once the other campers showed up. Second, there was not supposed to be any fires on the beach during this time of year and I think we were the only campers who did not have a fire and now I wish we had brought materials to build one since everyone else had one. Third, there were supposed to be no dogs allowed on the beach without a leash and everyone out there who had a dog was letting it off the leash (wish I would've known so I could've brought my dog). Fourth, you are not supposed to be on the dunes at all because it is against the law but I witnessed people standing and walking all over the dunes. The family next to us was actually going into the dunes to use the bathroom (they pooped and peed in the dunes). Fifth, there are supposed to be quiet hours from 11pm to 7am but people were driving up and down the beach blasting music, drinking and driving, and being outright obnoxious while we're trying to sleep. Sixth, you are not supposed to drink alcohol or have any glass but we witnessed several people drinking alcohol out of glass bottles and found several in the sand around our tent (we could have been cut walking barefoot). Seventh, there are black widow spiders covering the inside of the portapotties and they were just absolutely disgusting. We spent $200 for a weekend here and I demand a full refund, this peice is absolutely rediculous and I hope this place makes some changes or just shuts down. It is an absolute trash place to go and makes carolina beach look terrible. There is no one there to enforce any of the rules/laws. I tried telling some of the other campers that they were doing stuff illegally and against the rule but none of them spoke any English so it was pointless. I WANT MY MONEY BACK!

April 24, 2024

Don Wells

4.0

enjoyed it

April 19, 2024

Benjamin Graebe

2.0

Positive: Beautiful sunrise Negative: The no fire pit rule here during certain times of the year is ridiculous. It was a cold night and we would’ve loved to have a fire, but because it was May, we couldn’t. Tons of people camping along the beach in the undesignated camping spots. Felt dumb for paying for a designated camping spot. There were also a ton of people showing up to camp in undesignated spots as late as 1:00am which was annoying due to bright lights and loud vehicles. Lastly, we had a group of young children keep shining bright flashlights into our tent throughout the night. Just an overall unenjoyable camping experience - especially considering we paid $50 for a spot. Price is definitely not justified when you allow people to camp just 30 feet away in undesignated spots. Summary: Save your money and sanity and go to Carolina beach state park or paddle out to masonboro island instead.

April 15, 2024

Melody Anti

4.0

Clean, well maintained, beautiful beach front camping! Good spacing between sites, dumpsters available for trash. Spaced out port-o-potty’s but could definitely be a bit better maintained.

April 08, 2024

Brian Hedges

5.0

Easy access. All the staff were very helpful. Beautiful location! Will definitely be back again.

April 08, 2024

Leah Amador

4.0

Not as family friendly as it used to be. The portable bathroom doors don’t lock anymore, and have to be held shut during use. People are very loud late into the night (quiet hours aren’t until 11) and as a result, it is hard to get kids to sleep. We love waking up to the ocean and the ability to bring everything we need right to our campsite in our car. I don’t understand why it’s $100 per night and they can’t be bothered to fix the bathroom doors.

April 07, 2024

Michael O

1.0

Run down, overgrown, not maintained in years.

March 17, 2024

Titus B

4.0

Great place to enjoy the beach, fish and enjoy family time. Seeing the ocean sunrise as you open your tent is amazing or being able to pull up and beach for a day out of your 4x4 is great. Fellow 4x4 beach goers were awesome and helpful during our stay. Port A John are available but has downside like any other Port A John. I suggest to bring your own camping toilet as we did. Your female campers will thank you! Will come again soon!

November 07, 2023

Camden Shively

4.0

Great experience! A shower house would be great but overall great time

October 31, 2023

Robert Sandford

5.0

Great time clean and friendly place to relax

October 30, 2023

Iesha Lloyd

5.0

I love coming here for a peaceful night on the beach!

October 18, 2023

Jorge Caceres

5.0

Fishing, camping, 4 wheel drive, good friends what else can you ask for?

October 17, 2023

Alexis Hoffman

5.0

Coastal Carolina Surf Club LOVES Carolina Beach!

October 16, 2023

Christie M Whisenant

4.0

Camping on the beach is fun. It's disappointing that you can't do this when it would be warm enough to get in the water. It's also quite expensive to have to pay for camping and to drive out on the beach multiple days. Most other places charge a camping fee and any parking fees are already included.

October 16, 2023

Bobby M

4.0

Wonderful camping experience but the beach needs to have a better way of managing the people who do not pay for camping...at least 3/4 of the "campers" were not in campsites overnight and blocked the ocean view for those of us who paid and properly parked in the designated campsites. All-in-all, still a good experience and will return.

October 11, 2023

Jordan McNeill

5.0

My family and I had a blast! We couldn’t have asked for anything more. I highly recommend camping at Freeman Park

October 10, 2023

David Williamson

5.0

Very nice for my girlfriend and I. We thoroughly enjoyed our time.

October 08, 2023

Ziggy Z

5.0

Fun camping during the week! We stayed in the off season during the week and we had the beach to ourselves for 3 days. Great for sleeping. The wind was quite strong, but that was the weather. Definitely bring big tent stakes or dig down and bury those stakes deep.

September 29, 2023

By Khang

5.0

I still don't understand why open up camping and no campfire in September. We camp there every October for the last 7yrs. Park entrance should be free if you already pay for camping. It get expensive when you stay several nights especially when there is no amenities. Overall we enjoy being out there.

September 18, 2023

Spencer Blair

5.0

Beautiful beach. Was surprised 90% of the people on the beach over the 3 days we were there didn't speak a word of English. Very nice vacation for sure tho.

September 12, 2023