A Weekend in Sunset Beach, North Carolina: Golf, Beach & the Best Local Eats
If you’re looking for an easy coastal getaway from Raleigh, Sunset Beach, North Carolina, should be on your list. It’s about a 2.5–3 hour drive from Raleigh, making it an easy long weekend without having to spend your entire day in the car. And if you’re flying in, Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) is just about 35 miles away - roughly a 45-minute drive to Sunset Beach.
We recently spent a long weekend exploring Sunset Beach, Calabash and the surrounding coastal towns, and packed our trip with golf, great food, beach time and plenty of fun. If you're planning your own trip, here's exactly how we'd spend three nights in the area!
Day 1: Thursday - Check In & Settle In
Where We Stayed: Shoreline Retreat
Our home base for the weekend was Shoreline Retreat, a property with two homes located right next door to each other: Birdie Bungalow and Eagle's Nest. We stayed in Birdie Bungalow, a four-bedroom, 2.5-bath home located directly on Oyster Bay Golf Course. It's a great option whether you're planning a family beach vacation, couples' trip, girls' getaway or golf weekend.
The house was beautifully designed and had everything we needed for a comfortable stay, including a fully stocked kitchen, comfortable bedrooms, a coffee bar, spacious living areas and our favorite spot - the screened-in porch overlooking the golf course. The location is also hard to beat. You're just about three miles from Sunset Beach and minutes from Calabash restaurants, golf courses, boating and other coastal activities.
Since we arrived in the evening, we kept our first night pretty low-key. We got settled into the house, made ourselves comfortable and played games together - a perfect way to kick off a relaxing weekend.
Want to Stay Here? Use code THRIVING10 for 10% off your stay! Book by December 21, 2026 for stays through May 15, 2027.
images from Thriving in Raleigh
Day 2: Friday - Golf, Seafood & Live Music
Breakfast at The Bagel Dock Café – Start your morning at this local Calabash favorite. We tried the bacon, egg and cheese bagel and a French toast bagel, and both were SO good. If you're a bagel person, don't skip this spot!
📍 1162 River Road, Calabash, NC 28467
Tee Time at Oyster Bay Golf Links – After breakfast, head out for a round of golf! Oyster Bay Golf Links is located right on the Intracoastal Waterway and is known for its beautiful coastal setting, challenging layout and natural surroundings.
One of our favorite things about staying in Sunset Beach is how many golf courses are nearby. In addition to Oyster Bay, you'll find Sea Trail, Thistle, The Pearl and Sandpiper Bay, making this area an amazing home base for a North Carolina golf trip.
📍 614 Lake Shore Drive, Sunset Beach, NC 28468
Dinner at The Boundary House – Head to Calabash for dinner at The Boundary House, where you'll find a HUGE menu with something for everyone. The basket of croissants with honey butter is a MUST, and I also loved the salmon.
📍 1045 River Road, Calabash, NC 28467
Live Music in Ocean Isle Beach – After dinner, make the short drive to Ocean Isle Beach for their summer concert series. We spent the evening enjoying live music, dancing and wine! It was such a fun way to end the day and only about a 15-minute drive from where we were staying.
📍 Town Center Park, 11 E. Second Street, Ocean Isle Beach, NC 28469
images from Thriving in Raleigh
Day 3: Saturday - Coffee, Beach Time & Mini Golf
Start Slow with Coffee & Shopping – We were supposed to have another tee time at Sea Trail, but it sprinkled that morning, so we decided to pivot. We can't wait to come back and play the course, but honestly, the rainy morning gave us an excuse to slow down and explore.
We stopped at a cute little cottage with a coffee shop, grabbed a delicious coffee and walked around some of the local shops before heading to our next stop...
Bagels Round Two at The Bagel Dock Café – Yep, we went back for bagels again. 😂 That's how good they were!
📍 1162 River Road, Calabash, NC 28467
Spend the Afternoon at Sunset Beach – By the time we got back to the house, the rain had stopped, so we packed up the car and drove about 10 minutes to the beach.
Parking was easy and we were able to walk right onto the beach. There are also public amenities and bathrooms, which made it really convenient for spending the afternoon there. We spent the afternoon swimming, reading on the beach and simply relaxing.
Dinner at Los Nuevos Charros – After the beach, we freshened up and head to Los Nuevos Charros Mexican Restaurant for dinner and margaritas. We had a great meal and loved ending our beach day with Mexican food.
📍 1021 Beach Drive SW, Sunset Beach, NC 28468
Mini Golf at Tropical Adventure Mini Golf – This was one of the nicest mini golf courses I've seen! The course is beautifully landscaped and has plenty of fun tropical details, making it a great activity for a date night, family trip or group getaway.
📍 10124 Beach Drive SW, Calabash, NC 28467
Murder Mystery Night at the House – We brought a murder mystery game with us, and it ended up being SO much fun. We love bringing games on vacation, and the spacious living room and screened-in porch made the house the perfect place to hang out for the evening.
images from Thriving in Raleigh
Day 4: Sunday - Breakfast & Head Home
Breakfast at Milk & Honey – Before heading home, stop at Milk & Honey in Calabash for breakfast. We ordered the pancakes, and they were SO GOOD. If you have a sweet tooth, definitely add this to your list.
📍 9941 Beach Drive SW, Calabash, NC 28467
Check Out & Head Home – After breakfast, we headed back to Shoreline Retreat, packed up and hit the road. If you're driving back to Raleigh, you'll be home in just a few hours - making this an incredibly easy long weekend getaway.
images from Thriving in Raleigh
Shoreline Retreat
If you're planning your own Sunset Beach getaway, we can't recommend Shoreline Retreat enough.
The property has two brand-new homes - Birdie Bungalow and Eagle's Nest - located right next door to each other. We stayed in Birdie Bungalow, and it was the perfect home base for our weekend. Between the golf course location, screened-in porch, coffee bar, spacious bedrooms and close proximity to the beach, restaurants and activities, it checks all the boxes for a coastal getaway.
And if you're traveling with a larger group, renting both homes together allows everyone to stay close while still having plenty of room to spread out. Together, the two homes comfortably sleep up to 18 guests.
Use code THRIVING10 for 10% off your stay. Book by December 21, 2026 for stays through May 15, 2027.
images from Thriving in Raleigh
Sunset Beach is such an easy getaway from Raleigh, and after spending a few days here, we're already looking forward to coming back. Between the beautiful beaches, incredible number of nearby golf courses, Calabash seafood, local restaurants and laid-back coastal atmosphere, there's something for everyone. Whether you're planning a couples' weekend, girls' trip, family vacation or golf getaway, you can easily fill a long weekend without ever feeling rushed.
And if you want to make the most of your trip, we'd definitely recommend staying somewhere like Shoreline Retreat where you can have a beautiful place to relax between all of your adventures.
Save this itinerary for your next Sunset Beach getaway!