BHI 2026: The Family Fun

Here’s a recap of our 2026 summer beach trip to Bald Head Island. This post is the family fun, and the next one coming is everything we ate!

BHI 2026 Recap!

We had a great time on our annual trip to Bald Head Island! The forecast was all rain, yet we didn’t see a drop after getting off of the ferry! At the end of the week, everyone was salty and sun-kissed.

Sea Oats Cottage

This was our FOURTH stay at Sea Oats Cottage! And it keeps getting better and better.

Since the last time we stayed, it went through a major renovation that resulted in a gorgeous new kitchen and a bunk room!

The house is also incredibly well-stocked for a rental. Recognize these spice jars!?

Mazen ended up getting his own room upstairs, and the younger kids shared the bunk room. (I use “shared” loosely because Birch came into my bed every night!)

We also had a new member of the family join – Annabelle Allen!

She loved the beach and ocean – so much that all the swimming she did on the first day resulted in Swimmer’s Tail. Apparently this is when a dog’s tail muscles work too hard and get strained. So she didn’t do any more swimming, but still loved being out on the beach.

Beach Time

The kids really enjoyed the ocean to its fullest this year with tons of frolicking in the waves. I actually got to do some reading! Our house is along South Beach, which is much calmer and almost lake-like compared to East Beach. It’s great for younger kids.

Beach Walks

I was able to get away for a 45-minute beach walk everyday, usually in the mornings. This tree was my turnaround point!

Pool Time

We went to the BHI Club pool twice, which the kids also enjoyed.

The Point Tidepools

We spent a day down at The Point, which is such a cool spot. There are sharks (!), big waves on one side, and a tide pools. This year’s tide pool was so deep even Mazen could barely touch!