Brunswick - Ocean Ridge Plantation

Brunswick
and the Beaches
Living it Up on
North Carolina’s
Golf Coast
by Will Estell
The crystal beaches and Atlantic
waters have called people to the North
Carolina shores since beach bums
longed to feel sand between their toes and vibrant sunsets
before their eyes. Whether it’s the open waters or the inward
islands, the calming shores make for a compelling journey
that leaves most longing to return...many to call it home.
It’s no wonder that so many couples, singles and families are
choosing the Brunswick area when deciding to relocate, retire
or simply purchase a second…or third, home.
Now, more than ever, this southern part of beautiful North
Carolina is becoming such a strong magnet for those searching
for that perfect place to settle down. And why shouldn’t it be?
The housing opportunities abound, new communities are
popping up everywhere, the job market is growing by leaps
and bounds, and the area is booming with others of similar
interest who have also flocked to this coastal paradise. In fact,
some recent transplants are left wondering why everyone else
isn’t making the move too.
With so much going for it and so many joining the ranks
of homeowners in Brunswick county it’s easy to see why
an area that already has three mainland towns, six sandy
white beaches, five nearby islands, and over 35 golf courses
continues to add amenities by leaps and bounds.
From historical attractions, to fabulous shopping venues, to
the best restaurants available, Brunswick and its surrounding
areas have something for most anyone…including you. This of
course includes some of the best fishing in the country and an
abundance of opportunity to fulfill any hobby from boating,
Brunswick
and the Beaches
cycling, golf, tennis, and even antiquing.
Starting to sound like there really is
something for everyone? Think of it as a
kind of paradise for the aspiring retiree or
second home owner who wants the best of
everything, but wants it all in one place.
That’s Brunswick.
North Carolina’s Brunswick Islands
include Bald Head Island, Caswell Beach,
Holden Beach, Oak Island, Ocean Isle
Beach, and Sunset Beach. There are also
quite a few wonderful inland towns
including: Boiling Spring Lakes, Bolivia,
Calabash, Carolina Shores, Leland,
Shallotte, Southport, St. James, Supply,
Varnamtown, and Winnabow, all situated
close enough to Brunswick to be seen as
an extension of the area. Shallotte, on the
mainland, is seen as the commercial and
shopping hub for the area while Southport
offers antique emporiums, historic homes
and the North Carolina Maritime Museum.
Calabash, often called “The Seafood Capital
of the World,” has over a dozen restaurants
featuring seafood delivered fresh from
the local wharfs. Wherever you choose to
call home in this area you will likely travel
between many of these beaches, islands
and towns in your discovery of “just how
wonderful” this slice of paradise really is.
Though all of the beaches and islands
in the Brunswick area are beautiful and
inviting, each island is somewhat different
Brunswick has
something for
most anyone…
including you.
and every beach somewhat unique.
Whether you want to collect sand dollars
and rare shells on the crystal shores of
Sunset Beach or watch the ships enter the
Cape Fear River from Caswell Beach, there
is sure to be something for you on one of
the isles. Oak Island with its parks, nature
trails, canoeing and kayaking is an ideal
spot for bird watchers, nature lovers, and
those wanting to exert a little energy, while
Holden Beach has long been known as a
fisherman’s paradise for bringing in that
“fresh catch” of the day.
Bald Head Island serves as a safe haven for
wildlife and water fowl and can be reached
only by private ferry, whereas Ocean Isle
Beach is more easily accessible and plays
host to the N.C. Oyster Festival each
October, while offering numerous marinas,
restaurants, shopping and the world
renowned, Museum of Coastal Carolina.
Not least of all for activity seekers is
golf, golf… and more golf. If there is one
thing that is abundantly available in and
around Brunswick, it is the ability to
swing your sticks at over 35 courses in this
coastal paradise. Whatever your skill level,
there is a course here to match your play.
With challenging designs by Palmer, Jones,
and Maples to easier and wider courses also
plentiful, you are sure to find more than
one favorite among the many in the area.
Oh, and if water hazards are appealing to
you remember that the Atlantic-flowing
alongside many of these courses- is a tough
one. Below is simply a small sampling of
just how good the golf is in and around
Brunswick.
Brunswick
and the Beaches
Panther’s Run®
has been praised
as one of the “Best
new courses in the
Carolinas.” An 18-hole
course carved out of
rolling, wooded land
with rambling brooks
and ponds, Panther’s
Run® offers large,
multiple tee areas, giving golfers of all skill
levels a fair shot at making par. It features
wide, open fairways with little mounding
and is lined with grassy, depressed areas or
water. Women are offered two sets of tees,
a choice not often
available at other
courses.
Rivers Edge Golf
Club & Plantation®
features a premier
club lifestyle with
an array of top
amenities including
the highly acclaimed 18-hole Arnold
Palmer Signature Course. Winding along
the riverbanks, six of the holes sit high
upon bluffs that overlook two miles of
grassy marshlands. It was named one
of Golfweek’s top residential courses in
America.
Tiger’s Eye® has been named, “Best
New Course In America,” by Golf Digest.
This course is distinguished by dramatic
60-foot elevation changes and a stunning
combination of natural areas, grasses
and wild flowers, two waterfalls, coquina
boulders, and coastal savannahs. This
course requires precise shots and a reliable
short game.
Ocean Ridge Plantation® is home to
the award-winning Big Cats, which boosts
SUNALEI PRESERVE
A p l a c e f o r y o u r f a m i l y t o g a t h e r.
A place to be inspired, to be infused with the mountains’ presence.
Sunalei Preserve, a mountain park carefully balancing homes with the stirring landscape of
a giant mountain and its surrounding valleys. Located in the northernmost and highest region
in western NC, just minutes from Boone. With fewer than 120 homesites among nearly
1,000 acres, only a select few are destined to become a part of the Sunalei lifestyle.
B O O N E • N O RT H CA R O L I N A
8 2 8 . 2 6 3 . 8 7 1 1 • w w w. S u n a l e i P r e s e r v e . c o m • w w w. B l u e R i d g e R e a l t y. n e t
Brunswick
and the Beaches
five premier championship golf courses:
Tigers Eye®, Panther’s Run®, Lion’s Paw®,
Leopard’s Chase®, and the newest course,
Jaguar’s Lair™. Ocean Ridge™ is a golfer’s
mecca.
Lion’s Paw® was recently recognized
by Golf Digest as, “The Best Golf Course
in the Myrtle Beach Area.” An open,
hilly 18-hole course that treats golfers to
spectacular views of a beautiful creek valley
and wetlands, it features a lion’s share
of wild, untamed beauty with bent-grass
greens, undulating fairways, and towering
hardwoods. With various elevation
changes, oyster shell lined lakes, and creeks
flowing across fairways, every hole on this
course is picturesque and challenging.
Now that you have an idea about how
you can occupy your time in and around
Brunswick about the only thing left is…
well, where to live. This, believe it or not,
isn’t going to be a problem either. With
numerous top-notch communities in
place and a good selection of experienced
development and realty companies you
should have absolutely no problem finding
the perfect home or building site to fit your
specific needs and budget. From developers
like Mark Saunders Luxury Homes™ and
Coastal Development & Realty, to resort
companies like Coastal Vacation Resorts,
you can find a place to stay while you shop
for your place to stay.
The Coastal Companies®, with over
two decades of experience, is one such
company that can offer you an impressive
array of choices in their group of coastal
Brunswick
and the Beaches
communities. From cozy 1,500 sq. ft.
cottages to exquisite custom luxury homes
this group has or can build just about
whatever you are in the market for in the
Brunswick and surrounding areas. Most
importantly the company and its owners
have stayed true to their sense of good
stewardship to the environment, thus
allowing for a balanced coastal lifestyle
between you and your surroundings.
From Seascape at Holden Plantation®,
nestled at the tip of Holden Beach and the
Lockwood Folly Inlet, and offering a cozy
waterfront enclave of beautiful homes
Ohoopee River Plantation
p l a n t a t i o n
A “LIMITED EDITION” RURAL GEORGIA SPORTING PARADISE
Have you ever dreamed of a quiet place for you, your family and friends to enjoy? Away from the rat race? Away from
the demands of everyday life? And a hunter’s paradise to boot? Your dreams come true at Ohoopee River Plantation
near Dublin, GA. With 1400 managed acres and 4 miles of river frontage, the plantation supports an abundance of deer,
duck, turkey, dove and quail. Miles of trails with access points to the River provide enjoyment year around. Become one
of only 30 owners of this property and enjoy the great hunting. Each member will own a beautiful home site on the ancient
Ohoopee Dunes. Watch the sunset from you deck overlooking the Ohoopee River Valley. A great life! Get back to it now!
Starting at $275,000.
Haaland Company Land Management & Resource Development
Call Ron at 334-740-9913 • ronhaal@bellsouth.net • www.ohoopeeriverplantation.com
Brunswick
and the Beaches
with a private community marina, to
Seawatch at Sunset Harbor®, a charming
coastal village with miles of natural beauty
reflective of seafaring towns of yesteryear,
to Ocean Ridge Plantation®, a beautiful
residential golf and beach club community
offering exquisitely designed homes,
championship golf courses, and an everexpanding list of amenities in an elegant
country club setting with a private beach
club, tennis and racquetball club, spa and
fitness center, and four Big Cats™ golf
courses: Lions Paw, Tiger’s Eye, Leopard’s
Chase, Panther’s Run, and the new Jaguar’s
Lair, there is literally a perfect community
for your specific desires. How about
Rivers Edge Golf Club & Plantation®,
set between the Atlantic Ocean and the
Shallotte River, surrounded by water
and divided by a 27-acre freshwater lake.
This community offers homesites on the
waterfront or the golf course and nature
preserve. Living here will get you an 18hole Arnold Palmer signature course,
private fitness center, indoor and outdoor
pools, tennis, canoeing and kayaking, and
three beaches just minutes away. Maybe
you are more of a Parrot Head in which
case you will love Ocean Isle Palms® with
its whimsical island inspired living as the
new gateway to Ocean Isle Beach. With
charming cottage styled architecture,
gracefully intertwined around breezy
streetscapes, Ocean Isle Palms® will offer
an exquisite collection of wooded, water
view and waterfront homesites. All brand
new and will feature amenities such as a
private spa and miles of bike and walking
trails.
Ultimately only you can decide whether
Brunswick is the right place for you to call
home…or maybe even home-away-fromhome. If you are like so many that have
discovered it before you though, so much
beauty, tranquility, and possibility in one
place is pretty hard to overlook. Whichever
community around Brunswick you choose
to take a look at The Coastal Companies®
(888-863-4679. www.thecoastalcompanies.
com), the Brunswick County Chamber
of Commerce (800-426-6644. www.
brunswickcountychamber.org), and the
Brunswick County Tourism & Development
Authority (www.ncbrunswick.com) will be
more than happy to help you in making
your move the best it can be…after all,
shouldn’t moving to paradise be a good
experience?