In the space of one week, the Carolina Beach Boardwalk lost a landmark and the town gained most of the block next to it. On September 29, the Town of Carolina Beach announced a $3.5 million provisional grant from the New Hanover Community Endowment for the Carolina Beach Coastal Park and Event Stage, to be built on oceanfront land the town had just bought. Five days later, the SeaWitch Tiki Bar closed after a farewell weekend that ended with a public auction of its signs, artwork, furniture and fixtures, WECT reported.
These are separate projects with separate owners on separate schedules. Both are built around the same problem. Roger Monk, one of the owners of The Tropical, described it to the Greater Wilmington Business Journal as "almost a shut-off valve come the end of September." The hotel and the park both aim to keep people on the Boardwalk after that valve closes. That makes this winter the last off-season before either one opens.
Two Projects, Two Owners, Two Timelines
| SeaWitch site | Town Boardwalk purchase | |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Harmony Hospitality, private | Town of Carolina Beach |
| Addresses | 223, 225 and 227 Carolina Beach Ave. | Nine parcels, including 1 Cape Fear Blvd. and 3 Boardwalk |
| Price | $2.6 million, bought January 2024 | $12 million, amended down from $15 million |
| Plan | 140-room SpringHill Suites with an oceanfront pavilion | Coastal Park and Event Stage on five of the nine parcels |
| Next milestone | New SeaWitch hoped for by "the middle of next summer," per WECT in October 2026 | Design planning and public input, with no dates set yet |
The SeaWitch site does not overlap with the town's purchase. Harmony Hospitality, whose president is Page Johnson II, bought the bar's parcels more than two years before the town's deal came together, Port City Daily reported. The town's nine parcels are a different set of addresses: 100 Canal Drive; 8 Cape Fear Blvd.; 3 Boardwalk; 1, 5, 7 and 9 Carolina Beach Ave. South; 1 Cape Fear Blvd.; and 101 Cape Fear Blvd.
The Hotel Is a Bet on Visitors After September
Town Council unanimously approved the hotel plan in November 2025, WECT reported. The approved design pairs a 140-room SpringHill Suites with an oceanfront pavilion, linked by a skybridge. The pavilion will house the relocated SeaWitch restaurant and bar along with a ballroom, according to Port City Daily.
Earlier coverage said SeaWitch would stay open during construction and then move into the pavilion. That changed. At the July 14 council meeting, town staff said the current building would close in October, with the new SeaWitch planned across the street. The pavilion is phase one. Harmony planned to start building it this fall, with the hotel to follow, the Business Journal reported.
At the closing auction, Alan Nelson of Harmony Hospitality described it to WECT as "like a giant yard sale." The company's leaders said they hope to open the new SeaWitch by the middle of next summer, different but with the same flair, and with the tuna nachos still on the menu.
The business case is about the calendar. Jim DeGilio, executive director of the Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce, told the Business Journal the hotel will bring people in for business events, family reunions and weddings who might come back later on vacation. Monk said he hopes it brings conferences in the off-season, when the town becomes a "ghost town." LeeAnn Tluchowski, one of the owners of Mālama Cafe, called a hotel with conference space a positive for Boardwalk businesses.
The Town Bought the Block Where the Rides Sit
The public half of the plan is aimed at the same months. Carolina Beach bought the nine parcels from Carolina Beach Land Holdings LLC. Council cut the settlement price from $15 million to $12 million at a special meeting on April 20, 2026. The purchase is funded with $1 million from the town's fund balance, $1 million from room-occupancy-tax reserves and a $10 million, 15-year loan from Truist, which the Local Government Commission approved on September 1, Port City Daily reported.
The park will use five of the nine parcels. The other four stay private parking lots, leased back to the seller through September 2028 for $1,000 a month. The seasonal amusement rides now operate at 1 Cape Fear Blvd., one of the parcels the town bought. Mayor Lynn Barbee told WECT the rides "will most likely not be on this property next year." He added that the town would consider proposals for another location nearby, and that the purchase is about protecting the Boardwalk from future development. In September, WWAY reported that the rides still had no new home.
The early ideas for the park are a stage for entertainment and educational programs, a large open lawn and family features such as a possible splash pad. Barbee told the Business Journal he would like the site to host concerts, markets and outdoor movies, and he called the area "our city center." Concerts, markets and movies are the kind of programming that can run in October as easily as July. In the town's grant announcement, he tied the project to 1887, when Captain John Harper brought the first day-trippers down from Wilmington, and to keeping "a public gathering space on the ocean open to every resident and visitor."
No plans are final. Barbee told WECT construction could take about two years, and the town plans to gather public input on the design. No dates for those sessions have been announced.
Two Smaller Decisions at the Edges
Two other council items will shape the area around the park. On August 11, council voted 4–1 to rezone the 200 block of Cape Fear Boulevard into a Commercial Transition district. The district allows mixed-use buildings with a 10-foot front setback, and the final version removed bars, distilleries and breweries from its permitted uses. Monk also proposed a Boardwalk social district in February, which would let people carry a drink from a participating business around a designated area. Council asked staff to research the requirements, and no vote has been recorded. As of August, he told the Business Journal, those talks were on hold for the summer season.
Where the Boardwalk Still Feeds You This Winter
The Boardwalk still has places that stay open after the season. These spots are listed as year-round or daily:
- The Tropical lists year-round hours of 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., with weekend brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to Wilmington and Beaches. Hours can change.
- Gulfstream calls itself a year-round local favorite and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, according to its website.
- Kate's Pancake House is listed as serving breakfast and lunch daily from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Mālama Cafe posts its menu on its website, but no seasonal hours, so check with the cafe before a winter visit.
The Off-Season Calendar Already Shows What the Park Is For
This fall's events show the kind of programming the stage and lawn are meant to hold. The dates below are from the Wilmington and Beaches fall and holiday calendars as currently posted. Confirm with organizers before you go.
- Oct. 17: Monster Dash 5K at Carolina Beach State Park.
- Thursdays and Fridays through Oct. 30: Blankets, Bonfires & Music at the Seaside Pumpkin Patch. The Carolina Beach Pier Pumpkin Patch runs through Oct. 31.
- Oct. 31: Alley-Ween, a free event in the alley beside The Dive. Family activities run 4 to 7 p.m., followed by an adults-only evening with a live band. Council minutes and the event listing give different start times for the adult portion, so check with The Dive.
- Nov. 27: Island of Lights, Lighting at the Lake.
- Dec. 4: Christmas Parade, from Atlanta Avenue down Lake Park Boulevard to Federal Point Shopping Center.
- Dec. 5: Island of Lights Flotilla, from the Carolina Beach Boat Basin to Snow's Cut, plus the Carolina Beach Holiday Market at Lake Park.
- Dec. 6: Christmas Palm Tree Lighting.
- Dec. 12: Island of Lights Holiday Tour of Homes.
- Dec. 31: Island of Lights New Year's Eve Celebration on the Boardwalk.
Lighting at the Lake is listed at both Carolina Beach Lake Park and the Boardwalk, and the New Year's Eve celebration closes out the year on the Boardwalk. For now, both take place next to a closed tiki bar and a rides block the town owns but hasn't started designing.
If you own a home on Pleasure Island and want to know how a hotel two blocks over or a future oceanfront park could figure into your home's value, Living By The Coast Realty Group can walk you through it. Ask for a free home valuation and we'll show you what nearby sales tell us while the Boardwalk is between projects.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
