Topsail Island is undoubtedly a great vacation destination for families with young kids. With seemingly endless amounts of nature to explore, family-friendly local businesses, and lots of opportunities for outdoor activities, it won`t be challenging to find something for the whole family to enjoy together. Though Topsail Island is well-known for its miles of uncrowded sandy beaches, there are also a lot of other family-friendly activities available besides just making sandcastles. 

You can choose from taking an educational visit to the aquarium or spending a physically active day participating in a surfing lesson. Whatever your family`s interests, there are tons of ways to engage with local life on the island. If you`re interested in keeping your kids entertained on your family vacations to Topsail, you might consider some of the following activities. We`ll go over the best things to do on Topsail Island with kids, including learning about local aquatic life and fun scavenger hunts.

Visiting the Aquarium

The Ecological Marine Adventures aquarium is more than just a place to observe marine wildlife. You`ll have the chance to get up close and personal by visiting the touch tanks. Here, you`ll get to physically interact with a variety of animals like horseshoe crabs and a diamondback terrapin. 

This kind of interactive learning is perfect for the entire family, as it`s designed to keep kids engaged and interested in learning about local marine life. If you`re looking for ways to create lasting memories and a love for the ocean, you should consider spending a few hours here on your next vacation. The aquarium is open to the public without a reservation, so you can pop on over whenever the weather turns cloudy. 

Surfing Lessons

If you`re looking for things to do on Topsail that are fun and challenging, you might want to try surfing lessons. Surfing is a great activity for your kids to learn confidence and explore the ocean. At the Surf City Surf School, the group surf lessons are the perfect choice for a family looking to learn surfing skills and make memories. 

These lessons are great for beginners or those who are looking for a refresher course. So if you or your children have different skill levels, instructors can work with each person to build their abilities. Lessons typically last one to two hours, so you may want to consider coming for multiple lessons on your family vacations to Topsail to really build your surfing skills.

Going to Mini Golf and an Arcade Center

If you`re looking to spend a fun afternoon or evening playing games with your family, you`ll love the Patio Playground. This activity center has tons to do, so you`re likely to please everyone in your family with this outing. This amusement park features an arcade, mini golf, and ice cream. This local attraction is great for any age so if you need an activity that everyone in your family can enjoy, check out this place on your next visit to the island.

Walking the Trails

There is a lot of nature to explore on the island besides the beaches. On family vacations to Topsail, you should consider taking advantage of all the beautiful nature there is to enjoy on the island. The local parks have great playgrounds, picnic areas, recreational courts, and more. There are also great walking trails located on the island. 

If you`re looking for a budget-friendly activity that is also scenic, you should consider walking a portion of the trails on the island. Depending on your kids` age levels, you may want to shorten or extend the walk. One of the longest trails on the island is the Mountains-to-Sea trail. You`ll likely only want to walk a small distance of this trail as it extends for miles up past the northern end of the island.

The Mountains-to-Sea trail is an incredibly long hiking trail in North Carolina that extends 1175 miles. Starting at the Great Smoky Mountains and reaching the Outer Banks, this trail brings in many hikers from all over the country to see the sights. While you don`t have to complete the entire journey, you may want to consider walking some of this trail while you`re on Topsail Island. 

The trail winds through Surf City all the way up to the north side of the island. You can enjoy the beauty of the Intercoastal Waterway and the miles of coastline while walking along this trail. The trail continues all the way to Snead`s Ferry, so you`ll probably only want to walk for a short way if you have kids. 

Topsail Escape Room

The Topsail Escape Room is a fun place to spend with your family. If you`ve never been to an escape room business before, you should consider going here if your family enjoys puzzles. There is no age limit, so you can bring your entire family to participate in this game.

Besides the typical escape room format, this location also has an outdoor scavenger hunt adventure. You`ll solve puzzles while walking around the area trying to solve puzzles. If you want a more scenic and interactive experience for your family, you should consider booking the scavenger hunt for a sunny afternoon. 

Overall, family vacations on Topsail Island are memorable. Going to the beach for the summer is a classic trip that kids and adults love. However, on Topsail Island there are a lot of fun activities besides just hanging on the beach. From learning about marine wildlife to learning to surf in the ocean, there are plenty of ways to engage your kids and create lifelong memories. If you`re looking for the perfect beachfront rental that`s in the center of all the action, you might want to consider our vacation rentals in Surf City.