Things to Do for Kids at Bald Head Island, North Carolina

Camps and Hiking

• Bald Head Island Conservancy (bhic.org) offers summer camps for different age groups throughout the summer. Kids ages 4 to 6 can join the Budding Naturalists camp and enjoy arts and crafts, holding snakes and catching bugs. For ages 7 to 10, there is a Junior Scientists camp where your kids can kayak, hike and learn about the island's ecosystem. Conservancy Corps is for tweens and teens ages 11 to 14. They spend time in both the lab and the field, collecting data and furthering the Conservancy's research. Bald Head Island Club (bhiclub.net) has summer camp programs for kids ages 5 to 12. The Club offers guest memberships and weekly golf and tennis lessons, along with swimming, arts and crafts, team activities, indoor and outdoor games, movies and field trips for kids. They run Junior Golf Camps and Junior Tennis Programs throughout the summer as well. Spend some time with your kids outside hiking the M. Kent Mitchell Nature Trail. Follow the marker to find a 360-degree view of the marsh. You might even find fiddler crabs along the way. You can also hike in the Bald Head Woods Maritime Forest Preserve on easy to moderate trails or enjoy an organized hike through the Bald Head Island Conservancy.

Art and Nature Programs

• If you're renting a property on the island, check with the owner or manager to see if there's a free membership attached to it for the Shoals Club. Visit the Shoals Club (shoalsclub.com) for a schedule from their Recreation Department to learn about what's available for your kids. They usually offer family movies, bocce and volleyball tournaments, pool games and T-shirt tie-dying activities that are geared at the whole family. Young art lovers will want to join one of All About Art's camps or private classes (www.allaboutartbhi.com). Classes in basket weaving, drawing and photography are available for a variety of ages. Precious Impressionists caters to the younger crowd while older kids can take classes that focus on mermaid and dragon painting. If your crew is into nature, check out the programs that the Bald Head Island Conservancy (bhic.org) offers. They have a variety of family programs, including their Sea Turtle Patrol adventure where you can ride along with Conservancy staff while they patrol the beaches for nesting turtles. You can also learn about crabbing and cast netting, birding, nature tours and sea turtle movie screenings. If you're night owls, try the Bald Head After Dark program where you learn about the island's wild nightlife, featuring alligators, toads, bats and more.

Events

• The Bald Head Island Memorial Day Summer Kick-off (baldheadisland.com) is an annual event that officially opens the summer season. It's a way to cram a whole lot of summer into one weekend with standup paddle boarding, kayak trips, surf lessons, hiking and nature tours. Kids activities include crabbing and net casting lessons and reptile exploration. The Shoals Club usually hosts a family-friendly party. Music lovers who are visiting at the end of the summer can enjoy the Labor Day Music Extravaganza. Picnic and dance while enjoying local talent. Walk with the turtles from the first week of June until the first week of August. This nightly walk begins when the loggerhead sea turtles return to the island to lay their eggs. Depending on the month, you might see a nesting turtle or watch the hatchlings break loose.

A Day Outside

• If you've got an urge to get outside and get active, visit Coastal Urge (coastalurge.com). They offer bike and paddleboard rentals that they will deliver right to your door. You can also sign the family daredevil up for one of their daily paddleboarding trips or kiteboarding lessons. Riverside Adventure Company (riversideadventure.weebly.com) offers different activities for busy families. You can rent a golf cart or a bike to explore the island by yourselves or join the Treasure Hunt. Work together with the crew to solve riddles, sing and apply science and nature to puzzling out the treasure map. The Treasure Hunt is for kids ages 5 to 12 and runs during the summer on weekday mornings. If you have older kids, consider the Company's ghost walk where you explore the island and over 400 years of island history. If your family is into geocaching, or eager to try it, there are a dozen geocaches hidden around the island. Try it on your own by downloading the locations online (www.geocaching.com) or join in a GPS Scavenger Hunt with the Riverside Adventure Company.