Bald Head Island is a two-mile journey across the Cape Fear River from Southport, North Carolina and the site of Old Baldy, the state's oldest standing lighthouse, circa 1817. You can reach this subtropical island only by passenger ferry or private vessel. Amid the island's 12,000 acres, you'll find 10,000 untouched acres of beach, marsh and maritime forest preserves and intimate neighborhoods that respect the natural beauty of the surroundings.