Flanners Beach-Neuse River Campground

Flanners Beach Campground (aka Flanners Beach) is a nice spot to camp if you want to visit the coast without camping in the sun at the coast. It's about 35 miles from Fort Macon State Park.

It is a great campground for kayakers. Although the campground includes an adjacent picnic and beach area, there is no boat ramp. The portage down the steps from the picnic area to the beach would be difficult, mainly due to the number of steps, the narrowness of the steps, and the very lush poison ivy growing about the steps. However, NC Wildlife boat ramps are nearby that permit you to explore creeks without having to paddle the Neuse River.

Road noise is nil. Bathrooms were clean enough. Some sites have electrical hookups. Trees and vegetation provide enough privacy and shade for most sites. I'd go back.

That said, beware the midges and skeeters.

Neuse River Rec Area (Flanners Beach) is a fairly small Forest Service campground near New Bern. Great stop off if traveling south on US17. New Bern has a great little downtown, featuring the "Birthplace of Pepsi Cola".

Nice level sites, with good privacy between sites. Some sites are big enough for larger rigs. Road is paved but sites are gravel. Only a portion of sites have electric and none have water or sewer.

We camped here end of Sept, mid week and it was nice and quiet. There is a nice paved walking path around the outside of the camp and several trails to explore. You can walk down to the river, not sure if swimming is recommended.

Camp hosts were helpful and friendly. They keep the facilities in good shape. Our only complaint would be spider webs up high in the showers but not a big deal.

Would definitely stay here again.

This small campground tucked into the forest next to the Neuse River is a great place for enjoying the water or the nearby town of New Bern. The sites vary in size and only a select few have a view of the river. Our site (8) was huge and offered lots of privacy and plenty of "yard" space. Sites 28,29,& 30 all have views of the river, but what you gain in views you lose in privacy. Bathrooms were clean and well kept, the campground was tidy, and aside from the occasional helicopter (a military base is nearby), it was very quiet.

UPDATE: I wrote this review 2 days before we left. The water situation was not addressed so there was still fresh water only at the spigots on the loop and from a hose at the bathhouse. HOWEVER, on our last morning I went to take a shower in the only shower still available and the entire showerhead was on the floor. It was possible to stand under the stream of water that came our of the wall, although with a pushbutton you have to move slowly toward the wall as the pressure decreases. IF you need to use bathhouse showers you should know this. I do not know if the situation has been addressed as the camp host was not up when we left.

We paid the senior rate which is half BUT has a $5 surcharge per day for an electric site.
We spent a week here and in that time experienced virtually every type of spring weather-including an overnight/all night thunderstorm with high winds the next day.
The map directions, including GPS coords given at the reservations site, take you to the beginning of the campground road-the road does not "end in 750 ft" as the sign says-only state maintenance does as this is a national forest. Simply continue to the campground entrance on the right (the picnic area and beach access will be straight ahead) The campground host is the first spot on the right and if he is there it's best to check in with him and find out if there is anything to know. When we arrived, and all during our time there, there was a limited water supply. Only 1 shower was working (out of 3 and in the summer with a full CG this might be a problem). Showers are push button with lots of hot water and nice pressure and clean. There was a hose strung out from the bathhouse which could not be used for filling inboard fresh water tanks but the 4 spigots along the campground circle could. The fresh water fill out by the dump was not working. There is only electric at the sites that offer it. Sites are all different sizes, and many are very private,but some are not at all.Ours had a slight lateral tilt. The fire pits are huge.
The sites nearer the beach are less private and seem to be smaller but our 35' rig had NO problem at all in site 3.
The CG is located 1/2 hour from New Bern where the only laundry is located (used Wash House with lots of machines but some sketchy characters so best to go during the day) but there is a grocery store (Harris Teeter) closer before getting to New Bern. New Bern has one mall but most of the chain stores if you are wanting one of those.
There are great hiking/biking trails, a paved (1 mile) biking trail and kayaking/canoeing is possible in the river. Put in spot is to the north of the stairs to the beach.
We had 1-2 bars of ATT but no Verizon.
Very quiet though jets and helos from Camp Lejeune may fly over during the days.

Nice campground. Small. The beach is the Neuse River, so lots of flying things. Level site. Internet was better with antennas (not booster) and usable (barely)

Reserved here for a 3 night stay on our way south to Florida and wanted to take a coastal route from New England.
Site 5 was directly across from bathrooms. Has 30/50 amp and if you have enough hose, you can fill your water tank at your site (probably can for sites 4, 6, 7, 8 & 9). There are 3 water spigot around the campground so there are a number of sites that can access water with enough hose. Overall, this was a good location. It was rainy so we didn't take advantage of the beach but it looked decent.

We did some nice car camping at this place back in 2015. Looking at old notes from Recreation.gov and recalling we had a good time and with electric we were warm enough. Just plugged a small ceramic heater in and made sure it was safe to keep the tent warm all night. Most northern place to still be open in North Carolina and be cheap to stay at with electric.

stayed in site 4 i think. plenty of room, for our truck and 25ft rig. great bathrooms and showers. want more info watch my video here https://youtu.be/lE3gU6Wxgmk

We stayed here for two weeks in late November 2019. Apparently the campground had been closed until a few days before we arrived because of damage from hurricane Dorian.
The sites are pretty large. We had no trouble fitting our RV and toad in to site 19 with room to spare. I think most, if not all the sites, were back in. The nightly rate is 20 and the golden age discount knocks that down to $10. Electric sites cost an additional 5.00 but they are 50 Amp sites.
No hookups beside the electric, but there is a dump station and potable water available.
The beach area was still closed, but you could walk down to it. It was a nice sandy beach. There is a paved trail around the campground, probably a mile or so in length.
The historic town of New Bern is down the road about 10 miles to the west.
All in all, it was a great relaxing stay for us.

As others noted, beach access closed - looks like a long time til it reopens.
Campground is clean with most sites flat and well-spaced with bushes/trees in-between. The price reflects my NP senior pass. Hosts pleasant. Showers/toilet clean. Site 6 gets 1 bar Verizon but even so I could still get internet.