#ThisIsThePlace: Kure Beach Fishing Pier has long history

KURE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — You can’t visit Kure Beach without going to the Kure Beach Fishing Pier.

Whether you’re casting a line or just taking a walk, it’s a must see, and has been for a long time.

The Kure Beach Fishing Pier was around in some way, shape or form since before Kure Beach was even a town.

The first pier was built nearly a century ago. Now three generations later it’s owned by Mike Robertson.

“LC Kure, my grandfather, originally built it,” Robertson said. “The first one was 300 feet long. Built it from pine trees that he cut down in the forest and it fell down the first year.”

That didn’t keep the family from going.

“Went back with better quality timbers after that and it’s been here viable concern ever since,” Robertson said.

That’s not to say it hasn’t seen its share of rough waters. Robertson said every generation has had to rebuild it, including himself.

“Hard headed; just keep putting it back after the hurricanes knock it down,” Robertson said.

Today it’s more than just a pier. It has a gift shop that tourists love, an arcade for kids and adults alike to enjoy, and of course anything a fisher could want.

“The fishermen I tell to walk out and enjoy themselves, turn their cell phones off and just enjoy nature and what not,” Robertson said.

And for everyone else, “This little bit of Kure Beach down here is just an enjoyable place to be,” Robertson said. “It’s pretty down to earth. It’s just a good place down here for the families to have a good time and enjoy the beach. It’s a place to relax and bond back up and get to know one another a little better and just get some sand on your feet and a little salt water on you and just have a good time. It’s the way families are meant to be.”

Robertson said one of the reasons he loves the pier so much is because of those families that keep coming back year after year.