Topsail Beach, NC

Topsail Beach is the smallest of the three communities on Topsail Island, occupying the island’s southern end in Pender County. Before World War II, the island was reached only by boat; after the Navy took it over for Operation Bumblebee, the old missile assembly building became the home of the Missiles and More Museum. The museum’s exhibits cover the island’s military, pirate, Native, and natural history, while the town remains tied to the long barrier-island shoreline. Topsail Beach is a North Carolina place where missile tests, museum history, and shifting sand share one island.