When you stroll down Kure Beach Pier, you stroll down history. As the oldest pier on the coast of the Atlantic, it spans over 700 feet. Originally built in 1923 by L.C. Kure, Kure Beach Pier began as a dream to build an entertainment area complete with several bars, cottages, and bathhouses. Local pine trees were used as the pilings and eventually, marine borers wore the wood down the first year to the point that the pier fell.
The pier was rebuilt pretty much by hand with new cement pilings in 1924 and stretched 240 feet long at the time. Hurricane Hazel sadly washed the pier away 30 years later in 1954. L.C. Kure had since sold the pier to his son-in-law Bill Robertson, whose advertising background allowed him to promote Kure Beach to be the vacation spot it is now. By encouraging visitors to buy property and homes in town, he thought owners would turn into investors by renting out their properties; thus creating more visitors all summer long. To this day, people flock to the southern coastal charm of Kure Beach. Kure Pier is now a staple in the landscape of the Wilmington area.
The pier has met with multiple hurricanes but keeps being rebuilt, staying in the Kure family and offering some of the best fishing on the Atlantic. Visitors can now fish off the pier for just a small fee. The pier is alcohol-free and family-friendly so that kids can learn the art of fishing in one of the best places. King fishing is wildly popular as well as shark fishing in the summer. The pier also has a bait shop, concessions, souvenirs and an arcade so you can truly make a day of it strolling and fishing the oldest pier on the coast!