Okay so I've been to Wilmington, and I can tell you Cousins Beach is so much more doable than you'd think. The beaches and the pier and the bookstore and the restaurants from the show are real and open, it's all a short drive from the airport, and a lot of it is free. The beach house and the country club are the two places you can't get into, and this guide tells you exactly how to still get that feeling. Every address and hour and price I could confirm is in here, so you can just go.
The pier
The boardwalk
Downtown
Fort FisherWilmington and the beaches, photographed by people who live near them (credits at the bottom).
Cousins Beach is real. It's Wilmington, North Carolina.
All three seasons were filmed in Wilmington and the beach towns around it, and so much of it is still there, the beaches and the pier and the bookstore and the wedding week spots (two of the big ones are private, and chapter 7 tells you which so you don't drive out to a gate).
Because it's the fan trip that's also a really good beach trip.
You guys, this is one of the easiest fan trips you can take with a family. Fly into Wilmington and you're a short drive from the beach, and most of what you came to see is free, the sand and the pier and the walk around downtown. The paid stuff is restaurants and a few fun extras, and the guide tells you which ones are worth it.
But the information is EVERYWHERE, in TikToks and fan sites and old blog posts, and some of it is out of date. So I checked it all this October, the hours and the parking and what's changing next summer, and put it in order, so all you have to do is follow it.
Finch College
Belly's Paris
The ferry to SouthportWalk the pier, eat where they announced the engagement, and buy the book at Whale of a Tale. It's all still there.
The Fisher beach house is somebody's home, and so are a lot of the places around it. The guide tells you exactly what you can see and how, so Wilmington keeps loving us back.
What's Inside
Twelve chapters. Every address, every hour, every price I could confirm, and an honest note wherever I couldn't.
Before You Go
Where Cousins Beach really is, what's private, when to go, and what's going on with the movie.
Wrightsville Beach
The beach, the pier, the engagement lunch, the trail from the bike flashback, and how parking works.
Downtown Wilmington
Whale of a Tale, the coffee shops, the pizza place, the bars, and the Cotton Exchange, all walkable.
The Wedding
The hotel, the rehearsal dinner, the cake tasting, the spa day, and the dress shopping from season 3.
Around Wilmington
The coffee house, the diner, the park, the peach farm, Brown University, the volleyball, and the go-karts.
Carolina Beach and Southport
The boardwalk, the dive bar, Julia's inn, the bonfire beach, the bike ride, and the ferry to Southport.
The Beach House and the Club
Where the Fisher beach house and the country club are, why you can't go in, and what to do instead.
Finch College in Chapel Hill
UNC as Finch: Belly's dorm, the frat house, the bench, the post office ride, and the hotel where the cast stayed.
Belly in Paris
The bridge, the bakery, the bistro, the canal, the Christmas montage, Versailles, and the train station.
For Girls Trips and Families
The girls trip with the wedding week and the bars, and the kids version with the boardwalk, the farm, and the go-karts.
Where to Stay and What It Costs
Downtown vs the beach, the hotel from the wedding, Julia's inn, parking, and what to budget.
Your Itinerary Options
A weekend, four days, and the full week with Chapel Hill, with every stop in order.
Two ways to do this trip
Who's in the car changes everything, so chapter 10 is two guides in one.
Your people, the ones who are Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah
The wedding week, with the hotel and the gazebo bar and the spa morning and the cupcakes, plus lunch on the pier and a night out downtown.
Chapter 4 has the whole wedding week, in order.
Half of them haven't seen it and it still works
Underneath it, this is a really good North Carolina beach trip, with a boardwalk and go-karts and a ferry ride and a corn maze, and the moms get the bookstore.
Chapter 10 has the kid version and the few stops to skip with little ones.
However many days you've got
Wrightsville Beach
Front Street
VersaillesChapter 12 turns the other eleven into plans you can follow, every stop in order and every booking flagged.
The weekend
Downtown, a full Wrightsville Beach day, and the wedding spots, from the airport and back.
Four days
Adds the boardwalk, Fort Fisher and the ferry to Southport. This is the one I'd do.
The full week
Adds Finch College in Chapel Hill, and a Paris option if Europe's in the plan.
What you're getting
A website, not a PDF
It lives right here on bellebucket.com behind your login. Nothing to download, nothing to lose in your files app.
Built for your phone
Because you're going to read it on the sand, not at a desk. Addresses tap straight into maps.
Yours forever, updates included
When a place closes or the movie comes out or the boardwalk changes, it updates and you already own it.
Checked this October
Every hour, price and date was checked against the real sites in October 2026, and where I couldn't confirm something it says so instead of guessing.
Questions people ask
Is Cousins Beach a real place?
Not by that name, but yes. It was filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina and the beach towns around it, and the beaches and the pier and the bookstore are all there.
Can you see the beach house?
Not up close, because it's a private home. Chapter 7 has where it is, why, and what I'd do instead.
Is it good with kids?
Yes! Most of it is beaches and ice cream and a boardwalk, and chapter 10 has the family version and the few stops to skip.
When should I go?
Summer if you want it to feel the most like the show, but chapter 1 has the months I'd look at first, and what's changing next summer.
It's a summer show and it's a summer town, so go when it's warm and stay on the sand until the sun goes down.
Once. All twelve chapters, yours forever, updates included.
Get the Guide · $10Already bought it? Sign in
Go to Cousins.
Walk the pier and eat where they announced the engagement and buy the book at Whale of a Tale and walk the boardwalk. It's a short drive from the airport and it's all still there.
Get the Guide · $10Photos in this guide are by FOCIIS Photography (CC BY-SA 4.0), DiscoA340 (CC BY-SA 4.0), J Guth (CC BY-SA 3.0), Staniulis (CC0), Eric T. Gunther (CC BY 3.0), Unexpected Snacks (CC BY-SA 4.0), Edward Orde (CC BY-SA 4.0), Jason W. Smith (CC BY-SA 3.0), Caroline Culler (CC BY-SA 3.0), Mx. Granger (CC0), Jmpoirier1 (CC BY-SA 3.0), Myrabella (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons, used with thanks. The beaches are theirs, the plan is mine.