Thousands of U.S. adults weighed in. One Wilmington-area beach emerged as one of the most pleasant and relaxing to visit in the country.
Playing music too loud, leaving trash behind, not respecting others' space -- all these behaviors make up bad beach etiquette. When some beachgoers don't respect the space, it can worsen the experience for everyone else.
Travel site Exoticca conducted a survey of over 3,000 people asking respondents to identify the beach in their state where visitors showed the best etiquette. Bald Head Island's South Beach wasn't just named the top spot in North Carolina -- it was ranked second overall for the entire country and was the only beach not in Hawaii to crack the top five.
Why do visitors like Bald Head Island?
Bald Head Island's South Beach scored second
best in the nation when it came to beach etiquette. So what helped it rank higher than other Wilmington-area beaches?
When looking at the rest of the top 10, it's clear that a beach's setting matters when it comes to how visitors treat it.
In the case of South Beach, the island is only accessible by ferry. Being harder to reach helps restrict development and visitor traffic, creating a calmer beach experience.
Not only that, but much of Bald Head Island is protected or in conservation. The heavy focus on environmental protection among Bald Head Island's stakeholders may encourage visitors to treat the beaches well.
U.S. beaches with the best visitor etiquette
Here's the full top 10 of the U.S. beaches with the best visitor etiquette according to the 3,000-person survey.
- Poipu Beach Park, Hawaii
- South Beach on Bald Head Island, North Carolina
- Lanikai Beach, Hawaii
- Kapalua Bay, Hawaii
- Hanalei Bay, Hawaii
- Kiawah Beachwalker Park, South Carolina
- Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
- Naples Beach, Florida
- Coquina Beach, Florida
- Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina
Charlie Kingree is the trending topics and Pender County reporter for the StarNews. He can be reached at ckingree@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Survey ranks this Brunswick beach No. 2 for visitor behavior
