Ask a boater heading down the Intracoastal where they’re stopping in North Carolina, and there’s a good chance the answer involves a 32-ounce prime rib. Ask a Charlotte boater where they’re going Saturday, and you’ll probably hear the name of a tiki bar.
We didn’t pick this list. You did. These are the 10 places in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Tennessee that Argo boaters set as their trip destination most often during the 2026 season.
Some are classic Intracoastal stops. Some are lake spots most coastal cruisers have never heard of. All of them are places boaters keep going back again and again.
The List at a Glance
10. Hello, Sailor (Lake Norman, Cornelius, NC)
Hello, Sailor calls itself a modern fish camp. It sits on an inlet on Lake Norman’s east shore, in the spot where the Rusty Rudder used to be.
It was started by Joe and Katy Kindred, the couple behind Kindred in Davidson (another popular restaurant spot). So the food is a step up from what you usually get at a lake restaurant, but you can still show up in boat shoes. Think hushpuppies made with Jimmy Red corn, Carolina shrimp, calabash, and oysters on the half shell. There’s a tiki bar, multi-level decks, and around 20 slips for boaters.
Tip: Twenty slips isn’t many for a restaurant this popular. Get there early or plan a weekday lunch. And a slip doesn’t get you a table: dinner reservations are a good idea.
Good to know: Open daily, 11 am to 9 pm. 704-997-5365.
-
Harborwalk Marina (Georgetown, SC)
Harborwalk Marina puts you right on the Sampit River in downtown Georgetown. Tie up, and Front Street is a few steps away, with more than 16 restaurants within five blocks, plus shops and antique stores along the Harborwalk boardwalk.
The docks are all floating, mostly long side-ties, and they take boats up to 200 feet. The harbor is protected, and the current at the dock tops out around a knot. On shore, you get climate-controlled showers, laundry, and a captain’s lounge. The 200-foot fuel dock has high-speed pumps, diesel, and ethanol-free gas.
Tip: Traveling with a dog? The marina is pet-friendly and has its own play area, and there’s a dog park about a mile away.
Good to know: VHF 16 and 68. 843-546-4250.
8. Belhaven Marina (Belhaven, NC)
Belhaven sits at ICW mile 136, and the marina is right downtown. Every restaurant and shop in town is a short walk from your slip.
The marina has 23 slips and over 650 feet of bulkhead for long side-ties, with room for boats up to 150 feet. It’s the little extras that bring people back: free laundry, towels, fuel delivered at the slip, and a golf cart you can borrow for a grocery run. There’s even a putting green and cornhole for the crew that’s been cooped up all day.
Tip: Heading south, Belhaven comes right after the Albemarle Sound, the Alligator River, and the Alligator-Pungo Canal. That’s a long, exposed day with few places to stop, which is why so many cruisers rest here or wait out weather before the next stretch.
Good to know: VHF 16/9. 252-944-0066.
7. Safe Harbor Beaufort (Beaufort, SC)
Safe Harbor Beaufort, at ICW mile 536, sits right next to Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. Step off the boat, and you’re in the park, with Bay Street’s shops and restaurants a block away.
The marina has about 100 slips, with around 25 set aside for transients, and transient dockage for boats up to 150 feet. The fuel dock has gas and diesel, and there’s a ship’s store, laundry, and a restaurant on the water. Call on VHF 16 or 68, and staff will come help with your lines.
Tip: The Beaufort River has strong tidal current here. Check the tide and current times before you plan your approach, and if you can, time your arrival for slack water.
Good to know: VHF 16 and 68. 843-524-4422.
6. Wacca Wache Marina (Murrells Inlet, SC)
Wacca Wache sits at ICW mile 383 on the Waccamaw River, one of the prettiest stretches of the whole Intracoastal. Cypress trees and Spanish moss line both banks.
It has 100 slips, 12 of them for transients, a fuel dock with non-ethanol gas, and room for boats up to 150 feet. Approach depth is about 25 feet. Brookgreen Gardens and Huntington Beach State Park are both nearby if you’re staying more than a night.
Tip: Outriggers Bar & Grill is right on the docks, open 11 am to 9 pm Sunday through Thursday and until 10 pm Friday and Saturday. Tie up, eat with a view of the river, and top off your fuel before you leave.
Good to know: Fuel dock opens at 8 am daily. Restaurant: 843-357-3838.
5. Pelican Pete’s Tiki Bar & Grill (Lake Lanier, GA)
Pelican Pete’s floats right in Port Royale Marina on Lake Lanier. It bills itself as the lake’s only floating tiki bar and restaurant, with the largest thatched-roof tiki hut on Lanier.
The menu is lake food with a raw bar: barbecue, burgers, jerk chicken, peel-and-eat shrimp, and oysters. There’s live music, dogs are welcome on a leash, and it’s open year-round, so it works as an afternoon stop in the off-season too.
Tip: Coming by boat? Pelican Pete’s has its own courtesy dock with room for roughly 50 boats. Go around the right side of the restaurant, past the rental fleet, and you’ll see it. Tables are first come, first served, with no reservations.
Good to know: Lanier’s water level can swing a lot from year to year. Check depths on the approach in Argo, especially late in the season. Hours change seasonally, so check before you go.
4. Shanghai Resort (Norris Lake, LaFollette, TN)
Shanghai Resort is painted coral, blue, and bright tropical colors, and it’s easy to forget you’re in the hills of east Tennessee.
It’s been family-owned since 2008. The marina has about 300 wet slips, a launch ramp, boat rentals, and waterfront rooms at the Lakeside Lodge. Castaways Grill & Bar is on site, and the ship store claims one of the largest beer selections on Norris Lake. The resort also hosts big events on the lake, including Fire in the Sky fireworks and a Halloween bash.
Tip: Norris Lake is huge, with a lot of coves and fingers that look alike. Save Shanghai as a place in Argo before you leave the ramp, so you’re not hunting for it on the way back.
Good to know: 423-562-7651.
3. Safe Harbor Charleston City (Charleston, SC)
Safe Harbor Charleston City is the marina with the MegaDock. It’s more than 1,500 feet of dock on the Ashley River at ICW mile 469.5, and it’s the longest free-standing floating fuel dock in the Southeast.
The marina takes boats over 400 feet, which is why you’ll often tie up within sight of a superyacht. It has well over 100 transient slips and high-speed fuel pumps. Two restaurants, Fin & Crab and Salty Mike’s, are on site, and a courtesy shuttle runs into historic downtown.
Tip: Charleston is one of the busiest stops on the coast during fall and spring migration. Reserve your slip ahead of time, and plan your arrival around the current on the Ashley.
Good to know: VHF 16. 843-723-5098.
Safe Harbor Charleston City in Argo
2. Coinjock Marina & Restaurant (Coinjock, NC)
Coinjock sits at ICW mile 50, and the prime rib has made it famous. The restaurant has been open since 1978, and the 32-ounce cut is why so many northbound and southbound boaters plan their day around getting here by dinner. America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association voted it a “Best of the Loop” meal.
The docks are all alongside tie-ups with 30, 50, and 100 amp power and pump-out at every slip. There’s high-speed fuel, a ship store, a new bathhouse, and laundry. The restaurant is open year-round and has a newly expanded outdoor deck on the water.
Tip: Call ahead for a dinner reservation (252-453-3271), especially during fall and spring migration, when the docks fill with boats heading the same direction you are. And you don’t have to take on all 32 ounces. There’s a 16-ounce cut too, and plenty of boaters take half back to the boat for tomorrow’s lunch.
1. The Blue Parrot Grill (Lake Norman, Mooresville, NC)
The most popular destination in the Southeast isn’t on the coast. It’s a tiki bar on Lake Norman.
The Blue Parrot has been open since 2010, and it’s built for boaters. Pull up to the pier and staff will fuel your boat and park it while you eat. It’s casual and dog-friendly, with an open-air patio, seafood, sandwiches, and live music in the summer. The BBQ rum glaze goes on the ribs and the salmon, and the frozen drinks have names like Calypso Colada and High Octane Hurricane.
Tip: Summer weekend afternoons are the busiest time on the pier. Come early or go on a weekday.
Good to know: 704-663-1203.
What the List Tells Us
Six of the 10 are Intracoastal stops, from Coinjock at mile 50 down to Beaufort at mile 536. That’s the classic snowbird run, and those marinas see Argo boaters every fall and spring.
The other four are on lakes: two on Lake Norman, including #1, plus one on Lake Lanier and one on Norris Lake. Southeast boating isn’t just a coastal thing. Some of the most-loved stops are an hour from a city, with no salt water anywhere nearby.
And look at what the lake spots have in common. Every one of them is a place to eat. On the coast, boaters are picking where to sleep. On the lakes, they’re picking where to have lunch.
Heading South This Fall? Here Are the Six in Order
If you’re running the ICW this season, you can hit every coastal spot on this list without leaving the route:
- Coinjock Marina, mile 50. Prime rib night.
- Belhaven Marina, mile 136. Rest and do laundry after the Albemarle and the Alligator River.
- Wacca Wache Marina, mile 383. Fuel up on the Waccamaw.
- Harborwalk Marina, Georgetown. Walk Front Street.
- Safe Harbor Charleston City, mile 469.5. Take a couple of days for the city.
- Safe Harbor Beaufort, mile 536. Waterfront park out the back door.
That’s almost 500 miles of waterway between the first stop and the last.
Plan Your Visit
Every spot on this list is in Argo. Search the name to see its details and read reviews from boaters who’ve actually tied up there. Save the ones you like, then share them with your crew so everyone is working from the same plan.
With Argo Premium, you can build a route there around your boat’s draft and height, and check the 7-day forecast for wind, waves, tides, and currents before you go.
