Holden Beach is an award winning beach community attracts those who want to experience a unique quiet family atmosphere. With 8 miles of soft white sand,  a year-round moderate temperature and a small commercial corridor, the island attracts many visitors who return year-after-year. In mid-summer the permanent population of about 1,000 swells to more than 10,000 yet the atmosphere remains serene and small-town friendly.

Holden Beach was named to the 38 Best American Beaches in the July/August 2005 edition of the National Geographic Smart Traveler magazine. Traveler and coastal scientist Stephen Leatherman (known as Dr. Beach on Today Show) teamed up to create a list of the 38 Best American Beaches rated on 50 criteria. Points were awarded for various categories such as sand softness, water temperature and clarity, and number of sunny days per year. The top beaches were then placed in categories: Family, Romantic, Wild, Walking, Boardwalk, and Lakes. Holden Beach, NC was one of nine placed in the Family Beach category.
 

Holden Beach also received National Healthy Beach status through the National Healthy Beaches Campaign.  This national organization is a comprehensive coastal program designed to be the one source of information for beachgoers.  Certified Healthy Beaches are beaches that have passed the NHBC’s stringent environmental and service-based criteria, and have chosen to go the extra mile, by joining the campaign and filing monthly monitoring reports with the NHBC.
 

This beautiful island community has been listed in the 2006 AAA Beach Vacation Travel Journal as one of the top 30 beaches in the country. 

The island is a sea turtle habitat and during the hatching season (May – October) visitors who stay up late may witness one of nature’s true wonders - hundreds of small sea turtles “boiling’ out of the sand and marching to the ocean.
 

There are over 125 superb golf courses within a one-hour drive from Holden Beach. Courses range from very challenging to user-friendly for golfers who don’t always hit the ball where they want it to go. The Myrtle Beach area is perhaps the best region in the United States to find a course just right.

Boating, fishing and hiking the island are very popular activities. Shell hunters can find so many that the kids will fill up the car when they return home.

There is no other North Carolina barrier island quite like Holden Beach.