At JFB, L.O.V.E. stands for Living On Vacation Everyday! One thing that provides that sense of vacation is spending the night at Freeman Park.
In the Cape Fear region, Freeman Park, sometimes called the north end of Carolina Beach, is known as the camping beach. It’s one of the few locations that allows you (with a permit) to drive your vehicles on the beach, pitch a tent or sleeping bag, and spend the night.
Of course, for many, camping is a family experience, which includes our fluffy four-legged friends. Freeman Park allows pets to be off-leash from October 1st to March 31st and play on-leash from April 1st to September 30th.
And now, we need your help to make sure the rest of the nation finds out about this coastal gem. USA TODAY is asking readers to vote for their favorite dog beach. Freeman Park, along with Nags Head (about 4 hours up the coast), has been nominated along with 18 other locations.
To vote, click here. You can vote once per day until the polls close on June 24th at noon. Winners will be announced on July 3rd.
Here is a list of the dog policies for each beach in the region:
| Carolina Beach | Leashed dogs are allowed at all times at Freeman Park, and from 5pm to 9am at the Municipal Beach sites. They are banned on the boardwalk |
| Fort Fisher | Leashed dogs are allowed year-round |
| Topsail Beach | Unleashed dogs are allowed during the off season, and leashed dogs are allowed in the summer provided the leash is shorter than 20 feet. |
| Bald Head Island | Dogs must be leashed May 1 through Nov. 15. |
| Caswell Beach | Dogs can run leash free from dawn until 9 a.m. Otherwise, leashes are required during the summer. |
| Holden Beach | From May 20 until Sept. 10 – dogs aren’t allowed on the beach between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. On-leash walks are allowed at all other times. |
| Oak Island | Leashed dog can enjoy Oak Island beaches year-round. If you come in the offseason between Oct. 16 and March 15, dogs can even run off leash |
| Ocean Isle Beach | No dogs allowed on the beach strand during the summer between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Leashes required at other times. |
| Sunset Beach | Paws can’t touch the sand between Memorial Day through Labor Day from 8am until 6pm Leashes measuring less than 10 feet required for other times |
If you love pictures of dogs at the beach, check out this photo gallery that we posted a couple of years ago.