Dive bars, beach cars, and an excellent burger in Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Most of my beach trips have been to South Carolina or Florida, but one of my favorites was to Carolina Beach, North Carolina.
My friends in North Carolina told me about this small beach town that checked off every one of my favorite things.
Dive bar? Check.
Great hamburger joint? Check.
A beach you can drive on? Double check!
First, the drivable beach. You must have a four-wheel drive to do this. This was worth the trip. Freeman Park Beach is on the northernmost part of Carolina Beach.
Do not underestimate the joy of driving on a beach. My four-wheel drive truck finally came in handy, and I was giddy as I drove along at the breakneck pace of one mile an hour. It is bumpy and you slide at times and when you finally stop, drop the tailgate, and sit there looking at the ocean, all is well in the world.
I highly recommend driving on a beach, if and when it’s legal. I asked a city worker spray painting parking spots where to find the best burger in the area. He recommended Island Burgers and Bites, located in a convenience store. To most people, those who have not spent their lives researching the art and science of burger perfection as I have, this would be a hard no. I, however, believe the weirder the location and the more suspect the building means a guaranteed good burger – most of the time.
That city worker, for the record, was right. I knew the best place to eat the burger was in my truck, on the beach and so I took my second trip to Freeman Park, this time to enjoy lunch, in my truck, on the beach.
The dive bar I discovered is the Fat Pelican. This is the “diviest” dive bar ever. Do not google diviest. It is not a word, but it does have meaning.
The Fat Pelican is loaded with everything you can imagine that defines the dive – a large tree stump anchored by a worn-out tire, an ancient ATM, plenty of seating inside and out without a single matching chair. It is heaven.
Outside, more seating and umbrellas with an elevated deck (or two) and more junk. Glorious junk. The good kind of junk you will only find in a dive bar. Stuff that makes no sense and is therefore perfect.
The best thing about this place is you walk into the cooler, grab the beer you want, take it to the register, and pay. No waiters here. No bartenders. It is self-serve in the truest form.
As I left Carolina Beach, sand in my tires and a burger in my belly, I knew I had discovered a gem of a place.
Laid back, funky and cool.