Most gated golf communities are built to keep you inside. Pool, courts, clubhouse, restaurant, done. Brick Landing has all of that, and the interesting thing about living here in August is how little of it you actually use on any given week.
The reason is geography. Brick Landing sits about five minutes off the island, which means Ocean Isle Beach's public calendar functions less like a nearby attraction and more like an extension of the community itself. Residents in most gated neighborhoods trade convenience for isolation. Here, you get both.
The Five-Minute Rule
The Brick Landing POA puts the drive to Ocean Isle Beach at about five minutes and to Sunset Beach at fifteen. That number matters more than it sounds. It is the difference between "we should go" and "we're going." A Friday concert that starts at 6:30 becomes a decision you can make at 6:00.
It also changes how you use the community's own amenities. The pool, the tennis and pickleball courts, the bocce and horseshoe setups, the golf course wrapping the streets — these become the weekday defaults, not the weekend event. The event is on the island.
What's Still on the OIB Calendar This Month
The Town of Ocean Isle Beach is running a heavy summer program this year, and a lot of it is timed to the last stretch before Labor Day. If you moved in recently and haven't mapped this out yet, the dated items worth putting on the fridge:
- Peggy Hughes Summer Concert Series, Fridays at 6:30 pm at Town Center Park (11 E 2nd St), running through September 6.
- OIB Scavenger Hunt, Wednesdays 10:00 am to noon, through early August, with registration on-site from 10:00 to 10:30.
- OIB Market Series and the Recreation Department's fitness class lineup, both on rolling schedules through the Town.
- Ocean Isle Beach Flotilla, Saturday after Thanksgiving, staging at 4:30 and stepping off at 5:30 sharp.
The concert series is the one to pay attention to first. It's free, it's outdoor, and the chair setup rule is worth knowing before you show up with a wagon: chairs go down starting at 5:00, and no smoking, vaping, glass, or pets are allowed in the park during shows.
The Friday Concert Routine
The pattern that works is undramatic. Leave Brick Landing around 5:45. Park on the mainland side of the causeway if the island lot is already tight. Set chairs at Town Center Park. Walk two blocks to grab something to bring back, or plan a proper dinner after the last set.
The reason this works from Brick Landing specifically, and not from farther-inland Brunswick County communities, is that you can commit to the drive knowing you can bail early without wasting the night. If the band is not your speed, you are ten minutes from your kitchen. That optionality is the actual amenity.
Where Residents Actually Eat
There are more OIB dining lists on the internet than there are restaurants on the island. The useful cut is by occasion, not by cuisine.
For the "we already had a long day, let's not go far" nights, The Paridise Bar and Grill at the base of the neighborhood, inside the clubhouse at The Links at Brick Landing, is the shortest possible trip. It is owned separately from the POA by Community Partners Golf, and it functions as the de facto community dining room for people who don't want to drive.
For the "we want the water view" nights, the ICW stretch does most of the work. Ocean Isle Fish Company is the open-air, on-the-water spot with a tiki bar attached and a "Our Boats to Your Plate" sourcing angle. Jinks Creek at 14 Causeway Drive is dinner-only from 5:00, more composed, and skews toward a special-occasion dinner rather than a weeknight. Sharky's is the durable casual pick with outdoor seating on the ICW and live music on many evenings.
For the "we want the ocean, not the waterway" nights, Le Volte on the oceanfront side is currently the only Brunswick County dining room with a true ocean view, and Oak & Palm has become one of the more talked-about newer rooms on the island for a longer dinner with a wine list.
The community's location doesn't just shorten the drive to dinner. It widens the number of dinners that feel worth the drive.
The Flotilla Is Already on the Calendar
November feels far away in August. It isn't, and this is the event Brick Landing residents most consistently underplan for.
The Ocean Isle Beach Flotilla is a lighted-boat parade down the Intracoastal Waterway, held the Saturday after Thanksgiving, staging in front of Inlet View Bar & Grill and ending near Sharky's. Registration for boats is a $30 donation and captains meet the Friday before. The event has been running since 2003 and functions as the fundraiser for Brunswick Family Assistance, with recent years raising in the mid-five figures.
Two things residents figure out only after their first year. First, the best viewing spots on the mainland side fill up hours in advance, and Brick Landing's proximity to the ICW is a genuine advantage for anyone with friends visiting for Thanksgiving weekend. Second, if you have a boat slip nearby and any interest in decorating, September is when the committee starts organizing and October is when the good judges get committed. Waiting until November means you're rigging lights in the dark.
Inside the Gates, Quietly
The reason the community works as a base camp for all of this is that the interior amenities are built for low-key weekday use rather than destination weekends.
The pool is large, with both open and covered decking, and the courts cover tennis, pickleball, and basketball. The Women's Club runs monthly meetings and a rotating set of activities that includes book club, cards, yoga, and water aerobics. It's the kind of programming that fills the Tuesday and Thursday middles of the week without competing with what the Town is doing on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Clubhouse at Bricklanding is the other piece worth knowing about, especially for residents hosting family. It's a dedicated wedding and event venue on the ICW inside the community, bookable through the golf operator, with capacity for around 130 guests. If a daughter is getting married or a milestone birthday is coming up, you do not have to leave the neighborhood to host it, and out-of-town family gets to see the community's best angle without a windshield tour.
The Small Thesis
Brick Landing markets itself as a mature, gated coastal community with a golf course, and everything in that description is true. It undersells the real reason the community holds up over years of ownership, which is that the address gives you standing invitations to a Town of Ocean Isle Beach calendar that runs harder than most people realize. Fridays at Town Center Park through September 6. Wednesdays for kids through early August. A Flotilla in November that the community has been building for since 2003. Dinner at a specific set of ICW rooms that stay open past Labor Day.
If you are new to the community and still figuring out the shape of the year, the practical move is to put the last three concert dates on the calendar this week, pick one Friday to actually go, and start thinking about whether you know anyone with a boat for the Flotilla. The rest of the year takes care of itself.
If you are thinking about a move within the community, or considering a second home nearby, Team Gale can walk you through what's currently on the market inside Brick Landing and how it compares to Sunset Beach and the Shallotte side of the ICW. Call (910) 541-1212 to reach an agent on duty, or schedule a consultation when you're ready to talk specifics.